Earlier this month, during the August Bank holiday, we were delighted to bring our second 2023 instalment of the DELVE programme to attend the Spraoi Festival, in Waterford.
The DELVE (Discover, Explore, Learn, Visualise and Engage) programme – aims to support artists to experience and be inspired by art through a range of festivals and programmes throughout Ireland. We go, we see, we watch, we listen, we learn, we connect with art and art makers and we get inspired.
The selected artists – Valerie Bryce and Claire McKervey had a superb time, here is what they said about their experience.
I was absolutely blown away by Spraoi and so thankful for the Delve bursary which allowed me to attend. Watching huge crowds gather before performances because they were informed about what was on, and seeing young and old soak up the atmosphere of a weekend that they have a sense of ownership over and history with, was genuinely heart-warming and inspiring.
I am coming to the end of a Future Producers training programme and the experience of meeting people at Spraoi was absolutely invaluable. Gathering for food each day was a great way to strike up conversations with artists, festival directors, programmers, producers, those involved in marketing etc. What could have been a challenge in terms of networking, especially as I was there as a DELVEr and observing rather than presenting or booking a show, was made comfortable by the ISACS team who checked in with us regularly and actively facilitated introductions and the finding of common ground.
I highly recommend the DELVE bursary to any member that would benefit from a learning spurt in the most fun environment! Thank you ISACS.
– Valerie
I went into DELVE with the hopes of expanding my imagination, ideas and to find more inspiration to create. Fortunately DELVE did just this. Not only did I see shows and performances that showed me the possibilities of street art, I also got to meet art makers and those behind the scenes. To hear their experiences, their perspectives and to be heard by them was invaluable.
It was also wonderful to meet fellow DELVEr Valerie, spend time together, see and discuss shows and to get to know her journey into the industry and her passion for the arts. Everyone was incredibly welcoming to me and by the end of the weekend it felt like we were one big family. I’m immensely grateful for the experience and the continued support and work from all of those at ISACS. The festival in general reaffirmed my desire to work with more people to create work.
All in all DELVE was a beautiful experience with days packed full of watching shows, meeting and connecting with people and of course having the craic.
– Claire
