I was born in Dublin and, after graduating in Fine Art Sculpture from the National College of Art and Design in 1998, moved to the UK in 2000 where I now live and work. Since then, I have exhibited both nationally and internationally, including solo shows, and a host of selected group exhibitions. My work has always been idea-led, shifting between forms, often grounded in 2D – collage and works on paper as well as work mediated by a screen such as video and photography.
Visual art has remained central to my life, but time and access have often been limited. The pandemic prompted a deep reflection on priorities, confirming the importance of my practice to my identity and wellbeing. In 2020, I found solace in my small garden. Now, I want to expand that sense of connection – exploring natural materials, the landscape, and the elemental origins of mark-making, and clay.
Receiving the bursary would be transformative. It would allow me to establish a dedicated creative space, something I’ve never had the means to do, and create the time I need to immerse myself fully in my practice. This award would enable a focused period of making that brings together two strands: drawing, which I am returning to, and pottery, a new and passionate discovery. With this support, I aim to explore the interplay between these mediums.
Though my work at university was in 3D, my practice soon after switched to 2D due to restrictions and premiums on physical space. This opportunity would give me both the physical space, psychological permission and professional confidence to return to the medium of 3D and allow a body of new work to emerge. The bursary would fund my creative time, essential materials and crucially, a working space where I can research, draw and make.
I am currently experimenting with wheel-thrown forms under the working title Perseverance Pots, reflecting both the learning curve of a new medium and my commitment to pushing through it. This bursary would allow me to develop a coherent body of work and reignited my practice for the long term.
For the Dover Prize, I would explore the perhaps overlooked legacy of Linthorpe Art Pottery, an innovative, short-lived local pottery that used red brick clay and was among the first in the UK to employ gas-powered kilns. Linthorpe’s bold experimentation with form and glaze still resonates today, with pieces held in major collections including the V&A and the Smithsonian. I would draw creative inspiration from their energy, techniques, and materials, weaving them into my own pottery practice.
I hope to create new work that reconnects public attention with a significant part of Darlington’s creative heritage. My aim is not only to produce contemporary pieces informed by the area’s past, but also to share the process with the community through three activities:
1. An exhibition of new work created during the bursary period, shown locally to spotlight both my dual-medium practice and Darlington’s ceramic heritage.
2. A public talk for local artists about the realities of sustaining an artistic practice as a woman in the 21st century.
3. A community workshop in partnership with for example Darlington Arts Centre, exploring the natural world through drawing and clay-making.
In doing so, I hope to inspire engagement, participation, and pride in local creativity.
My work is idea-led and always taken many forms, though primarily 2D including photography, video and works on paper. More recently I have discovered ceramics and am exploring the medium of clay and it’s myriad of possibilities in fabric, form, and finish. Recent exhibitions;
January 2025 Postcards, Fronteer Gallery, Sheffield
September 2024 Sonic Sculptures 3: Playground of Sound, Primary, Nottingham
June 2024 England is a Forest, The Minories Gallery, Colchester and online
March – April 2021 Restriction, Clayhill Arts – online exhibition
July – Sept 2020 Postcards from Great Britain, Haarlem, The Netherlands and pop up exhibitions, across Europe
Jan – Feb 2020 Identity and Self, Willesden Gallery, London
Yes, I studied at the National College of Art & Design in Dublin. I graduated in 1998 with a BA in Fine Art Sculpture.
In 1999 I received an Equipment Award and Travel Award from The Arts Council in Ireland. I used the equipment award to purchase a stills camera. The travel award was utilised to carry out a photographic project in San Francisco, California focusing on the destruction caused by earthquakes and using darkroom techniques to create damage and distortion and to disorientate the viewer.
Not currently but between 2009 I set up and ran Pretty Vacant Dublin which was born out of the Dublin property crisis in 2009. I transformed former supermarkets, empty offices and vacant retail units into temporary gallery spaces.
Its aim was to make good use of the many abandoned properties proliferating in Dublin, but also to give artists – both new and established – a platform to display their work.
The exhibitions were often inspired by their immediate environment and, in some cases, the shows incorporated the features of the building, or re-used objects discovered in the buildings as part of the experience.
Over 4 years I worked with over 40 artists, produced a programme of 10 exhibitions across 8 disused and empty locations. The exhibitions attracted over 5,000 visitors – as well as securing Mayoral Support, appearances on the national news, and international press and radio coverage.
Yes, my work has been featured in the following publications;
F!rst Point, Issue 2, 2005
Medium Magazine (online), Issue 1, April/May 2005
DPICT, April/May 2000, #01, front cover (1 of 560 customised covers)
Email: louisemjm@gmail.com
Address: 17 The Old Road, East Malling, Kent, ME19 6GY, GB
Local Authority: Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council
