Creative Residency - Gorey Hatch Lab

Creative Ireland Wexford

Creative Residency – Gorey Hatch Lab Pilot Programme

Open Call

Closing date Monday 1^st December 2025

Wexford County Council through the Creative Ireland programme and the Gorey Hatch Lab invite applications from mid-career and established creatives and artists from all art forms to take place in a creative residency scheme due to run from January-December 2026.

This residency has been established to strengthen The Hatch Lab’s capacity for creative thinking in business, while also providing opportunities for the residency holder to expand their creative practices and prefesisonal development within the business environment of the Hatch Lab. The residency holder will have access to training opportunities and all tenants facilities at Gorey Hatch Lab on a part-time basis.

Fees

The residency fee is €10,000 and it is expected that the residency will involve engagement in person at the Hatch Lab on a weekly basis. An additional €5,000 will be available to support costs for events, materials, travel and a guest artist/creatives programme.

About the residency

The residency will take place between January 2026 to December 2026, situated in the Gorey Hatch Lab. The residency holder will be expected to creatively engage with the resident businesses at The Hatch Lab in a way that is functional and beneficial to the business needs of the organisation and its residents. This might include creative workshops or other public events such as performances, recitals , concerts, talks , film screening or other creative activities which may inspire new connections and conversations about creativity in the business community as well as encourage new ways of thinking. The residency holder will be expected to produce events at Gorey Hatch Lab relating to their residency for Culture Night and Cruinniú na nÓg 2026.

The residency holder should also consider engaging with/contributing to the wider Gorey community/public during their residency. This engagement may take varied forms, depending on the residency holder’s own interests and ideas. At this point it is envisaged that the engagement will be to contribute to The Hatch Lab’s position of attracting the next wave of young entrepreneurs.

The residency will be evaluated by an external evaluator, and the residency holder will work with the evaluator to assist in the monitoring of the programme and its outcomes.

The residency holder will meet bi-monthly with the Creative Communities Engagement Officer for the Creative Ireland Programme at Wexford County Council, and have regular check ins with the CEO of The Hatch Lab.

Divided into three stages the residencies will be shaped as follows:

1. Research and development of ideas;
2. Idea implementation;
3. Conclusions.

Who May Apply?

This award is open to mid-career and established artists and creatives who have an interest in business development. To be eligible to apply, applicants must:

• Be resident in the Republic of Ireland;
• Have an  interest in developing their creative practice and prefessional development in the context of the Hatch Lab residency;
• Be mid-career or established artists/creatives.

Making an application

Please send the following documents to artsoffice@wexfordcoco.ie by Monday 1^st December 2025 at 5.00 pm:

1. A detailed proposal of 1-2 pages max, setting out your approach to the residency and how you might engage with the resident businesses and wider community;
2. A statement outlining how the residency could impact on your practice (300 words max);
3. A statement outlining why you think new approaches to creativity in business is important (300 words max);
4. An up to date CV demonstrating relevant experience;
5. Up to five examples of previous work relevant to this project.

Please ensure that you say ‘Hatch Lab’ in the title line of your email.

Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted.

Applications will be shortlisted, and interviews will run week beginning 8^th December. There will be an option to join the interview remotely.

Assessment process

A selection committee will shortlist applicants based on the following criteria: