We believe that disabled and deaf people have a valuable contribution to make to the arts in Ireland and Wales and at all levels our activities will be inclusive of the diversity of disabled and deaf people’s arts and culture. We seek to develop equality across the creative sector and endeavour to advance higher education in the arts amongst disabled people in Wales and Ireland by increasing participation in disability arts and other arts activities on equal terms with other members of the community. Coracle works alongisde Disabilty Arts Cymru and Arts Disability Ireland
Arts Ability
Arts Ability is an initiative, coordinated by the Arts Department of Wexford County Council, which focuses on celebrating the artistic and creative imagination of people who experience mental health problems and/or disabilities. Arts Ability involves a team of professional artists working collaboratively with people of all ages in various locations around the county.
Upcoming exhibitions:
Launch of ‘Constellation’ Exhibition and ‘True Colours’ Catalogue at Wexford Arts Centre
Wexford Arts Centre, in partnership with Wexford County Council, Coracle and Arts Ability is delighted to present Constellation, an exhibition of work by Arts Ability Project Artists, County Wexford Community Workshop (New Ross) Ltd. Opening Thursday 21st of June, with guest speakers, local Artist and Writer Helen Gaynor and Wexford County Council Chairman, Cllr. Oliver Walsh, the exhibition is a demonstration of the continued success of this highly creative project and will run until 15th July 2012.
Arts Ability is an initiative, which focuses on celebrating the artistic and creative imagination of people who experience mental health problems and/or disabilities. Participants in the project are recognised as artists in their own right. The 2012 Constellation show at Wexford Arts Centre show cases some of the excellent work made by members of the County Wexford Community Workshop group, New Ross, County Wexford as a direct result of the initiative and under the guidance of facilitator Declan Kennedy. Featuring vibrant, energetic and brave painting, drawings and ceramics Constellation displays the diverse interests and skills of this incredibly talented artist’s co-operative.
The official opening of the exhibition on Thursday will also incorporate the launch of True Colours, a catalogue produced to accompany an exhibition of the same name by the artists from the Arts Ability project at CWCW which will be presented in the Picton Castle Gallery, near Haverford West in Pembrokeshire, Wales, from July 4th to 28th.
True Colours
Taking place in the Picton Castle Gallery this exhibition ran from July 4th to 28th 2012. The Arts Ability artists presented their work in an exhibition alongside the work of art students from the Ammanford Campus of Coleg Sir Gar in Carmarthenshire.
The Arts Department of Wexford County Council is one of five of partners in southeast Ireland and southwest Wales involved with Coracle. Coracle is an Interreg IVA partnership led by University of Wales Trinity Saint David concerned with the professional development of creative practitioners in Ireland and Wales. The True Colours exhibition, catalogue and exchange were all developed by the Arts Department of Wexford County Council in partnership with Trinity Saint David University, Wales, as part of the Coracle programme.
The True Colours catalogue is a 96 page full colour publication which includes images of the work of the thirty-four Arts Ability artists whose work will be on exhibition in Wales. An essay by artist and writer Helen Gaynor introduces us to the inspired work and the ways of working of this diverse group of artists. The catalogue will be available to the public at the Constellation launch event in Wexford Arts Centre.
Twelve artists from the Arts Ability project travelled to Wales during the Summer 2012. The itinerary included attending a reception for their Welsh exhibition, delivering a workshop, visiting museums and art galleries and a group exhibition of Disability Arts Cymru.
For further information on this strand of the Coracle Project, please contact Sinead Barden, County Arts Officer, The Arts Department, Wexford County Council. E: arts@wexfordcoco.ie / T: 053 9196369.
This project is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Ireland Wales programme.