New curator appointed for Waterford Walls project

placeholder image — The Walls Project team

A guest curator has been announced for the Waterford Walls project.

It has been confirmed the Walls Project has awarded Kilkenny-based arts manager Gabe McGuinness the position of Guest Curator for Waterford Walls.

The Guest Curator role has been introduced as a pilot scheme for 2023 to coordinate the overview of Waterford Walls Festival including street art, film and music, workshops and community engagement projects. The international street art festival will gladly welcome Gabe to the new role to begin plans for the annual event, taking place August 11-20 2023.

Gabe McGuinness

The hiring process began in June with an open call for expressions of interest from experienced candidates in the areas of curation, arts management and street art. McGuinness had tough competition from an initial pool of over thirty applicants from all over the world.

As part of the rigorous selection process, four candidates were shortlisted and attended this year’s festival to experience the magic and hone their own visions for Waterford Walls.

The applicants’ final presentations were seen by a panel comprising expertise from visual arts, festivals, arts management and law, and all concerned were very happy that, despite tough competition, the ideal candidate for the job was found.

Gabe has a background in street and public art spanning 20 years, and he holds a Masters in Cultural Policy & Arts Management from University College Dublin and a Bachelor of Arts in Archaeology & Geography from National University of Ireland Galway.

Tracey Moca

He has also previously worked with The Walls Project in a number of managerial and curatorial roles since 2016, so brings several years of experience to the role. Exciting new plans for Waterford Walls 2023 are already taking shape - watch this space for details!

Further information about Waterford Walls and creative agency The Walls Project can be found at https://wallsproject.ie/.

The Walls Project CLG is a social enterprise which delivers large scale public artworks and community projects. The Walls Project recently coordinated the 8th edition of Waterford Walls Festival, a series of historic murals in New Ross and Dún Laoghaire County Council’s Anseo Festival for the second year.

The creative agency also facilitates Commissions, Artistic Exchanges and Collaborations and Community and Educational Outreach projects.