We in the ISACS Network were deeply saddened at the recent passing of our wonderful friend, colleague and chairperson Miriam Dunne.
Miriam became the ISACS Chair in 2019 shortly after she finished her term of office serving as a Council Member with the Arts Council of Ireland.
Her deep belief in the importance of arts in context and arts for all was her absolute passion. From her early days with Waterford Spraoi; transforming a city scape through outdoor arts initiatives; she recognised the incredible potential and power that bringing art to the streets could have on a place and on a people. This led to her dedicating her working life to the advocacy for and development of the street arts, circus and spectacle artforms.
Miriam acted as programmer, producer, artists liaison and international networker for Spraoi seeking out incredible artists and acts from all over the world. She travelled far and wide to attend festivals, to learn, to find, to meet and to experience life at all the edges. This resulted in Spraoi programming some of the most innovative acts of the world on the streets of Waterford to audiences of thousands every year. How lucky were they.
Along side this Miriam was instrumental in the establishment of the NEST programme (New Emerging Street Talent) to support the development of emerging Irish artists and acts since 2014. Over 20 ISACS artists have benefitted from this programme which supports artists in the creation of new work for public space and developing opportunities for them as international touring artists in their own right.
In her role as ISACS chairperson Miriam endowed us with a wealth of expertise, fairness and integrity. Her generosity of spirit and at the same time her efficiency in getting the job done, contributed greatly to the culture and manner of how we approach our work.
The ISACS members, team and board all owe her a huge debt of gratitude for all she did to support the recognition of these artforms and their contribution to Irish society across her life span.
We would like to take this opportunity to extend our most heartfelt condolences to Miriam’s family, to Waterford Spraoi and to her wide circle of friends and colleagues both locally, nationally and internationally.