‘Rest Your Eyes Dear Mother’ by Harriet Casey, Navan.

Surveyor exhibition opens at Solstice

Annual show part of tri-venue north east initiative

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‘Rest Your Eyes Dear Mother’ by Harriet Casey, Navan.

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Sadbh McElveen – ‘Kate At Annesbrook’. gillian buckley

John Donohoe

Published: Fri 21 Nov 2025, 11:13 AM

SURVEYOR 2025, the fourteenth edition of the acclaimed annual open exhibition, at Solstice Arts Centre, Navan, now reimagined as a tri-venue initiative with Droichead Arts Centre, Drogheda, and An Táin Arts Centre, Dundalk, has opened. This landmark collaboration under the Northeast Network marks a new era in regional arts programming, offering an expansive platform for artists living in or from Counties Meath and Louth, according to the centres.

Opened simultaneously across all three venues on Saturday, SURVEYOR 2025 presents a compelling snapshot of contemporary visual arts practice in the north east. The exhibition at Solstice is curated by Patrick Murphy, director of the Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts, while selection at Droichead Arts Centre will be led by artist and associate member of the Royal Hibernian Academy, Dorothy Smith, Visual Arts Curator in Residence. At An Táin Arts Centre, the curatorial team includes celebrated artists Declan Kelly and Els Borghart, ensuring a rich and diverse curatorial vision across the network.

Artists working in all disciplines were invited to submit work between 4th July and 10th October, with final selections made in early November. The exhibition runs until Saturday 20th December, in both Solstice Arts Centre and An Táin, and until Saturday 10th January in Droichead Arts Centre. The exhibition is free to attend with no booking required.

In celebration of Solstice’s upcoming 20th anniversary, the centre is to continue the prestigious Solstice Visual Arts Award (€2,000), and introduce two new awards exclusively for Meath-based artists: the Meath County Council Arts Office Going Solo Award 2025 (€2,000), and the Newgrange Gold Award (€2,000).

Each partner venue, Droichead Arts Centre and An Táin, will also present a €2,000 award selected by their respective curators, recognising outstanding artistic achievement and supporting the development of visual arts in the region.

Belinda Quirke, Artistic Director of Solstice Arts Centre, commented: "As the ancient Boyne river interweaves our two counties, SURVEYOR 2025 aims to celebrate and promote, the abundance of visual artists living and working in the Boyne Valley and region."