Providing Creative Platforms
About us
MART Gallery & Studios is an artist-led arts organisation based in Dublin founded in 2007 by Ciara Scanlan, Chloe Freaks and Matthew Nevin. Our mission is to be a leading advocate for the arts by providing sustainable creative art studios and to promote contemporary visual art through an engaging curatorial programme, to local and international audiences.
Gallery
MART Directors Ciara Scanlan & Matthew Nevin have curated and supported hundreds of artists through previous exhibitions, events, festivals and art fairs across Ireland, UK, Europe, USA & Japan. MART Gallery & Studios has a rich history of supporting and promoting the arts, and its artistic program is a reflection of this commitment. In 2013, the MART Directors transformed the old Rathmines Fire Station into two galleries, creating a new home for contemporary art in Ireland. MART’s galleries provide a space for artists to showcase their work and engage with local and international audiences. The organization supports artists working across all disciplines, with a particular emphasis on those working in sculpture, video, new media, installation, and live art-making practices.
Studios
MART Studios is one of the leading providers of sustainable workspace for the creative community in Dublin and Galway. With seven studio buildings and over 150 members, we offer a range of studios and project spaces to support emerging and established artists working in all forms of creativity. By working with local landlords and authorities, we transform spaces into vibrant and inspiring places for artists to work and create. We are dedicated to cultural advocacy, community building, and sustainability. Our studios provide a professional environment for artists to concentrate on their work, and our organization operates on a self-sustaining model. MART Studios is the largest supplier of independent space for the arts and cultural community in Ireland, and we have a strong impact on the local and national creative economy.
Ethos
- Support for the Arts and Visual Culture: MART Gallery & Studios is a leading arts advocate providing support and creative platforms for the arts.
- Artist Wellbeing: MART Gallery & Studios is committed to supporting and promoting the wellbeing of its artists, staff, and audience.
- Sustainability: MART Gallery & Studios provides sustainable and safe studios to artists.
- Boosting the Creative Economy: MART Gallery & Studios ensures its activities improve the creative economy and cultural capital of its localities.
- Community Building: MART Gallery & Studios regenerates vacant and derelict buildings to serve the local community and create opportunities for collaboration and support among artists.
- Strong Cultural and Economic Impact: MART Gallery & Studios members and studios have a strong impact on the local and national creative economy.
- Artist-Focused: MART Gallery & Studios was founded by artists, for artists, and seeks to create opportunities for artists at all stages of their careers.
Objectives
- Cultural Advocacy: To raise awareness and support for the arts and visual culture, promoting inspiration, education, and freedom of expression.
- Community Building: To refurbish underutilised buildings and provide space to foster artistic communities who collaborate and engage with each other and their localities.
- Sustainability: To operate as a self-sustaining organisation and provide a safe studio environment that allows artists to concentrate on their work and maintain their practice in a dedicated space.
- Curation: To adopt facilitative and collaborative methods of curation and art production, led by and for the artist and their practice. The aim is to create opportunities for practitioners to take risks and move beyond traditional models of exhibition and art-making.
- Platforms: To develop innovative platforms to support and challenge artists, fostering cultural leadership.
- Public Engagement: To provide artists with opportunities through local and international exhibitions, and engage with a diverse range of audiences through in-person events and online.
- Partnerships: MART collaborates with creative partners, civic bodies, political representatives, public funding bodies, local and national businesses, national and international cultural bodies and institutions.
