Sarah Browne (appointed 2020)

Sarah Browne is a visual artist based in Ireland concerned with spoken and unspoken, bodily experiences of knowledge, labour and justice. Her practice involves sculpture, film, performance and public projects, as well as forms of writing and publishing in diverse contexts. In 2009 Sarah Browne co-represented Ireland at the 53rd Venice Biennale with Gareth Kennedy and Kennedy Browne, their shared collaborative practice. Recently in 2020, she curated TULCA Festival of Visual Arts in Galway, titled The Law is a White Dog. She is associate artist in residence with University College Dublin College of Social Sciences and Law.

Alice Casey (appointed 2020)

Alice Casey is a Director of TAKA Architects, an internationally recognised architectural practice based in Dublin. In her day-to-day practice, Alice works with Boards of Directors in the design, procurement and construction of new projects for their organisations. She teaches Architecture in TU Dublin and holds a PhD by Practice from RMIT Melbourne.

Mary Cloake (appointed 2018)

Mary Cloake joined the Arts Council in 1993 as Regional Development Officer and was appointed Development Director in 1997. Previously, she worked as Arts Officer in Dundalk Urban District Council. She is a member of RTÉ’s Audience Council and was appointed to the Bloomsday 100 Committee by the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, John O’Donoghue T.D. She holds an M.A. from Dublin City University and a B.A. (Mod) from Trinity College, Dublin. Since 2012 Mary has been Chief Executive of the Bluecoat, Liverpool’s centre for the contemporary arts, and England’s oldest arts centre.

Robert Farhat (appointed 2020)

Rob(ert) Farhat is a former classical musician turned music programmer, manager, and artist mentor. He previously co-founded and directed Ensemble Music in Ireland, working with artists such as Loah, Ensemble Ériu, Rusangano Family, and the late Conor Walsh. He is now primarily based in London and works for live music producers Serious as their Talent Development and Programme Manager — working with boundary-pushing jazz and experimental musicians like Gaika, Gazelle Twin, Abel Selaocoe, and Emma-Jean Thackray and programming the EFG London Jazz Festival. He was born and bred in Dublin and is a proud Irishman of Iranian/Armenian heritage.

Monica Flood (appointed 2018)

Monica Flood established an IT training and consultancy business in 1981. Olas has developed as one of the premier IT training companies in Ireland and is the sole appointed education partner for SAP. Monica completed the sale of Olas to a French public company, Assima plc. and has retired from the position of CEO to pursue other business and investment interests. Monica’s experience of building a service business and a loyal customer base in a very competitive market provides an important perspective for growth and success.

Alejandro Llosa (appointed 2023)

Based in Dublin since 2016, Alejandro is a qualified lawyer with more than 17 years of experience. He started his career working for top-tier law firms in Buenos Aires, Argentina, focused on Corporate Law and M&A. He joined Accenture in 2011 and, since then, he has been working in different roles as a Senior Legal Counsel supporting acquisitions and global transactions in the technology and creative services fields. He is also the main legal counsel for Droga5 Dublin, a creative agency part of Accenture Song.

As a musician and guitarist, Alejandro has performed and toured extensively with The League of Crafty Guitarists founded by Robert Fripp and related guitar ensembles, collaborating with contemporary dance companies and other artists. He has also released his own solo album and he is currently working on new material on different music projects.

Donal Maguire (appointed 2020)

Donal Maguire began his career as an artist having studied painting and art history at the National College of Art and Design before completing his MPhil in art history at Trinity College and moving towards curation. He is currently Curator of the National Gallery of Ireland’s ESB Centre for the Study of Irish Art, one of the world’s leading centres for the preservation of, and access to, Irish art research collections. His own research interests are in modern and contemporary Irish art; art and ecology; the Irish diaspora; and collection management. He has published and lectured widely at a national and European level and is a contributor to the RIA Art and Architecture of Ireland. He has curated numerous exhibitions including ‘Jack B. Yeats, The Sketchbooks’ (2013); ‘Aftermath, The War Landscapes of William Orpen’ (2017);  ‘Markievicz: Portraits and Propaganda’ (2018); ‘Shaping Ireland: Landscapes in Irish Art’ (2020). He has a strong interest in the role of research in art practice and has commissioned new artworks by artists including Sarah Pierce, Garrett Phelan and Amanda Coogan.

