Niamh O'Donnell

Mermaid Arts Centre

Niamh O’Donnell is Artistic Director of Mermaid Arts Centre, a multi-disciplinary arts centre in Bray, Co Wicklow. The centre presents an ambitious programme of Irish and international visual arts, dance, theatre, music and art-house cinema. The centre commissions and co-produces work as well as supporting and platforming local artists and arts groups engaging and serving a population of 115,000 people.

Throughout her career Niamh has worked across disciplines initially in the Gallery of Photography (1990), then on the re-establishment of Black Church Print Studio, an artist resource organisation (1994), followed by a position as Artistic Programme Coordinator in ArtHouse Multi-media Centre (1999) where she coordinated the sound and media residencies and the exhibitions programme. Niamh worked as General Manager in Project Arts Centre for 13 years where she was responsible for the financial and general management of the centre and all its activities as well as working as Executive Producer on the artists' development programme, PROJECT CATALYST. The initiative involved producing and co-producing the work of individual artists, across disciplines, working outside the standard model of production both in the centre as well as touring nationally and internationally. Niamh also worked for four years on a voluntary basis contributing to the establishment of the first community television station in Dublin, as a committee member. Dublin Community Television (DCTV) broadcast to about 200,000 homes and the aim was to serve, empower and promote Dublin communities and their right to be seen and heard.

Date appointed 23.06.2014