In this episode we hear from teacher Karen Brogan and arts practitioner Leslie Ryan speaking at the 2024 Arts in Education Portal Regional Day on a project involving five west Sligo primary schools. Over the course of two years they explored themes within ecology and heritage through sculpture, sound and visual art supported through the Department of Education Creative Clusters inititave.

Karen and Leslie delve into how the cluster team of teachers and principals from the five schools developed their understanding of creativity and the creative arts within their school communities, including the wider community, in a post-Covid world.

They outline how they explored these themes working collaboratively with artists Kari Cahill, Tom Meskell and musician Rossa Ó Snodaigh. The culmination of their Cluster journey - Lóchrainn na Rónta - a light installation and performance celebrating the legend of the Selkie, which took place on Enniscrone beach at sunset on May 14 2023.

The benefits and the opportunities of working as a Creative Cluster afforded innovation, collaboration, the development of friendships and forging of professional relationships while focused on and dedicated to inspiring and investigating creativity within their schools.

Produced by the Arts in Education Portal.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded at the 2024 Arts in Education Portal Regional Day, we hear from artist Andy Parsons, teacher Triona O’Dowd Hill and project manager Lorna Kavanagh of Kids’ Own Publishing discussing a Kids’ Own collaborative project at St Cecilia's School, Sligo.

Together they will outline the journey through materials and processes undertaken by Triona’s class.

St Cecilia’s school caters for students with moderate to profound learning disabilities. In this collaboration between teacher and artist a series of practical workshops took place over the course of 2023, The students were introduced to various materials and methodologies leading up to collaborative workshops with visiting TY students from the Ursuline College in Sligo.

This project focused on the partnerships between teacher and artist, and between artist and students. Giving the students a creative voice in the creation of large scale abstract sculptures in plaster, paper, wire and wood while also the added element of working alongside their peers with the visiting TY students. The sculptures were exhibited in the foyer of the Hawkswell Theatre in Sligo in December 2023.

Produced by Kids’ Own Publishing on behalf of the Arts in Education Portal.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.