Throughout the month of May there are several exhibtions showcasing the work made during the Arts for Health Programme in the healthcare settings and at Uillinn West Cork Arts Centre.
Artist Sarah Ruttle has organised two unique exhibitions ‘The Lark sings with unpremeditated art‘ at Schull Community Hospital, and ‘Music can speak any language’ at St. Josephs ward Bantry General Hospital featuring work by residents.
‘The Lark sings with unpremeditated art’ was named by participant sharing their ideas as they developed a soundscape illustrating a collaborative story with Sarah. ‘Music can speak any language’ exhibits a drawing project and art installation St Joseph’s Arts for Health where participants are experimenting wire sculpture and printmaking to find which medium they would prefer to work further in for a new project.
Bénédicte Coleman, artist on the Arts for Health programme is set to hang a new selection of work by residents in the new wing at Castletownbere Community Hospital with frame that enable interchangeable artwork, keeping the work relevent and giving the residents voice to choose their own artwork.
This exhibition at Uillinn West Cork Arts Centre comprises a selection of work, by Phoebe Cotton – AfH Development Assistant – created on the Arts for Health Programme over the last two years, when the programme pivoted to provide postal and online projects to reach out to older people staying safe at home or residential care.
In addition, it features new work by Arts for an Active Mind with ceramic artist Ayelet Lalor. Arts for an Active Mind is a weekly session facilitated by Paul Cialis that takes place at Uillinn on Monday mornings for over 15 years. Over two sessions the group explored food and the memories associated to create this evocative and playful series of ceramic works on plates.
Bealtaine is Ireland’s national festival which celebrates the arts and creativity as we age. The festival is run by Age & Opportunity, the leading national development organisation working to enable the best possible quality of life for us all as we age. Age & Opportunity Arts provides opportunities for older people to be more creative more often, to create meaningful participation and representation for all older people in cultural and creative life and to demonstrate and celebrate how our creative potential can improve with age.