FieldWorks: Enrichment Arts Gap Year Program in Ireland

FieldWorks: Enrichment Arts Gap Year Program in Ireland

Location
  • Ireland
Length
4 - 12 weeks
Need-based funding, Payment plans, BIPOC funding

Program Details

Activities
City Exploring Cycling Sightseeing
Timeframe
Fall Winter
Housing
Guesthouse
Primary Language
English
Age Min.
18
Age Max
21

Pricing

Starting Price
20300
Price Details
Our fee includes meals, accommodation, art materials, travel expenses while in Ireland, entry fees, and instruction.
What's Included
Accommodation Activities Equipment Meals Park Fees Tour Guide Transportation Wifi
What's Included (Extra)

Art Supplies
Instruction

What's Not Included
Airfare
Oct 29, 2025
Apr 15, 2026
39 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

FieldWorks is a semester-long gap year art program for students ages 18 to 21. This enriching program gives students with a passion for visual art an opportunity to make new artwork in a remarkable location while being challenged to approach their creative practice from new perspectives. Our carefully considered curriculum informs the experience of living on the O’Gorman family farm, where our ancestors have worked the land for almost 300 years. While gaining independence in various aspects of life, our students learn how creating art will help them reflect on their place in the world, guiding their curiosities, whatever their chosen career path.

COMMUNITY REVIEWS SUMMARY

This program offers a supportive, close-knit community where artists grow through expert mentorship, diverse mediums, and immersive Irish culture.

Video and Photos

Program Highlights

  • Receive guidance from accomplished professional artists who will help you create personally meaningful artwork.
  • Realise independence in various aspects of life, from creating art to nurturing yourself and others with compassion, care, and curiosity.
  • Discover how art can help you think about your place in the world, and guide your interests and future pursuits.
  • Travel weekly throughout Ireland, exploring Dublin, Galway, Cork, and other charming, less-visited locations.
  • Live on the O'Gorman family farm and enjoy delicious home cooked food :)

Program Reviews

5.00 Rating
based on 30 reviews
  • 5 rating 100%
  • 4 rating 0%
  • 3 rating 0%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Housing 5
  • Support 5
  • Fun 5
  • Value 5
  • Safety 5
Showing 17 - 24 of 30 reviews
Hayden
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

enjoying Cow House

Our 18 year old daughter spent 3 months in Wexford at Cow House Studios
as part of her gap year before Cambridge. She´s always been a good
student and an eager learner. Her Cow House experience was the most
valuable preparation for her future that I can imagine. Frank and Rosie
are astute, intelligent and supportive critics. They are kind and
generous with their time and the seemingly limitless resources of the
studio. In a beautiful corner of southern Ireland, in handsomely
restored buildings, they work, they hang out, they eat (very well), they
travel, and they meet an impressive array of local artists who share
their passions and perspectives. Cata left Cow House with a very close
group of friends, pride in their progress and the work that they had all
done, and a deep affection for the people of Cow House and Ireland. I
only wish her elder siblings had known of it.

203 people found this review helpful.
Carrigan
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Pivotal!

Cowhouse Studios was pivotal in the trajectory of my life as an artist, and as a human. The instructors, Frank and Rosie, work hard to create an equally encouraging and challenging community. Through gallery visits, Irish culture, meeting artists, conversations, gorgeous Irish scenery, and so much in between, I had the space and inspiration to create more than I ever had before. My passion for art grew more than I thought possible with the influence of this program, and the mentoring I received. I gained such a variety of knowledge, in studio arts, but also vision, food, culture, travel, friendship, from artists and students alike. The incredible environment helped me to realize my strengths, weaknesses, and goals. Even after I left I know I have a home with the people that surround this program. Not to mention I made some best friends here! I am a more passionate, inspired, and thankful person because of my time at Cowhouse Studios and I could not be more grateful for my experience. I recommend this place to anyone and everyone.

What was the most surprising thing you saw or did?
We took a day trip to a majestic beach in the fall, and spontaneously decided to swim in the freezing water! After taking it all in splashing around with my friends we walked barefoot through gorgeous trees and lush grass to where we parked. And got to relive the moment through developing our film photos in the darkroom. I hold so tight to my memories from Cowhouse. They remind me to find joy in all I do.
203 people found this review helpful.
Kira
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Cow House

Going to Cow House studios was such an amazing experience. You are able to live in an environment where you can truly grow both as a person and as an artist.

The studio offers you all of the time and resources you could ever need to make art. From the amazing dark room and all of the camera equipment, to the countless tubes of paint and rolls of loose canvas, you can really execute any creative project. Rosie and Frank, the couple who run the program, are also incredibly supportive and really try to push you creatively. They are both incredibly experienced artists who can offer invaluable technical advice, all the while encouraging you to question and further develop your creative process.

I also got to meet some of the most amazing people there. It was wonderful to be able to spend so much time with people my age who are just as passionate about art. I was able to discuss my work with all of my peers and receive feed back on it that helped me develop my ideas so much further. Through these conversations we were all able to connect and from truly meaningful relationships. I will always be grateful for the people that cow house brought into my life.

