Noel Kelly (curator)

Noel Kelly (born 1964) is an Irish art curator, critic, and art management specialist working in contemporary visual art.
Having founded The Art Projects Network - International Art Managers & Curators, Kelly curated exhibitions in Ireland on internationally. Kelly went on to become curator for Temple Bar Gallery and Studio in Dublin. In 2009 he co-curated the Slovenian National Pavilion in the Venice Biennale.
In 2007 Kelly was appointed Director (Chief Executive Officer) of Visual Artists Ireland. VAI is the largest all Ireland Non-Governmental Organisation representing artists' rights both nationally and on an international basis. In March 2008, he was elected a Fellow of The RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures & Commerce) in recognition for his contribution to the visual arts. He is a board member of the Irish Visual Artists Rights Organisation, and in 2013 Kelly was elected to the position of President of the International Association of Art Critics - Ireland (AICA Ireland).
In 2008/2009 Kelly published The Social, Economic, and Fiscal Status of the Visual Artist in Ireland. This research became responsible for identifying the poverty levels encountered by visual arts practitioners in Ireland. This became an annual report that has become critical in the advancement of visual artists rights in Ireland. In 2011/2012 he initiated the "ASK! Has the Artist Been Paid?" campaign. He later published 'Payment Guidelines for Visual Artists in Ireland' and Payment Guidelines for Visual Artists in Northern Ireland. Both have been adopted as the industry standard for payment structures and have been adopted into policy by Dublin City Council.
Kelly is also a writer on art with regular contributions to The Contemporary Arts Review, Circa, Juliette and artist monograph essays. His key area of interest is in the negotiation of art and politics.

Selected Writings & Editorial

• 'Creative Ireland - The Visual Arts [2000 - 2011]', Printed Project Publications(2011)
• 'The Book of Swells - Sol Kjøk', The Book of Swells Catalogue (2008)
• 'Curators: Best Practice in Project Management' The Contemporary Arts Review (2007)
• '“Eoin McHugh: A glance behind the scenes”', The Contemporary Arts Review(2007)
• 'Eoin McHugh: Confusion', Lyon Exhibition Catalogue (2007)
• 'Beyond the Eurovision', Juliet Magazine Summer (2006)
• 'A Stranger in her native city, The Life and Work of Susan McWilliam', Circa Magazine (2006)
• 'Some Random Thoughts on a Cold Winter’s Day', The Contemporary Arts Review (2006)
• 'Art in politics, and artists are politicians', Context Magazine (2005)
• 'Review: Was Du Brauchst at Kevin Kavanagh Gallery', Circa Magazine 114 (2005)
• 'Review: Offside and Offsite Live at Dublin City Gallery', Circa Magazine 113 (2005)
• 'Sporadic November Sunshine in a Winter City – A Walk through New York', The Contemporary Arts Review (2005)
• 'Art and Politics: The Imagination of Opposition in Europe' (2004)

• 'Creative Ireland - The Visual Arts [2000 - 2011]' at Google Books
• Contemporary Arts Review - 'Curators: Best Practice in Project Management'
• Contemporary Arts Review - 'Some Random Thoughts on a Cold Winter’s Day'
• Contemporary Arts Review - 'Sporadic November Sunshine in a Winter City – A Walk through New York'
• 'Art and Politics: The Imagination of Opposition in Europe' at Google Books