Community of Practice Socially Engaged Art Event – Arts and Health Networking Morning
Uillinn West Cork Arts Centre
Thursday 25 June 2026, 10am – 12.30pm, with optional activities from 1pm
Registration is through Cork County Arts Office: Arts and Health Networking – Fill out form
You are warmly invited to a morning of networking, conversation, and shared learning with socially engaged artists, arts workers, social prescribing link workers, health care professionals, and others working across the arts and health sector. The event includes presentations from artists on their current arts‑and‑health projects, followed by opportunities to connect and participate in optional afternoon activities.
Programme
10am – Arrival in Courtyard Gallery at Uillinn, teas and coffees
10.30am – Welcome with Emma Dwyer, Assistant Arts Officer, Cork County Council
Introduction to the Social Prescribing Creative Engagement Project
10.35am – Artist Presentation with Kevin McNally, socially engaged artist
Learn more link HERE
10.50am – Arts for Health Timeline with Justine Foster, Programme Manager at Uillinn
Presentation of the Arts for Health ‘Timeline’
Learn more link HERE
11am – Artist Presentation with Toma McCullim, socially engaged artist
Learn more links: Salt and Pepper HERE and residency at Uillinn in 2026 Quare Space HERE
11.20am – Networking Activity
Optional Afternoon Activities
1pm – Exhibition Tour
Annual Members and Friends Exhibition – A 45‑minute tour led by Public Engagement Assistant Sylwia Migdal, introducing work by emerging and established artists from West Cork and beyond. The tour continues through the residency studio corridor, meeting artists Julie Louise Bacon (Almanac 2026 CE), Siobhan McGibbon (Decomposition is Devotion and the Land Longs for You), and Julie Brennan, who are developing new work while engaging with local audiences.
Learn more link HERE
1.45pm – 2.30pm – Conversation & Creative Response
Following the tour, Sylwia leads a relaxed discussion and creative response session in the Level 2 workspace, emphasising community engagement and shared reflection.
1pm – 2pm – Workshop with Dance Artist in Residence, Lisa Maris McDonell
This workshop draws from Lisa’s choreographic practice, exploring tensions between authenticity and the trained or commodified body. Through guided improvisation, participants enter a state of deep bodily listening, allowing stories, histories, and futures to surface within a supportive creative environment.
About Sylwia Migdal
Sylwia is an artist with a BA in Visual Art and an MA in Art and Environment from Technological University Dublin School of Creative Arts. Her practice focuses on contemporary and conceptual art with a strong interest in the natural environment and youth engagement. Originally from Poland, she has lived in West Cork for over 20 years and works as Public Engagement Assistant and Youth Arts Facilitator at Uillinn, delivering workshops, tours, schools programmes, and public events.
About Lisa Maris McDonell
Lisa is an Australian choreographer and performer whose work is presented nationally and internationally. Since 2020 she has created under the name Proper Motion, producing projects such as Illawarra Dance Portraits, The $20 Commissions Project and its performance extension The Lobster, Optimal Stopping (with La Infinita Compañia, Mexico), and The BUDGET, an ongoing exploration of money and the arts. She has received numerous awards, grants, and residencies, including the Sydney Dance Company / Create NSW Beyond The Studio Fellowship.
Learn more link HERE
Partners
This event is delivered by Cork County Council in partnership with Uillinn West Cork Arts Centre. It is supported by Creative Ireland.