Providing Creative Platforms
Our mission is to provide sustainable, accessible and professionally supported platforms that enable artists to develop, make and present their work.
About Us
MART Gallery & Studios is a not-for-profit, artist-led visual arts organisation dedicated to supporting artists through affordable workspace, exhibitions, professional development and creative opportunities.
Founded in Dublin in 2007, MART has grown from an artist-led initiative into one of Ireland’s established visual arts and studio organisations. Over almost two decades, we have supported thousands of artists through studios, exhibitions, events, residencies, partnerships and professional opportunities in Ireland and internationally.
MART believes that artists need more than opportunities to exhibit: they need sustainable places to work, supportive professional networks and organisations committed to the long-term development of their practice.
What We Do
Artist Studios
MART provides affordable and supported studio space for visual artists, creating professional working environments in which artists can sustain and develop their practices.
Visual Arts Programme
We support the development and presentation of contemporary visual art through exhibitions, projects, commissions and partnerships, with a particular commitment to artist-led and experimental practice.
Artist Development
Through professional development, mentorship, membership, talks, workshops and networking opportunities, MART helps artists build sustainable practices and connect with peers, audiences and the wider cultural sector.
Our History
MART was founded in 2007 by artists Ciara Scanlan, Chloe Freaks and Matthew Nevin as an artist-led platform for contemporary art. In 2013, MART transformed the former Rathmines Fire Station into a permanent home for artist studios and exhibitions and subsequently developed a wider network of creative workspaces.
Over the years MART has worked with artists, local authorities, property partners, cultural organisations and funding bodies to bring underused spaces into cultural use and create much-needed infrastructure for artists.
Our Future
MART is going through some exciting changes. Throughout 2026, our studios, gallery, events and activities is operated by Hatch Space DAC {formally Mart Gallery & Studios DAC}. Our new not-for-profit company, MART Gallery & Studios CLG, has now been established and, from 2027, will operate MART’s Old Fire Station and Grainstore studio buildings alongside its programme of exhibitions, projects and activities.
We are making these changes so that MART can focus its limited public funding on supported and subsidised artist spaces and its not-for-profit arts programme, while Hatch Space manages the wider studio network on a separate, self-sustaining basis.
The studios in Crumlin, Malpas Street, Galway and Harold’s Cross have now moved over to be operated by Hatch Space – www.hatchspace.ie.
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.