Nurturing Connections & Collaborative Relationships

kathgorman9
Jun 20
3 min read

Updated: Jun 24

Promenade in Conversation at Cairde Sligo Arts Festival

Presented in partnership with ATU Sligo, with support from Culture Ireland

Date: Thursday 10th July 2025

Time: 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Venue: ATU Sligo Performance Space, Yeats Academy building (Block L) on the North Campus, Ash Lane, Sligo, Ireland, Eircode F91 YW50. Google Maps link here.

Are you an artist, producer, or arts professional eager to explore new ways of thinking about staying connected and collaborating in today’s arts world?

Join us at Nurturing Connections, a relaxed, conversation-led networking morning that brings together Irish and international voices to reflect, exchange, and imagine what artistic practice can mean today and how we continue to stay connected in meaningful ways.

With 7 international presenters, this morning offers a rare opportunity to engage deeply with peers from across Europe and beyond.

What to Expect

Space for informal, thoughtful dialogue in place of traditional presentations — allowing genuine connection and meaningful exchange.
Contributions from experienced producers and festival-makers from across Europe and beyond.
Irish Artist Spotlights: the presentation of Barbarian, an evolving project by theatre maker Bob Kelly and choreographer Diarmuid Armstrong, set in a rural Garda Barracks, exploring masculinity, family and authority.

Networking morning at Cairde Arts Festival

Schedule

10:45 AM – Guests' Arrival

11.00-11.15 AM–Welcoming and Introduction to the day (Aysegul Yuzel, Promenade Project Manager & Tara McGowan, Cairde Arts Festival Director)

11.15-11.30 AM: Warm Up

11.30 - 12.30 PM – Meet the Presenters followed by Q & A

Anna Giribet Argilé – Fira Tarrega (Spain)
Marta Barceló – Ciclop (Majorca)
Eric Brown – Irish Maine Heritage Centre (USA)
Jens Frimann Hansen – Passage Festival (Denmark)
Adrian Lochhead – Eden Arts (UK)
Kresanna Aigner – Findhorn Bay Arts (Scotland)
Zoe Munn – Green Man Festival (Wales)

12:30 – 1:00 PM – Break

1:00 – 1:10 PM – Artist Spotlight (short presentation)

1:10 – 1:40 PM – Artist Presentation of Barbarian

1:50 – 2:00 PM – End of the event-Thank yous & Closing Reflections

Why Attend Nurturing Connections?

This event offers a rare opportunity to connect meaningfully with fellow artists, producers, and arts professionals from Ireland and beyond. Through open conversation and shared reflection, it invites participants to explore how we nurture creative relationships — across practices, places, and communities.

Whether you're looking to build new collaborations, gain insight into international working, or simply take time to reconnect with your creative purpose, this gathering offers space for valuable exchange, fresh perspectives, and genuine connection.

The event is free but ticketed.

The ATU is fully wheelchair accessible. There is parking directly outside the theatre space. This is County Council parking, and attendees must buy a ticket from the machines in the car park. The machines take coins only.

Cairde Sligo Arts Festival Micro Bursaries

Promenade is delighted to offer 5 micro bursaries to attend Cairde Sligo Arts Festival and our Promenade in Conversation at Cairde: Nurturing Connections.

Bursary Details

Each bursary is valued at €150 and can be used to cover your costs such as travel, food and accommodation for this year’s Cairde Sligo Arts Festival.

To be eligible, you should:

Be interested in learning more about the arts producing world and making connections.
Be available to attend the Promenade in Conversation at Cairde: Nurturing Connections on Thursday, 10 July in Sligo.

Priority will be given to individuals based outside Sligo, from underrepresented communities in the arts and freelancer producers/event organisers or artist/self-producers.

How to Apply for the Bursary

Send a brief email (a few sentences) explaining why you should attend and how it will benefit your career development to aysegul@promenade.ie with the subject line “Promenade Bursaries – Cairde Sligo Arts Festival.”

Deadline: Monday, 30 June 2025, 5 PM

If you have any questions or require more information, please don’t hesitate to reach out to aysegul@promenade.ie.

This event and the bursaries are supported through Promenade’s Creative Production Supports programme and funded by the Arts Council of Ireland. Supported by Cairde Sligo Arts Festival and ATU Sligo. The international delegation attending Cairde Sligo Arts Festival and presenting at this event has been supported by Culture Ireland.