Architect Tom de Paor was elected to become a member of Aosdána at their General Assembly on 5 March 2015.

The Arts Council set up Aosdána in 1981. The idea behind it is to make it possible for visual artists, writers, architects, choreographers and musicians, whose work has made an outstanding contribution to the arts in Ireland, to devote their time fully to their creative practices. They can receive a stipend to make that possible.

Tom joins architects Shane de Blacam, Yvonne Farrell, Shelley McNamara, Sheila O’Donnell and John Tuomey in the peer nominated group of 250 living artists.

Born in London, Tom graduated from UCD’s School of Architecture in 1991. He has represented Ireland three times at the Architecture Biennale in Venice. In 2000 he presented his pavilion N3 which was constructed from turf briquettes and he exhibited again in 2006 and 2008. In 2010 Tom was co-curator, with Peter Maybury, of the Irish National Pavilion which celebrated the Irish practice de Blacam and Meagher. They presented paper stacks on oak joinery, housed in an oratory in Venice.

A huge congratulations to Tom from all at Irish Architecture Foundation.

Image: N³ – Photographer Frank McDonald