This ongoing body of work explores photography’s ability to engage and challenge the psyche. It questions the authenticity of using photography as a tool in healing. Can photography help us to process traumatic events and confront unpleasant memories? Through photography, we can we free ourselves from the constraints of language and explore our emotions on a deeper level, or does the process just act as a distraction? This series uses a range of approaches and interventions in image-making, allowing for new narratives to be created out of old, to reimagine and question.

The MSPI program is designed to improve the way collections are managed in museums and galleries in Ireland by setting higher standards for professionalism. Those who meet these standards are recognised through accreditation.

The Heritage Council created the Museum Standards Programme for Ireland (MSPI) to establish a standard of excellence in the way collections are managed and cared for in Irish museums. By awarding accreditation, the program recognises museums that have achieved these high standards.

Museums that receive accreditation can be confident that they are equipped to properly care for their collections and cater to the needs of their visitors. When a museum takes part in the Museum Standards Programme, they are making a public commitment to take care of their collection. Achieving accreditation through MSPI shows that a museum is fulfilling their promise.

Photo Museum Ireland is proud to be part of this programme.

Rachel McClure is a visual artist based in Northern Ireland. A Graduate of the Belfast School of Art, Ulster University, Rachel obtained her Bachelor (Hons) Degree in Photography with Video.

Her work is driven by her curiosity about spirituality and her connection within the natural world. There is a drive in her practice to take the intangible and make it tactile, embedding the ethereal into material.

Rachel follows her intuition and allows the medium to help her feel a deeper connection with the world within, and around her. This practice becomes a source of healing and understanding, image by image, a form of grounding.

Photo Museum Ireland Emerging Artist Awards is a mentorship residency programme providing essential curatorial guidance and resources for the most promising photography graduates as they embark on their artistic careers. Over the course of this year-long programme the recipients will have an opportunity to create new work with ongoing support from our expert curatorial team and selected guest mentors.

Photo Museum Ireland is delighted to support and encourage the growth of new creative talent in Irish photography. We want the Emerging Artist Awards programme to empower the recipients in developing sustainable individual practices, making a significant contribution to the exciting future of photography in Ireland.