South East Venues Network
The South East Venue Network (SEVN) is committed to a better future for artists in the South East.
Who are we?
The South East Venue Network, SEVN, is a group of 8 building-based arts organisations in the south east region of Ireland who came together in 2020. Each network member is represented on the committee by the senior leadership of the organisation.
The organisations are: VISUAL Carlow, The Watergate in Kilkenny, Theatre Royal Waterford, Garter Lane Arts Centre in Waterford, Wexford Arts Centre, National Opera House Wexford, Courthouse Arts Centre in Tinahely and Mermaid Arts Centre in Bray.
What do we do?
We spotlight the artistic community in the South East region, helping to raise the profile of the very high quality of work being made by excellent artists in the region.
We pool our resources to offer a bursary annually that supports an artist living and making work in the South East, both financially and with resources in kind (e.g. access to space, one on one advice from venue directors). We make the bursary available by open call, and this annual process helps us to grow our collective understanding of the artistic community in the region.
We meet regularly throughout the year by way of peer support, sharing information with one another about challenges being faced as individual venues, but also the challenges being faced by the artists in our region.
In 2024, we intend to have the first in an ongoing series of gatherings, designed to help the artistic community become better connected and to help the network improve understanding of the work we do both as individuals and together. We understand keenly the importance of solidarity, community and connection as the artistic community faces steeper challenges than ever with housing and cost of living crises intertwining to undermine the working and living conditions of so many in the sector.