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CIACLA is a non profit 501(c)(3) arts organization that promotes Contemporary Irish Culture and supports local communities in Los Angeles through a multidisciplinary diverse programme in collaboration with local and international cultural partnerships. CIACLA currently partners with existing venues to facilitate this program and  is focused on developing a creative platform to support and challenge artists as a means of promoting creative innovation and collaborative initiatives, fostering collaboration between Ireland, Los Angeles, and the United States.

Aims

  • To promote established and emerging Contemporary Irish Visual Artists, living in Ireland and USA.
  • To connect & support Artists, Creatives and Irish Immigrants living, visiting and working in Los Angeles through CIACLA’s Creative Network and programming.
  • To support the development and growth of local communities in Los Angeles by offering educational and cultural programs.
  • To foster collaboration between Los Angeles-based artists and Irish artists, promoting creative exchange and innovation.
  • To support the promotion and preservation of the Irish language {Gaeilge}, ensuring its vibrant legacy thrives within contemporary and future generations.
  • To support for youth-led projects that engage the next generation of the Irish diaspora
  • To support initiatives designed to foster women’s empowerment among the Irish diaspora; 
  • To support development of new ways to communicate and connect with the increasingly diverse global Irish, including non-traditional diasporas and young emigrants. 
  • To support projects which take a more broad and inclusive view of the Irish diaspora (Travellers, LGBTQI, people with a mixed ethnic background).
  • To build partnerships with local and international cultural organizations in order to expand the reach and impact of the organization's programs.
  • To encourage the preservation and promotion of Irish cultural traditions through the arts.
  • To educate the public about the rich cultural heritage of Ireland and its ongoing contributions to the arts.
  • To provide a space for the Irish community in Los Angeles to come together and celebrate their shared cultural identity.
  • To provide a unique setting to present cutting-edge feature length and short Film from innovative Irish filmmakers.
  • To showcase leading Performance artists working in live art who create an ephemeral art experience.
  • To act as a platform for contemporary Irish Music acts to perform & be showcased to the music industry.
  • To provide networking, promotion and space for innovative and exciting Contemporary Irish Dance & Theatre to engage with new audiences.
  • To promote emerging & established contemporary Irish Literature & Design.
  • As a registered non-profit 501(c)(3) charity all funds raised are placed back into the program, operations and ethos of the organization.

ETHOS:

  • CIACLA is a registered non-profit 501(c)(3) charity where all funds raised are placed back into the program, operations and ethos of the organization. 
  • To promote the Contemporary Irish Arts, providing a platform for Irish and Irish-American and local LA based Artists to showcase their work
  • To support the growth and development of local communities in Los Angeles through educational and cultural programs
  • To foster collaboration between Los Angeles-based artists and Irish artists, promoting creative exchange and innovation
  • To educate the public about the ongoing contributions of Ireland to the arts
  • To provide a space for the Irish community in Los Angeles to come together and celebrate their shared cultural identity
  • To build partnerships with local and international cultural organizations
  • To encourage the preservation and promotion of Irish culture
  • To act as a support system for Irish artists, creatives, and Irish immigrants living in Los Angeles
  • To strive for excellence and innovation in showcasing contemporary Irish arts and culture in Los Angeles.

Current program

Check out our current program here. Throughout the year CIACLA will partner with venues and organisations across Los Angeles to host pop up CIACLA produced Events while also supporting new partnerships through our promotional Platform. Join our newsletter or follow our social media for info on upcoming events.

HISTORY OF CIACLA

The journey of CIACLA began in 2011 when Matthew Nevin and Ciara Scanlan of MART Gallery & Studios Dublin started curating exhibitions and events in Los Angeles. With Matthew's experience in the creative industries in LA since 2005 and Ciara's co-founding of MART in 2007, they embarked on a mission to launch CIACLA by producing annual exhibitions in the city, starting with the "Invite or Reject" exhibition as part of the government of Ireland's "Imagine Ireland'' initiative in 2011, supported by Culture Ireland. Over the next few years the pair curated annual exhibitions promoting Irish and American artists while collaborating with local galleries such as Hive, LACE, C4, CB1, DAC, and 

Arena 1. In 2018, they created a pop-up gallery on Hollywood Boulevard as part of IrelandWeek, all while building a strong community of artists, creatives, Irish immigrants, and an audience eager to connect with contemporary Irish culture.

In 2019, following eight years of successful exhibitions and events, the pair, along with Director of Development Jennifer Minniti Shippey, founded CIACLA as a California-based non-profit 501(c)(3) arts organization with a goal to promote contemporary Irish culture. With the help of Jenn McGuirk and a fantastic team of volunteers and cultural advisors, they put together an exciting multidisciplinary summer of events at a pop-up gallery in Bergamot Station, Santa Monica. 

Despite the challenges of COVID-19 in 2020-2021, CIACLA thrived online, providing artists with a platform to engage with their audience, and in 2022, they returned to in-person programming, partnering with local venues to support the growth and flourishing of theater, music, literature, and all the arts.

CIACLA's thriving programming sets the foundation for its ultimate goal of establishing a flagship Contemporary Irish Arts Center Los Angeles, while continuously striving for excellence and innovation in presenting contemporary Irish arts and culture in LA.

To learn more about our programming please visit our website and scroll through our current and previous program. 

It is with great thanks to all of CIACLA’s partners, sponsors and grant agencies for supporting CIACLA to achieve our artistic program and activities.