Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Visual Artist Studios
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council Arts Office is offering a number of studio spaces for visual artists to use for one year.
- Two studios will be available starting October 2025
- One studio will be available starting March 2026
- Two Studios will be available starting October 2026
These studios are open to visual artists working in any medium, but your way of working must suit the space.
This initiative is part of the Council’s Arts Development Plan, which aims to tackle the lack of affordable studio space which is a major barrier for artists in the area. The goal is to help local visual artists grow their careers.
Each selected artist will get:
- Exclusive use of a studio at Dún Laoghaire Baths
- A materials budget of €6,500
In previous years, up to 84 artists applied, so please remember competition for a studio is strong.
Studio Details
The studios are about the size of a typical room in a house. Your art practice must fit the space and its limitations.
Important notes:
- No 3-phase electricity or mechanical ventilation
- No chemical management on site
- Door sizes limit what materials and artworks can be brought in or out
There are:
- 3 individual studios
- 1 shared communal area
Studio sizes:
- Workshop 1: 19.6 sqm, 1 large window, 2 doors (1 external, 1 internal)
- Workshop 2: 14.8 sqm, 4 windows, 1 internal door
- Workshop 3: 17.8 sqm, 1 window, 1 internal door
- Communal area: 45 sqm, Sound reducing curtain, seating, tea station with mini fridge, 1 large window, 1 door
Each studio includes:
- A large sink
- Storage
- Lighting
- Power sockets
- Wi-Fi
- A worktable and chair
- Polished concrete floors with underfloor heating
There’s also access to:
- A public bathroom
- A tea station. Also used by the artist in Studio 4 and the cleaner.
Other Considerations
- The Happy Out café is located on the top floor. The studios are directly below, so noise from the café may affect your work. There is a sound reducing curtain which lowers the sound. You’re encouraged to visit the public areas of the building to assess this. There can also be a wait time to use the toilets which are also used by the public.
- You cannot hold workshops in your studio
- Artists have 24-hour access, but:
- You cannot live or sleep in the studio
- You cannot invite others to visit your studio outside normal building hours
- You can find an FAQ here https://www.dlrcoco.ie/funding-opportunities/call-artists-d%C3%BAn-laoghaire-baths
Current building hours:
- Sunday to Wednesday: 7am – 5pm
- Thursday to Saturday: 7am – 10pm
- Opening hours can change depending on the season
Artists must follow the Health and Safety Policy of Dún Laoghaire Baths and cooperate with:
- Council staff
- The building’s management team
- The café operator
Council staff and contractors may occasionally need access to your studio for maintenance, but they’ll try to keep this to a minimum.
This studio opportunity is only available to individual applicants who meet all the following criteria :
- professional visual artists who practice their art in, or live in, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown.
- who are available to make good use of this valuable workspace throughout the year.
- whose working methods suit the studios available.
What we offer:
- A materials budget of €6,500
- Solo studio space for 1 year
- We will cover all costs associated with providing the studio including rent and utilities.
The selected artists will be required to have Public Liability Insurance with cover of €6.5 million with a specific indemnity to Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council. If necessary, the artist will also be required to have Employer’s Liability Insurance.
Briefing session:
Dún Laoghaire Baths Studios are currently in use by four artists so there will be no site visit. An online information session will be held on Thursday 21 August at 11am. To book a place for this briefing please email arts@dlrcoco.ie with the subject heading BAS25.
A member of the Arts Office team will be available to answer any questions on this opportunity during weekdays between till August 29, 2025. Please email your questions to arts@dlrcoco.ie with BAS25 in the subject line and allow 3 working days for a reply.
Proposals and Selection Process:
Applicants may only submit one application for this studio opportunity.
How to Apply
Submit your application through dlrcoco.submit.com and include the following:
- Your CV (Resume)
- Your connection to Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown (You must live or work as an artist in the County.)
- Your plan. Tell us how you’ll use the studio and the €6,500 budget.
- Why this matters. Explain how this opportunity will help your art practice grow.
- A short description of your past work (max 150 words)
- Examples of your work
- Up to 10 images or links (e.g. YouTube, Vimeo)
- Include title, size, materials, date, and your name
- Written work: max 10 pages
- Add short descriptions (max 50 words) for any links
- Make sure everything works on a PC and is in one PDF if possible
- File size. Keep your application under 10MB.
- Availability. Confirm that you can make good use of the studio for one full year.
Selection criteria:
Applications will be selected by a panel of Council Officers, artists, and arts workers. The decision of the selection panel is final.
Submissions will be evaluated using the following criteria:
- How well your proposal fits with our facilities and eligibility criteria (35/100)
- Quality of previous work and experience (35/100)
- Based on the information you give us; how might this studio and materials budget help progress your arts practice (30/100)
Summary Timeline:
Publication of Residency opportunity: August 6, 2025
Online information session: 11am, Thursday August 21, 2025
Period to submit queries: August 6 to August 29, 2025
Deadline for receipt of applications: 1pm, Thursday 04, September, 2025.
Outcome of selection process available: end of October 2025
Studio period: Two studios are available from October 2025, One studio is available from March 2026 and two studios available from October 2026
Freedom of Information
The provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 1997-2014 apply to Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. Applicants should state if any of the information supplied by them is confidential or sensitive and should not be disclosed to a request for information under the aforementioned Act. Applicants should state why they consider the information to be confidential or commercially sensitive.
GDPR
All information provided for this application will be held for a period of five years from the date of submission and will remain in the sole ownership of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council Arts Office. Information supplied in the application will be used only for the purpose of the application itself and will only be used by dlr Arts Office for the purposes of administering and managing this residency, including the selection process. You may withdraw your consent to the retention of the information relating to your application at any point by sending an email to arts@dlrcoco.ie
Submission deadline:
The deadline for receipt of proposals is 1pm, Thursday 04, September, 2025.
Applications must be made by clicking the "Apply" button on the right.
If you need support in making your application online, please contact the Arts Office by 29 August 2025.
email: arts@dlrcoco.ie
phone: 01 2362759
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council reserves the right not to award this opportunity if none of the proposals received are deemed to be suitable. In this instance, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council reserves the right to pursue a different procurement process.
This opportunity is funded Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.