Two Kilkenny creatives make it onto the Future Makers shortlist

Two Kilkenny creatives are included on the shortlist for Future Makers Awards 2024 which was recently announced by the Design & Crafts Council of Ireland.

The shortlist features makers and designers from Donegal to Cork. Established in 2009, Future Makers is a Design & Crafts Council Ireland (DCCI) initiative which recognises talent, potential and creativity. It is a platform to showcase the talent of the next generation of makers, designers, and craftspeople looking to take the step from training into enterprise and it provides them with much-needed financial support. With a total awards value of €25,000, it is one of the largest prize-funded design and craft award programmes in Europe.

This year’s competition saw an impressive range of entries from all around Ireland, with each one demonstrating a unique approach to creating beautiful and functional works of art. From furniture and fashion design to ceramics and glassblowing, the shortlisted makers represent the most innovative and creative young designers and makers in Ireland, spanning both student and emerging practitioner categories.

Antonio Bozic and Ruta Ivanauskaite from Kilkenny have been shortlisted for this year’s Future Makers Awards from Design & Crafts Council Ireland.

Antonio has been shortlisted in the Emerging Makers category and Ruta has been shortlisted in the Student and Recent Graduates shortlist.

Rosemary Steen, CEO of Design & Crafts Council Ireland, said

“Future Makers is a fantastic initiative that recognises students and emerging makers that are championing design across Ireland. The shortlisted candidates represent the most innovative and creative young designers and makers in the country, and they have demonstrated exceptional skill, creativity, and potential in their respective fields. The awards are a steppingstone that can propel their career to new heights in their chosen discipline. I’d like to wish all those shortlisted the very best of luck in the awards ceremony.”

Award winners from 2023 include ceramicist, Cora Cummins; fashion designer, Olwen Bourke; and ceramicist, Paul Griffin. Previous award winners include Michael Stewart of Standing Ground; ceramicist, Chloe Lennon; jeweler, Genevieve Howard; fashion designers, Natalie B. Coleman and Sorcha O' Raghallaigh; designer-maker, Úna Burke; furniture designer, Simon Doyle; ceramic artist, Kate O’ Kelly; and ceramic artist and educator Owen Quinlan, amongst many others.

The judges for this year’s Future Makers include Victoria Donovan a silversmith with almost 40 years of experience; Irish fashion designer, owner of The Linen Shirt Company and founder of Fashion Connect Ireland, Anneliese Duffy Fallon; Katie Dominy, Co-Founder & CEO of Arts Thread and The Global Creative Graduate Show; Fiona Sheehan, an entrepreneur and brand owner with over 25 years of experience in the design, manufacturing, wholesale, and distribution of Irish-made products. Belén Llamas-Ferrier, an apprentice of André Buchs’s and an expert in antique frames and techniques, as well as in the design of contemporary frames.

 The winners and runners up will be announced for each category at the Future Makers awards on Tuesday, September, 3 in the RDS Dublin. For further information on Future Makers, visit https://www.dcci.ie/dcci-future-makers/