Consultancy
David Teevan & Associates
As an arts consultant David has a unique combination of perspectives, including the lived experience of a producer and company manager, the institutional perspective of policy writing and grant assessment, and the reflexivity of the academic researcher.
Having founded, developed and successfully run both Galloglass Theatre Company (1991-2001) and Clonmel Junction Festival (2001-2015), David has first-hand experience of the context within which independent arts organisations operate, and of the challenges they face. From his time deputising as Director of Dunamaise Theatre (Jan – Sept 2004), and many years touring shows to theatre venues and arts centres throughout the country, he has an understanding of the demands of running a venue.
Working as Festival Advisor to the Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon (2016-2022), David developed an in-depth knowledge of the Irish arts festival ecology, becoming intimately aquatinted with its breath and diversity. His work as Festival Advisor included attending over twenty festivals annually, contributing to policy development, assessing grant applications, co-curating the Change Makers conference in February 2020, and curating and moderating four, very successful webinar series to support festival makers during the pandemic.
David with artists Paul Bokslag, Fintin Kelly & curator Etaoin Holohan at the launch of Callan Open Doors May 2024
Limerick multidisciplinary arts festival research
Limerick City & County Council has been to the fore among local authorities in Ireland in recognising the economic, social and cultural potential of festivals. Guided by this strategic position, LCCC appointed a dedicated Festival Officer in 2024 and published their festival policy “LCCC Festival Policy and Events Strategy 2024 – 2028”.
Following the publication of this report, David was engaged to explore the possibility of establishing a multidisciplinary arts festival of scale in the city. Over a period of eight months, David visited Limerick City on many occasions, attending cultural events and meeting with many of the city’s leading arts managers, producers and promoters. With help from Heather Griffin and Patrick Mulvihill, David also facilitated two focus groups to hear the views of the creative community in the city.
This process is due to be concluded early in 2026.
Sligo Live: reflections and renewal
Established in 2005, Sligo Live is a vital part of Sligo’s cultural life, bringing world-class Irish and international performers to the North-West and turning late October–early November into a vibrant celebration of music and creativity. Past performers include Buena Vista Social Club, Elvis Costello, Van Morrison, Sinéad O’Connor, and Robert Plant. The festival focuses on roots, folk and alternative music from Ireland and internationally, with a strong commitment to celebrating Sligo artists and supporting developing careers.
David was engaged by Sligo Live in the autumn of 2025 to work with the board and core team members to facilitate a period of reflection on the organisations evolving creative ambitions and the sustainability of its governance and operating model. Moving from reflection to renewal, David is supporting the organisation to develop a strategic plan for the organisation and implement organisational change.
Callan Open Doors: an invitation to creative engagement
Callan Open Doors, which had its first iteration in 2024, is an inclusive community/artist-led festival that invites the public into art spaces, invites artists into community spaces, and brings the arts ‘out of doors’ into the public realm. Callan Open Doors has a clear focus on renewal and positive community development in Callan; taking bold steps to support, commission and host ambitious artistic works across diverse art forms.
Examples of work undertaken include a pop-up dance event with 180 primary students, choreographed by Cindy Cummings and a four day community drawing project led by Maurice Caplice with artists Enagh Farrell and Muiris Wallace, students from Abhainn Rí College and members of the public.
David has been engaged as the Programme Coordinator (2024- present). Working closely with Community Coordinator Nicola Teehan and the creative community in Callan, David overseas the curation, financial management and delivery of Callan Open Doors..
Tipperary Town Creative Places programme evaluation
Creative Places Tipperary Town began in September 2022. David joined the team in October 2024 to undertake an evaluation of the programme. In addition to reviewing documentation collected by the CPTT team during the first two years, David met with members of Tipperary Town creative, business and community development communities. Over time he has built an understanding of how the Creative Places programme has been woven into the fabric of the town and its value to artists and those participating in the projects, programmes and events. During the final year of the programme, David has had the opportunity to sit in on, and participate in, a number of creative engagement projects and workshops. A review of the programme will be presented to the Creative Places Tipperary Town Steering Committee in Autumn 2025.
A collage of images created during the Knockanrawley Resource Centre workshops with Sophie Behal exhibited in Creative Places Tipperary Town gallery May 2025.
Children from Woodstock training as citizen scientists as part of the Woodstock Artists Residency programme with Mark Durkan and Mary Jo Gilligan
Creative Place Athy evaluation
Athy Municipal District in County Kildare was awarded three-year funding under the Arts Council’s Creative Places award scheme in 2022. Working closely with the Kildare Arts Services team and the Creative Places Athy Coordinator, David undertook a review of the programme between June 2024 and its completion in October 2024.
During this time David met with a large number of local creatives that had devised and delivered art projects in the town as part of the Creative Places programme. David also met with local public representatives, community development workers and members of the community that had participated in Creative Places projects.
David supported the local team to organise and deliver a one-day symposium in Abbey Hotel in Athy on 12th September 2024, at which a host of local artists presented their work and David presented his preliminary findings. The final report was completed in December 2024.
Increase Your Reach: mentoring festival makers on equality dicersaity and inclusion practice
Developed for Kerry County Council Arts Office, Increase Your Reach is a festival makers mentoring programme supporting the development and delivery of new programmatic initiatives that contribute to festival sustainability, while promoting and supporting equality, diversity and inclusion within communities.
Inward migration to Ireland over the last 20 years, changing sensibilities, and a growing recognition of differences of ability and choice, has dramatically changed the make-up and dynamics of our society. The Arts Council and Local Authorities throughout the country have made policy commitments to ensure that strategies and actions that promote equality, diversity and inclusion are supported and encouraged.