 

Adrian O’Carroll (appointed 2016)

Adrian O’Carroll, born in Killybegs, County Donegal, was educated in Ireland. He spent most of his early career in London working as a stock broker before moving back to Ireland to co-found Merrion Capital Group in 1999.  Merrion became one of Ireland’s leading stock broking, fund management and corporate finance houses and Adrian was an Executive Director and ran the highly successful institutional stock broking business for Merrion. In 2010 following some ownership changes Adrian took the opportunity to retire from the business and the industry.  Since then Adrian has devoted his non-family time to providing advice on a voluntary basis to the arts sector including Project Arts Centre. In recent years he has also developed his own photography practice, has published a book and has shown in a number of group shows.He continues to sit on the Board of a number for funds of AKO Capital Limited, one of Europe’s leading investment partnerships and on the Board of the National Gallery of Ireland.
He is married with 4 children and lives in Dublin.

John O’Halloran (appointed 2015)

John is the Head of Legal, Western and Central Europe for the MetLife Group, a global insurance company. Prior to this, John worked for a leading Irish law firm and has held other senior roles within the financial services sector in Ireland.

John is a Solicitor and is a member of the Law Society of Ireland. He is a graduate of the National University of Ireland, Galway (B. Corp. Law, LL.B), the Honorable Society of the King’s Inns (B.L.) and the Law Society of Ireland.

Matthew Smyth (elected chair 2021)

Matthew Smyth is the producer of the ANU, Collapsing Horse and 15th Oak Productions as well as being the Co-Artistic Director of The Cat Laughs Comedy Festival. He previously produced Dead Centre’s international tours of LIPPY, Hamnet, Souvenir and Chekhov’s First Play. He has also worked with, amongst others, Gúna Nua, Ulysses Opera Theatre Company, Sugar Glass and Pillow Talk Theatre Company. Matthew worked as programmer in London’s South Bank Centre Learning and Participation department; as a casting assistant at Maureen Hughes Casting; as Festival Director of Dublin Shakespeare Festival, on the Inaugural Trinity College Oscar Wilde Festival; as programming at Electric Picnic’s theatre tent and has ran events for The Irish Times, Arnotts, Body&Soul festival and the Undergraduate Awards. Matt also participated on the Rough Magic SEEDS programme after he graduated from Economics and Politics in Trinity College.

Andrea Williams (appointed 2023)

Andrea Williams is a multidisciplinary CapeVerdean-Irish artist born in Cape Verde who made Ireland home. Coming from a multi-diverse culture she is greatly influenced by many art forms, such as music, dance, film, and visual arts.

Since being in Ireland, Andrea has worked as a dancer, visual artist, performer, costume designer, stylist, and director.

Andrea’s most recent theatre work includes :

– Performer for Hive City Legacy at the Dublin Fringe Festival 2022

– Director for WIP piece entitled EPG (Exploitation, Power, Greed) presented at the Theatre Forum Conference in Cork with music artist Olympio

– Movement Director and Performer for Poet/Performer FELISPEAKS WIP piece called Dubh as Part of Dublin Theatre Festival 2021

– Creative Director and Choreographer for Tolü Makay theatre performance for Cork Midsummer Festival 2022

Andrea has worked with significant artists such as Ed Sheeran, Denise Chaila, Burna Boy, Loah, Tolü Makay, FELISPEAKS, Raphael Olympio, and many others. Last October, she launched her first multimedia exhibition called Undefined at the St. Peters Gallery in Cork where she explored questions of identity and her own heritage.

Andrea has also worked as an actor in short films with director Ignas Laugalis. Their film Swansong was awarded Best Creative Short Film at the Cork Indie Film Festival 2019.

Andrea was Artist in Residence for Cork Midsummer last year on an EU project called Be Part where she delivered dance workshops to children from the Roma community. Most recently, she was awarded the Tales of Two Cities Theatre Residency with The Everyman Cork and Make It Happen Bristol, UK. As a youth worker, she works with different groups, including Cork Migrant Center, supporting teens living in direct provision, South Parish Community supporting LGBTQ Teens, and Music Generation.

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