Living Arts Project - Arts in Education
Established in 2013, the Living Arts Project is a long term visual arts educational scheme which consolidates the existing partnership between Wexford Arts Centre and the Arts Department of Wexford County Council and intends to make engagement with, and understanding of, the fundamentals of contemporary visual art even more attainable for local audiences.
In order to facilitate this development, the scheme is comprised of two key strands; an artist in residence programme for primary schools in the County and a curatorial residency for one transition year group in a local secondary school. In April this year an open call took place for interested artists, curators and schools to submit expressions of interest to participate in the programme, and after an overwhelming response the successful schools and artists began working together in September. For the primary school residency programme the artists and schools selected are; Orla Bates with St. Ann’s NS, New Ross; Els Dietvorst with St. Anne’s NS, Duncormick; Aileen Lambert with St. Colman’s NS, Enniscorthy; and Kate Murphy with Our Lady of Lourdes NS, Bunclody. The secondary school chosen for the transition year curatorial programme is Gorey Community School who will be working with curator and art historian Karla Sanchez O’Connell.
In order to facilitate this development, the scheme is comprised of two key strands; an artist in residence programme for primary schools in the County and a curatorial residency for one transition year group in a local secondary school. In April this year an open call took place for interested artists, curators and schools to submit expressions of interest to participate in the programme, and after an overwhelming response the successful schools and artists began working together in September. For the primary school residency programme the artists and schools selected are; Orla Bates with St. Ann’s NS, New Ross; Els Dietvorst with St. Anne’s NS, Duncormick; Aileen Lambert with St. Colman’s NS, Enniscorthy; and Kate Murphy with Our Lady of Lourdes NS, Bunclody. The secondary school chosen for the transition year curatorial programme is Gorey Community School who will be working with curator and art historian Karla Sanchez O’Connell.
The aim of the residency programme is to prioritise the development of the artist's work within the project and use this development to in turn encourage competent engaging work from the participating students. In order to monitor the effectiveness of this programme on an ongoing basis, a mentorship programme runs alongside each residency. Residency artists nominated an independent artist or curator they felt pertinent to their practice as a mentor. The aim of the mentorship is for positive critiquing of the artist’s work to occur and for expansion and refinement of the methods of engaging the students throughout each residency. This ensures that the aims of the project are met, the work and processes are of high quality and the dynamic between artist and students is challenging and productive. The following mentors are involved in the 2013/14 Living Art Project: artists Orla Barry, Anita Groener, Alanna O’Kelly, and Director - RHA, Patrick Murphy.
Both the Primary School Residency and Secondary School Curatorial Programmes will culminate in an exhibition of work at Wexford Arts Centre in March-April 2014.
Wexford Arts Centre would like to take this opportunity to thank all schools and artists who applied for the scheme, and the local community for their support and interest in the project to date.
Photography by Frank Abruzzese and Simon Bates.
Frank Abruzzese: www.frankabruzzese.com or http://www.cowhousestudios.com/
Both the Primary School Residency and Secondary School Curatorial Programmes will culminate in an exhibition of work at Wexford Arts Centre in March-April 2014.
Wexford Arts Centre would like to take this opportunity to thank all schools and artists who applied for the scheme, and the local community for their support and interest in the project to date.
Photography by Frank Abruzzese and Simon Bates.
Frank Abruzzese: www.frankabruzzese.com or http://www.cowhousestudios.com/
