Askeaton Contemporary Arts

Askeaton Contemporary Arts (ACA) is artist-run organisation based in Askeaton, County Limerick, Ireland. It organises residencies and exhibitions that are site-specific and made in response to the "dynamics of the locale".^[1] Since 2006, an artist residency programme has invited Irish and international artists to present new work in Askeaton each summer.^[2] ACA also has a publishing programme, titled "ACA Public".^[3]

Residency

Askeaton Contemporary Arts has hosted an annual artists residency and events programme, titled "Welcome to the Neighbourhood", since 2006.^[4][1] The residency takes place each summer with artists researching, producing and presenting new artworks in the town. Artworks have been made and exhibited in a variety of spaces including a pub,^[5] hair salon,^[6] World War II-era pillboxes,^[7] the ruins of Askeaton's mediaeval castle,^[8] and nearby Askeaton Abbey.^[6] The coinciding public programme usually takes Askeaton and its environs as its theme.^[6]

In 2022, a residency house was established in Askeaton as a dedicated space for artists to stay and work on longer-term projects. The site was once a home for the keepers of Beeves Rock lighthouse in the Shannon Estuary and is now used as an artists' studio and event space.^[3]