IMMA (Irish Museum of Modern Art) is delighted to announce today (Monday 12 October) a new fund, supported by the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin T.D, to acquire new works for IMMA’s Collection by artists living and working in Ireland.
This new fund allows IMMA to support artists during Covid-19, enabling them to practice as artists by buying artworks, while also expanding the National Collection of contemporary art. This funding is part of a €1m fund that the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media has given to IMMA and Crawford Art Gallery to support the arts community nationally in these challenging times.
Annie Fletcher, Director, IMMA, said:
“Throughout the pandemic we have been evaluating how IMMA, as a National Cultural Institution, can best support artists. We believe a bold acquisition policy is crucial and are delighted that Minister Catherine Martin recognises this as a meaningful way to support the sector. IMMA embraces the role of arts and culture in bringing the future a little clearer into focus. With the multiple crises facing the world – climate, health, economic; IMMA works with artists to create spaces where the cultural imagination that the world needs right now is given space and is accelerated.
We are lucky to have such a wealth of incredible artists in this country and we are very proud to be in a position to invest in artworks and develop IMMA’s Collection at this critical time. As we approach IMMA’s 30th birthday in 2021, we are reflecting on its history and how we want to shape its future. As a dynamic modern and contemporary collecting institution in Ireland IMMA is a collaborative civic space, a hub where our audiences come together to explore visions, thoughts, ideas and the future. Now, this fund provides us with the resources to bring art works permanently into the Collection, ensuring that the Irish public has a Collection that is truly reflective of the present concerns of contemporary society.”
This fund enables IMMA to support artists who urgently need resources and organisational advocacy to enable them practice as artists, now and into the future, while acknowledging the immense talent in the visual arts scene in Ireland. It recognises the urgent financial needs of artists living and working through the pandemic as well as the significant recognition of being represented in the National Collection.
At a time when exhibition opportunities and international exhibition touring is limited, this fund allows IMMA to continue to promote artists and their work, supporting and enhancing their reputations by acquiring their work for the National Collection. As a global connector IMMA will further ensure that these artists practice become part of an international global dialogue as we engage more and more with our international museum partners going forward.
In acquiring new works IMMA will pay particular focus to:
· Artworks that reflect our position as radically inclusive and globally connected.
· Artworks that can activate impactful conversations about contemporary society and reflect on society’s urgencies in a time of dramatic social change.
· Approaching our 30-year anniversary in 2021 and planning a major exhibition and celebration of IMMA’s Collection which investigates Ireland’s history and its journey towards the future.
12 October 2020
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For further information and images please contact:
Monica Cullinane E: [email protected]
Patrice Molloy E: [email protected]