Skibbereen’s Vicki is in running for top RDS visual art award

SKIBBEREEN native Vicki Davis, one of this year’s graduates of the BA Visual Art Degree Programme on Sherkin Island has been shortlisted for the RDS Visual Art Awards, regarded as the most important platform for visual art graduates in the country.

Along with three other graduates from the BAVA class of 2020, Katie Nolan, Ilse Dahms and Guy Dalton, Vicki is now one of the 22 shortlisted to be considered for a share of the prize fund of €32,500. Prime among them is the prestigious Taylor Art Award, worth €10,000, which in 2018 was won by another graduate of the BA Visual Art Degree Programme, Beara-based artist Mary Sullivan.

Vicki recently graduated with a Visual Art Degree from TU Dublin. Performance, film, sound and sculptural installation are central to her arts practice. She has a passion for activism and theatrics, and has an interest in psychology, sociology and anthropology.

Sherkin Island Project Coordinator Aisling Moran said: ‘We are thrilled to hear of Vicki’s success in reaching the shortlist for such an accolade. This degree programme is like no other in that the whole community are invested in the success of the students. Sherkin offers unique inspiration and has been blessed with talented artists, alongside a very dedicated team of facilitators and lecturers.’

Ann Davoren, Director of Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre added: ‘We were delighted to have been able to host the BAVA graduate exhibition at Uillinn in September this year and showcase really strong and exciting work by these graduate students - it’s great that the work has been recognised by the RDS curators in their selection.’

BA (hons) in Visual Art is a community-based, four year, honours degree, visual art programme based on Sherkin Island.

It is fully accredited, managed and delivered by the Dublin School of Creative Arts, Technological University Dublin (TU) in partnership with Sherkin Island Development Society (SIDS) and Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre, and is part-funded by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and Cork County Council.