Carrowbeg Artists collective and the Custom House Studios: Westport

People involved in Screen Printing

2010 – A screen-printing training project

A series of eight screen-printing training workshops for service users from Carrowbeg enterprises facilitated by artists Caroline Masterson and John McHugh at the Custom House Studios, Westport. The workshops culminated in an exhibition of artwork which was launched on 24th February 2011.

Outcome

“Throughout the workshops the participants grew in confidence and were proud of their work. They produced enough excellent quality work to hold an exhibition which proved to be a great success. The workshops were so successful that we were asked to extend the project by the participating group”. (John Mc Hugh, director, Custom House Studios)

Mayo Artsquad, Rural Training Centre, National Learning Network, and the Connaught Creative Resource Centre: Castlebar.

Two men painting a canvas backdrop with a mannequin spectator. All taking place at the Mayo Artsquad website.

An interactive arts workshop in clay, weaving and painting, facilitated by Mayo Artsquad with a group of sixteen disabled adults from: the Rural Training Centre, the Connaught Creative Resource Centre and the National Learning Network. The workshops took place over a full day at the Artsquad Building, Castlebar.

 

Outcome

“Everyone commented that they had a great day and said that if it were to become a regular occurrence they would definitely come again. From an Artsquad perspective we feel this format works well for a public event. As the participants make the choices around which activity they do and how long they want to spend at it. The informal approach creates an open atmosphere to the workshop and the idea of exploring and experimenting with materials comes to the fore”. (Mick smith, Artsquad supervisor)

Luisne Art Group, 2016

Luisne Art Group, 2015, the gift

Carrowbeg Artists collective, 2014, Drawing the Greenway

Luisne Art Group, 2013

Ridgepool Training Centre, Ballina and Ballina Arts Centre

Bongo drummers sat on a stage area in a half circle.

“Sound Warriors”

Sound Warriors was a percussion programme, facilitated and designed by percussionist Anthony McNamee. 20 members of the Ridgepool Training Centre, Ballina, participated on a series of 12 workshops during which they developed performance skills on Djembe, Cajon, Bongos, as well as a wide range of other percussion instruments. On 1st December 2016, the group performed Let Us Be Heard, a new percussion piece to an audience of 150 attendees at Ballina Arts Centre.

Outcomes

“The facilitator, Anthony McNamee, has a very good working approach. His personality is well suited to working with people with disabilities. He also carefully planned the programme of workshops so that when the time for the event came around, the group were ready to perform the pieces they had learned and were enthusiastic to do so.”

(Sean Walsh, Director, Ballina Arts Centre)

Pat Youell, Maura Gilligan and the Rural Training Centre, Castlebar

Pat Yoell Image rural training centre

“Path”

A series of 10 visual arts and creative writing workshops on the theme of nature and the natural cycle of the year, facilitated by visual artist Pat Youell and poet/writer Maura Gilligan to 40 participants made up of children from the two senior classes at St. Anthony’s School and service users at the Rural Training Centre. The workshops culminated in an exhibition of Silk Hangings, presented to an audience of 65 attendees on 2nd December 2016 at the Rural Training Centre.

 

Outcomes

“This project worked extremely well on several levels – from the early experimental stages huge enthusiasm was encountered among both the pupils of St. Anthony’s and the adults from the Rural Training Centre. The gathering of natural materials to be used in the dyeing process gave people choice in the preparation of their work, the camaraderie of the groups in working together towards a creative end, the writing workshops which drew out words to describe the artistic experience, the use of all the senses in the process – all made for a very inclusive and enjoyable series of sessions”. (Pat Youell, Artist)

Katie Moore, Visual Artist

2016

“My Clinical Life”

Using her own hair and hospital bandages, Artist Katie Moore created a large hospital gown which was exhibited alongside a number of smaller gowns made from gauze and wire. The work was inspired by her experience of living with a disability. The resultant exhibition was launched in a public area at the University Hospital, Castlebar on 2nd December 2016 to an audience of 25 attendees.

 

Outcomes

Katie was surprised at the number of people who engaged with her about the artwork whilst attending the hospital. My exhibition of work was on display at Mayo University Hospital, so people who would not regularly attend a gallery got to view the work. The awareness went on after the exhibition, as it featured twice in the Western People newspaper”. (Katie Moore, Visual Artist)

Poet Paul Durcan and the Linenhall Arts Centre, Castlebar

“The Days of Surprise”

An Irish Sign Language interpreted Poetry Reading and engagement programme at the Linenhall Arts Centre, Castlebar. Poet Paul Durcan and Irish sign language interpreter Mairéad Hegarty facilitated 11 workshops to 13 students from transition year at St Joseph’s Secondary School and nine Irish Sign Language users from around the region culminating in a sign language interpreted poetry reading to an audience of 139 on 3rd December 2015.

 

Outcomes

“The members of the deaf community who engaged with the project really committed to it, and turned up to all the practice sessions, rehearsals and performance. None were familiar with Paul Durcan’s poetry and this was a whole new experience for them”. (Orla Henihan, Linenhall Arts Centre)

 

“I reckon I have been giving public readings for 52 years but Thursday night was something else – something new and amazing to me and so long as I have a memory I will cherish every minute of it and indeed of the entire 4-day trip.  Working with Orla, Maura and you was special and as for Mairéad well – if the night was extra special it was Mairéad who made it so. I was astonished on Wednesday to realise how much research she had done on each poem and on Thursday night stunned by the beauty and feeling of her performance – she was in every way the star of the night”. (Paul Durcan, poet)