Author: Irene Fitzgerald

QSS is delighted that following a review, our Arts Council NI (ACNI) Annual Funding has been reinstated. Many thanks to everyone who has warmly supported us during this period of uncertainty, particularly our staff and members, as well as officials for their ongoing advice and support over recent months. The Board of QSS look forward…

QSS invites applications for 8 open plan short-term studio spaces (with lockable storage) at Norwich Union House, 1-7 Fountain St, Belfast, BT1 5EA. Studios will be available to rent from the beginning of June for 11 months. The 8 studios are located on the 2nd floor of Norwich Union House. Artists will have access to…

With the recent announcement by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland that both QSS and Paragon Studios in Belfast have lost all their annual funding, Damian Magee addresses the impact of the decision on the city’s artist community and argues that it is indicative of a general lack of support for artists living and working…

Having now reviewed the documentation, the Board of QSS are of the view that the decision to entirely cut our annual funding has been based on flawed information. It is our intention to work proactively with the Arts Council of Northern Ireland (ACNI) to seek a review and a reversal of this decision. Many thanks…

QSS member Angela Hackett (second from right) is one of four artists selected by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and the British Council to undertake residencies at two prestigious Indian institutions. The residencies will give the artists dedicated space and time to develop their artistic practice and are the result of new links forged with key…

QSS invites applications for 13 short-term studio spaces at Norwich Union House, 1-7 Fountain St, Belfast, BT1 5EA. Studios will be available to rent from the beginning of December for 8 months (it is possible that this period will be extended subject to business negotiations). The 13 studios are spread over two floors in Norwich…

Congratulations to QSS artist Zoë Murdoch ARUA on winning the Tyrone Guthrie Residency Award for an artist from Northern Ireland working in any medium at the RUA Annual Exhibition! The award, which was introduced in 2015, was previously won by QSS member Jennifer Trouton (2016) and painter Kyle Barnes (2015). The Tyrone Guthrie Centre is a beautiful, secluded residential workplace in…

    QSS artist David Turner has recently worked with Brendan Jamison Studios and Mammoth Belfast to create a portrait of Rory McIlroy for the Rory Foundation. The portrait, which is made up of 3145 golf tees, was exhibited during the Irish Open at Portstewart Golf Club and will be sold at a charity auction…

QSS is seeking expressions of interest for affordable, mixed-use, 24 hour access studios in Belfast city centre due to begin September-October 2017. These studios would be suitable for a variety of uses e.g. fine art, craft, design and sculpture. Studios would be available for a minimum of 3 months to a maximum of 18 months.…

The Suki Tea Art Prize includes a two month, fully-funded, artist residency at the Centre Culturel Irlandais in Paris (with flights, accommodation, studio space, a monthly stipend, and superb networking opportunities) worth over £4,000 and aims to provide artists with an opportunity to respond to a new environment and develop new work. This opportunity is…

QSS has invited 14 Fine Art graduates from the Belfast School of Art to exhibit in the QSS Gallery in January 2018. They are: Hannah Clegg, Petra Dominova, Meghan Downey, Olivia Gamble, Jordain Gillen, Mary Goss, Erin Healy, Megan Holmes, Fern Keeney, Megan Kerr, Ruth McGillycuddy, Yasmine Robinson, Charlie Scott and Sarah Smith. Congratulations to…

QSS members Susan Connolly and Mark McGreevy have been shortlisted for this year’s Suki Tea Art Prize. The prize was open to professional artists resident in Northern Ireland and Visual Artists Ireland members in the Republic of Ireland, working in all visual art forms and at all career stages. The winner will receive a two month…

QSS member, Catherine McLaughlin, is one of six artists shortlisted for the AVA Emerging Visual Artist Competition – the overall winner will be announced next week. Shortlisted entries are being projected in the courtyard of the Bullitt Hotel in the run up to the announcement. AVA is an Audio Visual Arts Festival and Conference in Belfast that…