TUS lecturer Margo McNulty has been named a recipient of this year’s Decade of Centenaries Markievicz Award for artists.
The Markievicz Award, which honours Constance Markievicz – the first woman to hold a Cabinet post in Ireland, supports artists who want to develop their craft and produce art commemorating the role of women during the Irish Revolutionary period.
Margo McNulty, a lecturer in design at the Technological University of the Shannon, Athlone Campus, and a visual artist specialising in printmaking, photography, and painting, is one of 10 recipients of this year’s award.
The Achill native is no stranger to Roscommon and has exhibited her work on a number of occasions at Roscommon Arts Centre and other venues.
Commenting on the award, she said: “I am delighted to be a 2022 recipient of the prestigious Markievicz Award. I am honoured to receive this national recognition, and I look forward to engaging with the research and the making of the work during the coming months to realise the full potential of this exciting project”.
Each Markievicz Award recipient will receive €25,000 to develop a new body of work; Ms McNulty’s is due to be exhibited in Kilmainham Gaol Museum next year.
Influenced by traditions inherent in Irish culture, Ms. McNulty’s work to date has focused on the intersection of personal and public histories and how these histories and meanings can be embedded in material objects.
She has exhibited widely in Ireland, Sweden, Poland, and the UK and has taken part in several Irish and international residencies, with works residing in major collections nationally.
“On behalf of all at TUS, I wish to congratulate Margo McNulty on receiving this illustrious award. Women like Countess Markievicz played a hugely significant role in the Irish Revolution; this eponymous award will allow for their stories to be illuminated and retold through a variety of mediums, including visual arts, inspiring future generations, and commemorating an important moment in Irish history,” TUS President Prof. Vincent Cunnane said.
Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Catherine Martin affirmed the award’s importance “as we work to renew, restore and support the working environment for artists” post-pandemic and said she looked forward to seeing each recipient’s progress and the work produced as an outcome of the award.