The food, excursions and staff were also a major highlight. Caitriona, the chef, and Tony, a member of the staff, were both so kind to me during my time there. They are both truly wonderful people. All of the food Caitriona and Frank would make was so amazing. they would put so much thought into each meal, and I would be genuinely exited whenever it was time to eat. Because of Covid we didn't get to go all around Ireland, like some of the previous gappers, but the places we did get to see were so beautiful. We were able to go on some truly amazing hikes, and we got to visit some of the wonderful town in and around Wexford county.
I can wholeheartedly recommend Cow House for anyone looking to do a gap year, I cannot say enough good things about it.

195 people found this review helpful.
Megan
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Cow House Studios

Going into this program I really wasn't sure what to expect. I definitely thought it would be neat to be able to visit a country I had never been to before, and I was really looking forward to being able to work around other artists and develop my artistic practice further.
After spending three months there and being able to look back on everything I was able to do, and the wonderful people I was able to meet and get to know. The experience that Cow House Studios provides is an extremely unique and beautiful one at that. What it gave to me, more than anything else was the chance to grow hugely as an individual, and in such a way that I'm not sure would've happened if I hadn't gone. I certainly grew as an artist as well. The amount of art that someone can make there is almost limitless, as long as you've got the drive. They certainly provide the tools and the time for excessive art making, it was often encouraged.
Their family style approach to welcoming the people that take part in this program is amazing, and I've never felt so at home while being so far away...Haha not that I didn't miss home, I definitely did. But there's really something special about this place. Whether its the people that run it, the landscape around it or the art that gets made in it, it's all amazing and incredibly beneficial to the soul.

If you did this all over again, what's one thing you would change?
I would eat more of their food. Haha I didn't mention it in the other part of my review but their food is amazing... and I miss it a lot.
192 people found this review helpful.
Rory
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Cow House Experience

Everyone should come to Cow House. This is an experience like no other. My skills were furthered by excellent instruction and my heart was filled with joy every step of the way. Rosie and Frank are two of the most kindhearted people I have ever met, and have such a passion for art, that it’s contagious. Caitriona kept me laughing, and her food was absolutely incredible. Everyday brought a new challenge and new experience. If you’re an artist, this is the place to completely surround yourself in inspiration, and have the time to further your art practice. If you have the chance to go to Cow House, take it!

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
My advice would be to completely indulge yourself into this program. Explore, be curious and don’t stop trying new things. Say yes to everything! You won’t regret it.
185 people found this review helpful.
Lilli
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

FieldWorks Fall 2019

I can't stress enough how great the three months I spent at Cow House last fall were! I was mind blown by the location and facilities, we had access to every means of making I could've asked for and endless support from Frank, Rosie, and the visiting artists. It didn't take long to feel completely at home; the housing is so comfortable and beautiful, the food is great, and everyone on the farm is incredibly welcoming (they're also just cool people in general). The opportunity to work so closely with other students and instructors allowed me to grow in ways I didn't expect, not just as an artist but as a person, too. It was really special to get to know everyone and what they make as well as we did.
I never ran out of things to do there; when we weren't in the studio we were exploring the area, hanging out in the library (which has tons of interesting novels and artist books), or going on trips around Ireland. Frank and Rosie are great at balancing how much time we spent on the farm and how much we travelled; our day/overnight trips were frequent enough that I felt like I was always seeing new things but spaced out in such a way that we could really dig into our studio time before heading out again. Fieldworks is such a well-rounded program, and the time I spent there feels so rich with experience and growth. Frank and Rosie are amazing people + artists and I am so thankful to know them. I hope to return one day and highly recommend the program to anybody who makes any kind of art!

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
-Try everything the studio has to offer, it is super well equipped
-The forest is crazy! Definitely spend time in it, and explore the surrounding area
-Hang out with the animals, they are all such characters

201 people found this review helpful.
Kaiser
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Eyeopening Learning Experience

I loved my time here. The faculty - Frank and Rosie and Caitriona (the chef) - were all so kind, helpful, and caring. The farm is beautiful, the food is delicious, and the excursions that we took all over Ireland as part of the program were so fun. We worked in multiple mediums of art; I got to try out film photography, video art, bookmaking, and pen-and-ink-drawing for the first time. We were constantly challenged but I never felt an exceeding amount of pressure. The opportunity to visit galleries and museums, and talk to working artists broadened what I fundamentally thought about art. I think I have really matured as an artist after my time here, and I now understand so much more about the professional world of contemporary art. It's clear that Frank and Rosie, and the rest of the Cow House crew, really put their hearts into designing the curriculum and schedule. I'd definitely recommend this to any high school graduates who like art.

What would you improve about this program?
I think it would be nice if there were more non-American students.
124 people found this review helpful.
Kaiser
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Taught me how to be an artist

I loved my time here. The faculty - Frank and Rosie and Caitriona (the chef) - were all so kind, helpful, and caring. The farm is beautiful, the food is delicious, and the excursions that we took all over Ireland as part of the program were really eyeopening and exciting. We worked in multiple mediums of art; I got to try out film photography, video art, bookmaking, and pen-and-ink-drawing for the first time. We were constantly challenged but I never felt an exceeding amount of pressure. The opportunity to visit galleries and museums and talk to working artists really broadened what I fundamentally thought about art. I think that I have really matured as an artist after my time here, and I now understand so much more about the professional world of contemporary art. It's clear that Frank and Rosie, and the rest of the Cow House crew, really put their hearts into designing the curriculum and schedule. I'd definitely recommend this to any high school graduates who like art.

What would you improve about this program?
I think it would be awesome if there were more non-American students taking part in the program.
124 people found this review helpful.

Questions & Answers