Responding to this Kerry County Council Arts Office commissioned David to develop a mentoring programme to assist festival makers build a deeper understanding of the policy context they are working in, and through workshops and one-to-one supports, discover how they can diversify their programming to better represent the changing demographic landscape of their local community.
Members of Killoglan African community performing South African Gumboot dance as part of K Fest 2024. Photograph courtesy David Hegarty
Dinnseanchas—Envisioning the Uplands is a Creative Ireland funded artist-led, eco-cultural project being run by Hometree, an Ennistymon based organisation that supports the establishment and conservation of permanent native woodlands in Ireland, and encourages land regeneration and biodiversity through afforestation, restoration and education.
The Dinnseanchas project has commissioned artists form different disciplines to work in and with six different upland communities along the western seaboard, to explore the role they could play in mitigating the impacts of climate change, the biodiversity crisis, and socio-economic issues such as depopulation.
Working closely with the project organisers, commissioned artists and project participants, David will facilitate the curation and delivery of a public facing outcome for the Dinnseanchas project at Hometree’s 2025 Ardnaculla Summer School in Ennistymon.
Dinnseanchas
The Dinnseanchas team visiting Bealach Woods, Co Kerry as part of the induction week in April 2024. Photograph courtesy Myriam Riand
Polish Arts Festival
Through its year-round work and annual festival, the Limerick based Polish Arts Festival contributes to the enrichment of modern Ireland by working at the intersection between artists, institutional stakeholders and communities of place and interest that are connecting with, and reflecting on, contemporary Polish and Irish artistic and cultural expression.
Working closely with the current artistic and administrative team of Justyna Cwojdzińska and Aleksandra Rosiak, David is supporting the research and development of a strategic plan for the organisation, that will provide a roadmap for future growth and organisational sustainability.
At a planning session in Dunamaise Arts Centre (from left) Aleksandra Rosiak (PAF), David Teevan, Michelle de Forge (Dunamaise Arts Centre Director) & Justyna Cwojdzińska (PAF)
Callan Arts
The town of Callan in County Kilkenny has a unique and thriving arts ecology, which includes KCAT, an inclusive art centre that supports artists with intellectual disability in both visual and performing arts, and Asylum Theatre that has produced three major promenade theatre productions in the town with large casts that include a mix of professional and community actors.
David has been engaged by a consortium of Callan arts organisations, to undertake an audit of the current arts activities and infrastructural supports, and through a consultative process develop an ambitious road-map that will support and sustain the future success of this vibrant and important arts community..
Callan artist Jean Mann and her sons provide feedback ideas for the the use of the Powerhouse during the Open House event in May 2023
Naturally Wild Festivals
During 2023, David is working as project manager supporting nine festivals to deliver a pilot project aimed at increasing their organisations’ environmental awareness and capacity to calculate and reduce carbon emissions.
This project includes working with environmental consultants Native Events to develop a fit-for-purpose carbon calculator for the urban multi-venue, multi-arts festival model, and advising Lough Grainey Nature Sanctuary on setting up a carbon offsetting facility.
Sligo Festival Consortium Outcome Measurement programme
Sligo Festival Consortium is composed of Cairde Sligo Arts Festival, Sligo Jazz Festival and Sligo Baroque Festival. The consortium was selected by the Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaoín as part of their pilot programme to test the arts outcome measurement methodology developed by Quality Matters. David Teevan has been engaged to support the three festivals during the first year of the programme, helping them to work cohesively together as they develop, implement and analyse the impact and effectiveness of their programmes. In addition to each festival using the programme to gain a better understanding of their effect locally, the consortium will also attempt to build a clearer picture of the social, cultural and economic value festivals have for a regional town.
David Teevan with SFC members (from left) Stéphanie Pawula (Cairde), Nicola Cleary (Sligo Baroque Festival), Tara McGowan (Cairde), Eddie Lee (Sligo Jazz Festival) and Cayla Williams (SFC Market Research Consultant).
Festival Makers Conference 2023
In Autumn 2022 David was engaged by The Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon to participate in the curation of the 2nd Festival Makers Conference, which takes place in University of Galway on May 11th and 12th 2023.
David’s key contribution to the conference are the curating and managing of the key note panel discussion on climate action by festivals, developing a workshop for festival makers on developing stronger environmental awareness, and curating a panel discussion on managing the complex conversations that underpin the act of festival making.
Introducing a panel discussion on “Festival Making as a creative act” at the Arts Council Festival Makers conference in the O’Donoghue Theatre in University of Galway in 2023
Festival Advisor to The Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaoín
From June 2016 to August 2022 David was engaged by the Arts Council to act as advisor to the festival team. The principal responsibilities undertaken were: providing advice and input into the development of the Council’s festival policy; visiting festivals throughout the country to experience the work being done; and assessing applications by festivals for funding under various schemes.
During this time David also worked closely with Karl Wallace and Dr Niamh Nic Ghabnann curating and delivering the first Festival Makers conference (Change Makers) in University of Limerick in February 2020. When the Covid-19 pandemic forced the cancelation of live events David was commissioned to curate and run a series of online for a for festival makers to enable them to share their learning during this time.
Links:
Moderating the final session of the Arts Council’s Change Makers conference in the World Academy of Music and Dance at Limerick University in February 2020.
Greening Your Festival
Limerick City and County Arts Office, have a strong focus on supporting the development of festivals in the region.
During 2021 David was engaged to develop an environmental toolkit that festival organisations could use to support their move towards more environmentally sustainable ways of working, The “Greening Your Festival Guide” that emerged from this process is an operational tool to help festival makers consider the ecological impact in their decision making.