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Sarah Ruttle

Sarah Ruttle

Tyrone born visual artist Sarah is a graduate of Textiles from DJCAD Dundee, Scotland. Based in West Cork she creates work using illustration, print, and paper art. Illustration has become an important part of her solo work, developing contemporary portraiture, drawing on her experience of working within participatory arts. Creating characters influenced by her passion for photography, pattern, and texture, she hopes to make intimate and compelling images, which capture humanity, emotion, and courage.

Collaboration is central to her participatory practice, developing projects both with other artists and participants within an Arts and Health context. Sarah has worked as part of the Arts for Health Partnership Programme, West Cork artist team since 2008. With experience of developing projects within the community and in acute mental health settings.

Recipient of an Arts Council ‘Arts Participation Bursary Award’ during 2021, Sarah undertook a critical reflection of her practice, considering the perspectives of a participant, healthcare staff, and artist. With this opportunity she also created a new series of solo work. She has undertaken a variety of collaborative and participatory projects. During 2019 as part of Sarah’s reflective practice she undertook a residency ‘Fragments’ with arts and health artists Charlotte Donovan (West Cork), Marielle MacLeman (Galway), and Kirsty Stansfield (Glasgow). They focussed on critical reflection with peers, using dialogue, making, and writing to explore participative and collaborative methodologies in Arts and Health. During 2014 Sarah built on her work carried out through a research project ‘Consent, Confidentiality and Decision Making in Arts and Health Participatory Practice’ which was supported by the Arts Council’s Arts Participation Bursary Award.

‘I want to make meaningful connections with the people I meet. I work through the growth of creative conversation, where stories are shared between participants while exploring different kinds of making. It often leads to creating collaborative group projects, where participants engage and contribute in the making process, with each voice considered and heard.’

https://www.instagram.com/sarahruttle.art/?hl=en

Equality, 2021, detail of ‘Beauty in Struggle’ series installation, Working Artist Studio Residency.
Lost & Found, 2023, pen and ink, Compassion’ series.  
Circular Road, 2023, pen drawing, ‘Inequality & Division’ reflection series.