Sara Dowling is an arts manager and programming curator, based in Ireland.
She has worked in a variety of administrative, curatorial and management roles for local and international arts organisations, institutions and galleries including: The Visual Arts Dept at the University of Limerick, Limerick City Gallery of Art, Esker Arts Tullamore, EVA International - Ireland's Biennial of Contemporary Art, Creative Europe's Magic Carpets project led by Kaunas Biennial Lithuania, the Douglas Hyde Gallery Student Forum, and Athena Standards Residency. Since 2020, she has led the ongoing LCGA Test Space Residency Programme, which is directly informed by EDI community engagement.
She now manages Visual Arts Projects at the University of Limerick.
Sara also maintains an active freelance curatorial practise - often in collaboration, with projects including: co-founding PeakShow Exhibitions - an independent platform project for emerging artists in Limerick (co-curated with Ellen Egan), online launch of the women's collective Mná na nEalaín, and other curated exhibitions for Limerick Printmakers & MART Gallery Dublin, LSAD's Photography & Moving Image Dept, Black Church Print Studio & Print Network Ireland at The Library Project, Temple Bar. She was recently invited to participate in the eco-feminist DOMUS Residency programme in Galatina (Italy), to produce a research project in reflection of local women's relationship with the cultural phenomenon of Tarantism.
Sara holds an MA in Curatorial Practise, has completed the Creative Europe Wom@rts Training Program, Arts Council EDI and Arts & Disabilities Training, and online certificates in Curatorial Enterprise, Arts Cultural Strategy, and Women in Arts Visibility & Social Justice from recognised international institutions. She has received Arts Council Agility Awards, the Belfast Exposed Future Curators Award, and Culture Moves Mobility funding awarded by the Goethe Institut, among others, for her work.
Sara's continued independent practice examines the impact made by several prolific women artists and art leaders in Ireland through different projects, as well as cultural phenomena affecting women internationally. In November, she launched her first research publication entitled Nozioni sul Tarantismo - Notions on Tarantism, and recently co-curated the 40 x 40 Women Artists Exhibition partnering with the University of Limerick and LCGA Collections in line with International Women's Day 2025.
