50 Years of
D e f i n i n g   C u r a t i n g   i n   S o c i e t y C h a m p i o n i n g   E x p e r i m e n t a l   P r a c t i c e T r a n s f o r m a t i v e   C o l l a b o r a t i o n s S h a r i n g   K n o w l e d g e   G l o b a l l y ,   R e g i o n a l l y ,   a n d   L o c a l l y
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Michele Horrigan
Michele Horrigan ↗
Curatorial Intensive New York Fall 2010 ↗
Welcome to the Neighbourhood ↗

In 2010, Michele Horrigan—an artist-curator based in the small Irish town of Askeaton, County Limerick—participated in the second-ever ICI Curatorial Intensive, which took place in New York. She was seeking to grow the reach and impact of Askeaton Contemporary Arts, a new organization she had recently founded to promote engagement with contemporary art in Askeaton. 

→ Michele Horrigan

"After the Curatorial Intensive, I came back buzzing with ideas. To be involved in an organization like ICI, where you could be really supported and encouraged, was very formative at that point in my career. I became more clear about asking for what I needed as a curator, and in conversations with artists, there was a confidence that hadn't been there before. Now, in my organization we are always thinking about positioning each project within the community, situating the project for longevity, and forming other networks within and outside of Ireland."

— Michele Horrigan
→ Michele Horrigan

  • Frank Wasser, performance in Welcome to the Neighbourhood, 2024.

  • Robin Price with Askeaton TidyTowns, Flowers and Flamethrowers and Recent Happenings in Askeaton, video and multi-site installation, part of Welcome to the Neighbourhood, 2023.

  • Matt Calderwood, Erractic (Approximately 4.5 Tonnes) Limestone, floats on the River Deel during Welcome to the Neighbourhood, 2018.

Today, Askeaton Contemporary Arts has realized over one hundred artists' projects, and introduced a global community of artists to Askeaton. With no formal "white-cube" gallery spaces, artists instead work in public spaces throughout the town and actively involve the local community. In the annual program "Welcome to the Neighbourhood," Irish and international resident artists bring forward the rich layers of daily life that further artistic practice, and many of the works produced for the festival have gone on to travel worldwide.

→ Michele Horrigan
Askeaton Contemporary Arts: Book Launch ↗
An Irish Cultural Takeover of Chicago, as Experienced by a Local ↗

Horrigan's curatorial projects have brought together many communities around key issues, and she has collaborated both with ICI and with our collaborators throughout her career. As a participant in the 2024 Curatorial Forum as part of EXPO CHICAGO, she took the opportunity to collaborate with Irish curators and artists to stage a series of talks, exhibitions, and convenings between Ireland and Chicago.

→ Michele Horrigan
TULCA Assembly: The Salvage Agency ↗

Her practice also connects international art communities to Ireland in new ways. In 2024, she curated the 22nd TULCA Festival of Visual Arts in Galway, called The Salvage Agency; featured speakers included ICI Director of Exhibitions Becky Nahom and ICI Collaborator Stephanie Smith.