Baboró International Arts Festival for Children and Galway Arts Centre invite applications from emerging and established visual artists for a new exhibition opportunity as part of Baboró Festival 2027.

We are seeking ambitious and imaginative contemporary visual art proposals that consider children and young people as active, curious audiences. We welcome projects that encourage play, exploration, participation, conversation and new ways of experiencing contemporary art. Proposals may be immersive, sculptural, installation-based, performative, interactive or process-led, and may be presented as either a solo or group exhibition.

The opportunity is open to artists at all stages of their careers working across any visual art discipline. We welcome applications from Ireland-based visual artists from all backgrounds.

We welcome applications from artists who already have experience creating work for children and young people, as well as those for whom this represents a new direction in their practice. If your proposal marks a departure from your previous work, we encourage you to explain why you are interested in developing work for young audiences and to outline your artistic approach. In all cases, applicants should include examples of previous work that demonstrate the quality, ambition and relevance of their practice.

Baboró caters for audiences from 0 - 14 years who attend the festival with their schools, families and community groups. The work should be accessible to some or all of this age group. 

The opportunity includes

The selected artist or artists will receive:

• Artist fees: A solo exhibition will receive an artist fee of €2,000. Artist fees for group exhibitions will be determined according to the number of participating artists and the overall project budget.
• Materials budget: A solo exhibition will receive a materials budget of up to €1,000. Materials budgets for group exhibitions will be allocated according to the needs and scale of the selected projects.
• Technical installation support: Provided by Galway Arts Centre and Baboró, as agreed with the selected artist or artists.
• Curatorial support: From Galway Arts Centre throughout the development, installation and presentation of the exhibition.
• Artistic development support: From the Baboró team, drawing on its expertise in creating meaningful artistic experiences for children and young people.
• Research and development support: Including access to project space at Galway Arts Centre, subject to availability.
• Marketing and communications: Delivered by Baboró and Galway Arts Centre.
• Project documentation: Professional photography of the exhibition.

How to Apply

Applications should include:

• A project proposal of no more than two A4 pages, outlining the exhibition concept and its intended engagement with children and younger audiences.
• An artist statement.
• A CV of no more than two A4 pages.
• If the proposal represents a new direction in your practice, a brief statement outlining your interest in making work for young audiences and how you intend to approach its development.
• An outline of indicative installation and technical requirements.
• Up to ten images of previous work, or links to time-based or digital work where appropriate.
• Should you prefer, you may submit your application form as an audio recording or short film - please address all of the areas above. Duration (8 min max).

Please send your document or recording to  artistopportunities@galwayartscentre.ie  including ‘Baboró x Galway Arts Centre Exhibition 2027 Application’ in the subject line.

Timeline

• Application Deadline: Sunday 6 December 2026 (12am midnight)
• Interviews, if required: Wednesday 16 December 2026
• Research & Development: Spring–Summer 2027
• Exhibition: Presentation at Galway Arts Centre as part of Baboró International Arts Festival for Children, 8 - 17 October 2027

Access

We recognise that life comes with challenges and needs are different for everyone. We want to minimise barriers you may face in applying for, or participating in, this opportunity. We can offer limited access support and want to work with you to ensure this opportunity is attainable. We are happy to chat about any additional support you may require and will try our best to accommodate you within our limited access budget. Please contact Rachel at rachel@baboro.ie should you need additional access support.

About Baboró

Baboró International Arts Festival for Children is Ireland’s flagship festival devoted exclusively to children and families. The annual multi-disciplinary festival runs in theatres, galleries and schools throughout Galway city and county. A registered charity, Baboró works year-round to bring meaningful arts experiences to children in its community and to support artists making work for young audiences, including through its GROW programme. 

Visual art exhibitions are an important part of our annual programme. Accessibility is at the heart of Baboró’s work to enable children of all abilities and backgrounds to take part. Baboró works closely with schools and communities across Galway to help ensure that cost is not a barrier to participation. 

About Galway Arts Centre

Galway Arts Centre is a home for contemporary arts in the heart of Galway city, connecting artists, audiences and communities through exhibitions, performances, residencies and public events. A registered charity, it supports artists to develop and share their work, creating opportunities for people to experience and participate in the arts.

Visual art exhibitions are central to its year-round programme, alongside Galway Youth Theatre, Red Bird Youth Collective and Cúirt International Festival of Literature. Through workshops, talks, schools programmes and community partnerships, Galway Arts Centre encourages curiosity, creativity and exchange. Accessibility and inclusion underpin its work, welcoming people of all ages and backgrounds to engage with contemporary arts.