Part 2 – Announcing the 2022 Arts in Education Portal Documentation Award Recipients
Credit: Breeda Kenny
The Portal Team are delighted to announce the second of the two recipients of the 2022 Arts in Education Portal Documentation Award. We are very excited to be working with each recipient in the coming months to document their projects. These projects will be showcased on the portal as the documentation progresses.
About the recipients….
Project title: ‘Finding the Common Thread’ International Teacher Artist Partnership Project
This project “Finding the Common Thread” is an International Teacher Artist Partnership (I-TAP) residency project between teacher Breeda Kenny and visual artist Vera McEvoy in collaboration with the 6th class pupils of St Kilian’s National School, Mullagh, Co Cavan.
This project will integrate aspects of the SESE Curriculum with the Arts Curriculum. This will be done by developing an innovative way of combining the pupils learning about the local bog environment with learning traditional lace making. This project will reinforce the work covered in the Primary Curriculum in the areas of English, Science, History and Geography. The processes that will be employed will include looking at the heritage of lace-making in the area and learning the particular stitches and techniques synonymous with Carrickmacross Lace. The pupils will be afforded opportunities to design patterns for their lace pieces based on their visit to the bog and their exploration of flora and fauna in this unique environment. Kinaesthetic and enquiry-based approaches will be used throughout the project to encourage critical thinking and innovation but more importantly to develop the pupils’ own individual creativity. The voice of the child will be paramount throughout the project.
The Portal Documentation Award will be an exciting opportunity for the pupils to create a record of their learning journey within the Arts curriculum through the creation of “Bog Books” incorporating sample lace pieces and the pupils own reflections on the process.
Artist: Vera McEvoy
Vera McEvoy is a Kildare based visual artist, educator and graduate of the National College of Art and Design, Dublin. Vera is a multidisciplinary artist working in collaborative and participatory art projects. She aspires to encourage more creativity in all ages, providing opportunities to explore, experiment and create using various art processes, techniques and materials. She is a lecturer in Visual Art Education, Froebel Dept. of Primary and Early Childhood Education, Maynooth University. Since 2019 she has been a member of the Helium Artist panel and a Creative Associate with the Creative Schools programme.
‘My partnership with Breeda has been of great benefit to my professional practice and development and to me personally. I am excited as I look forward to expanding our partnership as part of the Arts in Education Portal Documentation Award,’ Vera. See more of Vera’s work at www.veramcevoy.com
Teacher: Breeda Kenny
Breeda Kenny is Deputy Principal in St Kilian’s N.S., Mullagh, Co.Cavan. She currently teaches 6th Class. She is a graduate from Mary Immaculate College of Education. Breeda has always been interested in the arts, in particular Music. She has been responsible for the delivery of summer courses in this area in Monaghan Education Centre in the past. She has worked with Vera McEvoy since 2016 on the Teacher – Artist Partnership (TAP) course.
Breeda completed a M.Sc in Education and Training in DCU in 2013. The title of her dissertation was “How can I demonstrate the importance of the Creative Arts in my practice as a primary school teacher through the medium of video?” As part of her role as Deputy Principal, she is currently responsible for the development of the creative arts in St Kilian’s.