Opportunity for Schools: VISUAL Collective Transition Year Programme

VISUAL Carlow
Application deadline: 24 January 2025

VISUAL Collective is a work experience program for transition year students who are interested in exploring and learning more about the creative industries.

Taking place at VISUAL Centre for Contemporary Arts & the George Bernard Shaw Theatre in Carlow, this program gives students the opportunity to learn about what happens behind the scenes at an arts centre and find out more about how galleries and theatres work.

Led by VISUAL’s team of experienced facilitators, students will develop an understanding of how to pursue further education and a career in the arts by learning from people who work in the arts.

Students will meet with artists, theatre makers, performers, technicians and more. By meeting with and learning from invited guest speakers in a range of practice-led workshops, students will learn about how to develop a career in the arts, gaining first-hand information relevant to real-world work experience. They will also gain experience as artists in making their own art across a range of different approaches (visual art, performance, music, etc.).

As well as this, students will assist the team at VISUAL with their programmed events and festivals and become familiar with the artworks in the current exhibitions and explore the processes involved in their making.

The program culminates with an event at the end of the program (to take place in May 2025) that students work together as a collective to co-create. This event is self-directed and will showcase work students make throughout the programme and will give them the opportunity to become a part of the cultural programming at VISUAL Carlow.

Interested students must apply directly to the program themselves, by following these instructions:

1. Write to VISUAL, or send a video telling them three sentences about yourself and three sentences about why you would like to join the programme.
2. Show your creative side: Send a video, photo of your art, music, poetry, creative writing, anything that you feel shows your best creative self! You can send more than one example of your creative work if you are skilled in more than one area.
3. Include your full name, school name, email address and phone number in your application.
4. Send your application to Arlene Caffrey learning@visualcarlow.ie before midnight on 24th January 2025

Other details:

• The programme will begin on Friday 7th February and continue each Friday for 10 consecutive weeks, finishing on Friday 2nd May (no sessions take place during midterm and Easter).
• Weekly sessions will last from 9.00 – 13:00 with 30 minutes for break.
• Students should bring their own lunch every week and wear something they feel comfortable in (school uniform is not required).
• There are up to 15 places available on this programme for TY students. Applications are competitive so students are encouraged to be as creative as possible in their application to show us their creativity and enthusiasm for the arts.

Need help? No problem, just ask! Email Arlene Caffrey at learning@visualcarlow.ie
For more information see link to VISUAL website: visualcarlow.ie/whats-on/visual-collective