Arts in Education Portal Documentation Award 2026 – Update

Arts in Education Portal Documentation Awards 2026

The Portal team have had an exciting few months on the road, visiting and documenting the fantastic projects awarded Documentation Awards this year. The annual Portal Documentation Award supports the documentation of arts in education initiatives across Ireland, creating resources that can be shared with the wider arts in education community and offer insights into different creative processes. Both projects that we visited, highlighted the power of arts and creativity in education, and we look forward to sharing their stories.

Orpheus in the Garden

In May, we visited Orpheus in the Garden, a partnership between Music Network and the National Botanic Gardens. This inspiring music project brought together children from two DEIS schools to collaborate with professional artists on a creative exploration of the biodiversity crisis.

Our first visit took us to Mother of Divine Grace Primary School in Finglas, Dublin, where fifth class pupils were joined by a neighbouring fifth class from Virgin Mary Boys School in Ballymun. Together with their teachers, Ms Maher and Mr Clinton, they took part in a music workshop led by composer and musical director Dee Isaacs. The children had been working hard with Dee over the previous weeks, participating in creative workshops and preparing for their performances of Orpheus in the Garden. There was great excitement in the classroom, with plenty of discussion about the costumes they would wear in the gardens.

Fifth class children from Mother of Divine Grace School in Finglas and Virgin Mary Boys School Ballymun at creative workshop with Dee Isaacs

Our second visit, on a tropically warm day, brought us to the National Botanic Gardens, where the children were taking part in a dress rehearsal with the full cast of professional artists and musicians. We were treated to a preview of what audiences would enjoy during two twilight performances of Orpheus in the Garden on 27 and 28 May.

It was a joy to witness the children’s enthusiasm as they transformed into unexpected creatures and sang among the plants and trees as part of the children’s choir. They were eagerly looking forward to sharing their performances with family and friends. All of their hard work had paid off – they were ready.

Primary School children from Dublin perform at Orpheus in the Garden at National Botanic Gardens

PlaySpaces

In June, we headed to Cork City to visit PlaySpaces, a multi-year collaborative arts project with children from St Vincent’s Convent Primary School and Múin Afterschool, led by artist Chris Finnegan in partnership with Cork Midsummer Festival. Through a series of workshops, the children from St Vincent’s and Múin Afterschool were asked what their city would look like if they were in charge. Their answer was simple: they wanted to play!

Our first visit took us to St Vincent’s in Blackpool, where artist Chris had been working with second class students to create a city-wide trail of imaginative play spaces. During the workshop, the children got to see 3D models of their creations for the first time. Their excitement as they watched their imaginative ideas come to life was infectious. Now it was time to put the finishing touches to their designs!

Second class at St Vincents Primary School working with artist Chris Finnegan putting finishing touches to designs

On our second visit to Cork, we joined the children for a special walking tour of PlaySpaces. It was wonderful to see their excitement as they experienced their creations installed across the city.

Second class from St Vincents Primary School visit PlaySpaces reading nook at Cork City Library

PlaySpaces opened during Cork Midsummer Festival and continues throughout the summer, inviting families to explore child-designed play spaces across Cork City. Follow the trail map and discover a cosy den, an imaginary theatre creature, a secret treehouse, a magical book nook and a sensory space disco.
Visitors can also learn more about this collaborative, child-led project at the accompanying exhibition in Sample-Studios Gallery, Lord Mayor’s Pavilion, Fitzgerald’s Park.

PlaySpaces runs from 12 June to 22 August.