Esker Arts Announce Recipient of 2026 Residency Award

Esker Arts is delighted to announce Hazel Egan as our 2026 artist in residence. 

Hazel Egan is a visual artist from Tullamore. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art Printmaking and Contemporary Practice (Limerick School of Art and Design) and a Professional Masters of Education in Art and Design (National College of Art and Design).  

Her work explores representations of time, materiality, and the residues of process through drawing, printmaking, and sculptural installation. Deep time, transience, and the ecological crisis are brought into question through the meditative process of slow making and critical thinking. Her practice is informed by the ecology of Ireland with a keen sensitivity to organic matter and close investigations of the built environment. 

During the Esker Arts Studio residency, she will continue to develop ongoing strands of studio research including new work examining the repurposing of bogs in the Midland regions as sites for data storage. She employs hands-on image making processes, including drawing and printmaking, to critically question the extraction of natural resources, and the overconsumption of generative AI as the world tilts towards virtual reality over the natural physical world.   

“I am grateful to the Offaly County Council Arts Office and the team at Esker Arts for providing this wonderful opportunity and supporting my visual art practice. I am thrilled to be starting my residency in such a vibrant and essential arts centre that has so culturally enriched Tullamore and the surrounding areas. I look forward to engaging with local school groups and the community more broadly during my six-month residency.” 

Speaking on her selection, Sean Walsh, Artistic Director said, “We are delighted to have Hazel with us as our artist is residence for 2026. Her work is superb, and she has honed and developed a distinctive practice. Also, while it’s not a prerequisite, it is nice to be supporting a Tullamore artist with the Studio Residency Award. Offaly has lacked a visual arts hub for so long and we are working hard to fill that void. I look forward to working with in the coming months.” 

The Esker Arts Studio Residence Award is funded by Offaly County Council.