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2019 Artist Residency

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We hope to foster an understanding of the value of the arts and creative activity, particularly in a care setting, and demonstrate and celebrate the positive impact of ageing creatively.

Artist in Residence a Care Setting initiative 2019

In 2019, Age & Opportunity ran a number of residencies in care settings nationwide, made possible through funding provided by the Creative Ireland National Creativity Fund, HSE Lottery Funding, and the Arts Council. The 2019 Artist(s) in Residence in a Care Setting initiative took place in care settings in Clare, Donegal, Dublin, Kerry, Kildare and Sligo.
 
These six residencies were designed to bring the benefits of arts participation to up to 250 older people who either live in or visit care facilities and also positively impacted on over 500 people, when we include all those involved – residents, staff, families, artists, and the wider community.
 
Age & Opportunity gratefully acknowledges the support of our Arts programme funders, the Arts Council, the Creative Ireland Programme’s National Creativity Fund, and the HSE.
 
The artist residency initiative was also supported by the Waterford Healing Arts Trust (WHAT), Creative Life, Mercer’s Institute for Successful Ageing (MISA) and the Dementia Services Information and Development Centre (DSIDC) both based in MISA, St. James’s Hospital. 
 

An independent evaluation of the residencies stated that the findings were “overwhelmingly positive” and that the initiative generated “pure joy and escape and an enthusiasm to try something new among those for whom a strict routine is the norm”, leading to the staff “seeing people differently as their personhood is expressed more clearly through engagement with the arts” (Ward, Aideen, Age & Opportunity Artist in Residency in a Care Home Independent Evaluation, p.5).

Find the full evaluation here.

The Six Residencies

Clare – Printmaker Aoife Barrett invited residents at Raheen Community Hospital to participate in a series of conversations, bookmaking and printmaking activities to promote creativity, storytelling and the exchange of knowledge.

Kildare – visual artist John Conway engaged with members of the Naas Day Care Centre over a cup of tea and simple art exercises. In doing so Conway drew out the stories of their life experiences and documented them for posterity as part of their project. Listen to the stories here.

Sligo – Photographer Brian Cooney worked with residents of St John’s Community Hospital in Sligo through photography and paint, to foster personal expression. He will also make a new body of work that will be his personal response to his time in the care facility.

Dublin – Based in the Clonskeagh Community Hospital in Dublin multimedia artist Cliona Ni Laoi used projections to create immersive visual collages using light and sound. In turn this art project fed into Cliona’s research about the therapeutic benefits of audiovisual installations in dementia care setting.

Donegal – Visual artist Andy Parsons was based in the Killybegs Community Hospital. Andy’s project celebrated the wealth of craft skills of the people of Donegal. His project aimed to capture the ingenuity, resourcefulness and creativity of our older generation.

Kerry – Using the mid-century buildings of Castleisland as a starting point visual artist Ciara Rodgers engaged the attendees of Castleisland Day Care Centre in a conversation about the history of the buildings in their area for a project in charcoal drawing.

Contact

For information speak to our Arts team.

 01 853 5180
 bridget.deevy@ageandopportunity.ie

Arts Initiatives:

Bealtaine Festival

A month long collaborative festival in May featuring performances, exhibitions, discussions, workshops and readings by artists working in different art forms all over Ireland. Find out more here.

Cultural Companions

Works with the local authorities to create local networks of like-minded people interested in arts and culture who can accompany each other to cultural events. Find out more.

Arts Events Listings

A national arts listings advertising age-friendly events that take place throughout the year (apart from May). Find out more here.

National Arts in Nursing Homes Day

A day that celebrates the creative activity taking place in Irish care settings. Find out more.

Artists' Supports

Age & Opportunity runs a number of initiatives that support artists. Find out more.

Supports for Arts Organisations

Age & Opportunity supports arts organisations through a number of initiatives. Find out more here.

Supports for Care Settings

We have a range of creative supports for care settings. Find out more.

Arts Resources

We have a variety of resources available here.

Arts Initiatives:

Bealtaine Festival

A month long festival in May featuring performances, exhibitions, discussions, workshops and readings by artists, and community groups, working in different art forms all over Ireland. Find out more here.

Cultural Companions

Creates local networks of like-minded people interested in arts and culture who can accompany each other to cultural events. Find out more.

Arts Events Listings

A national arts listings advertising age-friendly events that take place throughout the year (apart from May). Find out more here.

National Arts in Nursing Homes Day

A day that celebrates the creative activity taking place in Irish care settings. Find out more.

Artists' Supports

Age & Opportunity runs a number of initiatives that support artists. Find out more.

Supports for Arts Organisations

Age & Opportunity supports arts organisations through a number of initiatives. Find out more here.

Supports for Care Settings

We have a range of creative supports for care settings. Find out more.

Arts Resources

We have a variety of Arts Resources available here.

We believe that, whether you are 8 or 80 years old, we all should have access and opportunities to attend and participate in the arts and to realise our creative potential. Fresh thinking, bold experimentation and creativity are all fundamental to delivering a high quality of life for older people.

Research shows that arts programmes involving music, visual arts and drama, among other activities, have a profound influence on the quality of life of older people, with positive impacts on health, psychological well-being, confidence and autonomy as well as other benefits such as:

  • happiness
  • mental wellbeing
  • reduced stress
  • improved cognition
  • sense of identity and personhood
  • increased self-esteem and confidence
  • reduced boredom.

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Principal Funders:

Link to HSE website Link to Sport Ireland website Link to Arts Council website

Our Principal Funders:

Link to HSE websiteLink to Sport Ireland website


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