08/10/2026
*Announcement*
Arts in Co Kildare in partnership with The ACRE Project, Celbridge is delighted to announce Christine Mackey as the recipient of the ACRE Artist in Residence Award 2026-27.
The residency supports a professional artist to develop their practice and/or develop a specific artistic project, alongside a programme of public-facing workshops to engage communities from the local area.
Christine Mackey is an independent, research-based visual artist working across site-specific and socially engaged contexts to address complex environmental issues, through a blend of material, social and digital processes. She holds a PhD from the University of Ulster and a Fulbright Research Award at the University of New Mexico's Art & Ecology Land Arts programme. She is currently enrolled on a Special certificate in Nature Conservation at MTU Kerry, NPWS and Leave no Trace. Recent solo exhibitions include Seeking to walk beautifully on the earth (The Model, Sligo, 2025) and The Long Field (Leitrim Sculpture Centre, 2021). Her residencies span Waterlands UCD, EcoShowBoat, Utopiana Geneva, Delfina Foundation London, DRAW International France, and Centre Culturel Irlandais Paris, among others. Her work is supported by the Arts Council of Ireland, Culture Moves Europe, and Leitrim Arts Office.
During the residency, Christine will develop a workshop series with local individuals and communities, tied to seasonal growing cycles and building toward a lasting community resource.
On commencing her residency, Christine Mackey said: “ACRE offers exactly the kind of sustained, community-embedded time that research-based environmental work needs. I'm thrilled to be taking up the residency and excited to see what emerges from ten months in Celbridge”.
The ACRE Project Artist in Residence Award provides an artist with a 10 month residency at The ACRE Project, Celbridge, County Kildare with access to its facilities and creative space for one day each week. The residency is supported by Kildare County Council Arts Service with grant aid from The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon. Now in its fifth year, previous recipients of the award include Martina McDonald, Krystal Sweedman, Embrace Music (Sadhbh O’Sullivan and Sharon Murphy) and Ailish Claffey.
The ACRE Project (A Community Rethinking its Environment) is an eco-friendly community-based initiative located on the Maynooth Road in Celbridge, County Kildare.
