Dublin City Council opened The Red Stables in June 2006. The Red Stables provides a series of unique working spaces for artists and craftspeople in a 350 acre parkland setting by the coast. Artists are selected through open competition to develop new work, take new directions and set new challenges for themselves and their audiences. There are nine day studios and two residential studios. One residential studio is awarded annually to an Irish artist and the second studio and apartment is awarded on a more short term basis as an international residency.

Architect Lord Ardilaun built the Red Stables, in St. Anne’s Park, as the estate stables for the Guinness family in 1885. The estate was acquired by Dublin Corporation in the 1930’s, who opened it as a public park. The Red Stables was beautifully restored in 2006 and redesigned to provide artists’ studios, an exhibition and workshop space and the Rose Café. The Red Stables are typical of Victorian ‘Sussex Style’ stables, laid out in a courtyard format. The distinctive large green doors that opened into the courtyard to allow access for the estate coaches now open onto spaces for large, bright artists’ day studios. The other studios are located in the stalls themselves, and in the haylofts.

Dublin City Council provides artists with a level of administrative and creative support from the arts office staff such as developing a resource library, providing professional development, supporting creative projects and exhibitions, assisting in sourcing materials, offering local knowledge and contacts.

The studios have open days twice yearly, which offer the public the opportunity to meet the artists in their individual studios and to view their work at source.

W www.dublincity.ie
E red.stables@dublincity.ie