Messages of hope, encouragement, and advice for performing arts professionals.

DEAR ARTIST is a digital archive of letters from artists to artists curated by Weronika Maria Kuśmider, theatre director and artist coach, developed as part of her scholarship within the National Recovery Plan for Culture, and funded by the European Union. 

Logos and text indicating support for the National Recovery Plan from the Republic of Poland and the European Union, with Polish flag and EU flag.

The idea of DEAR ARTIST emerged from the need for
a platform to share advice, experiences, practices, and tips on navigating careers in the European performing arts industry.

The DEAR ARTIST project facilitates an exchange of perspectives on developing and managing the artistic careers recognising that there is no single “right” path to follow in the performing arts.

Inspired by two major European literary works, “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man” by James Joyce and “Letters to a Young Poet” by Rainer Maria Rilke, the project adopts a collaborative approach, inviting artists to contribute to the archive by submitting their own letters.

A woman with long brown hair and bangs, smiling slightly, with her hands behind her head, wearing a black top, against a dark background.

Weronika Maria Kuśmider

photo credit: Conor Horgan

DEAR ARTIST came to life during my residency in Dublin in November and December 2025.

Over four weeks, I sat with artists working in the performing arts and listened closely to their lived experiences. We spoke about their challenges, and about the strategies they have developed to function consciously and sustainably – both within their artistic practice and in their daily lives.

I invited each of them to write a message to other artists – offering advice, encouragement, and insights for the next generation of European theatre makers.

Read the collected letters here.

– Weronika Maria Kuśmider

Thank you to Axis Ballymun and Sorcha Keane for supporting the DEAR ARTIST project and my residency in Dublin in 2025.


Thank you to all the artists I met with in Dublin to talk about their perspectives on navigating careers in the performing arts:


Aoife Spillane-Hinks,

Dr Tanya Dean,

Lian Bell,

Mark O’Brien,

Aonghus Óg McAnally,

Siún O'Kane,

Krystal Sweedman,

Amy Kidd,

Alex Rosiak,

Brendan Shanahan,

Cathal McGuire.

Thank you to Alex-M who designed the DEAR ARTIST logotype and the visual identification of the project.