Artists receive grants to create projects showcasing work for new audiences

A magician and a crime fiction writer are among the Northern Ireland artists to benefit from funding to support new projects that will showcase their work to local and international audiences.

The Major Individual Awards worth up to £15,000 are being presented by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland with National Lottery funding.

They are the highest-value awards bestowed by the Arts Council each year.

Crime fiction writer Brian McGilloway, visual artist Gail Ritchie, poet Shelley Tracey and magician Nicola McBride, also known as Nikola Arkane, have been awarded the grants to develop new works.

The award will enable McGilloway to write full-time for the first time as he works on a new book.

Ritchie, from Belfast, will use the funding to develop work during a residency in France for exhibiting across Europe, including in France, Belgium, Italy and Poland.

Belfast poet Tracey will use her funding for a project called Exploring The Art Of Creativity Through Poetry Film, as well as designing and facilitating writing workshops.

Arkane will create a stage magic act for touring in Northern Ireland and internationally. Her award will also enable her to spend a year in Korea developing her practice with leading magician Hyunjoon Kim.

Gilly Campbell, director of arts development at the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, said: “They are four immensely talented artists who have already made a significant contribution to the arts in Northern Ireland and beyond.

“Through this Major Individual Artist Award, each artist will benefit greatly from being able to take time out to concentrate purely on creating ambitious, high-quality projects with the financial backing they need to produce work of lasting value.

“Thanks to money raised for good causes by the National Lottery players, these major awards will help to cement their national and international reputations as artists, and strengthen the positive cultural profile of Northern Ireland, both at home and abroad.

“The four join a distinguished list of artists who have previously benefited from these major awards and we wish them every success as they create exciting new work.”