Part 1 – Announcing the 2024 Arts in Education Portal Documentation Award Recipients

The Portal Team are delighted to announce the first of the of the two recipients of the 2024 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.

Project title: Let’s Get Real

The project “Let’s Get Real” consists of creating an advocacy multimedia film with animated elements to share the learner’s ideas of home life, work life, relationships, health, and education and explore how laws and society is changing to make these human rights prevalent. There are five learners, working with Streetwise staff Ruth O’ Keeffe and Patricia Dooley under the guidance of artist Ana Colomer. The sound design is the result of a partnership piece with Oisín Ó Cualáin from Music Generation inspired by the learners’ work.

Using green screen technology and stop motion animation, they are trying to deliver an honest, personal message about themselves. There is nothing strange or supernatural in our film but quite the opposite, we just point and enumerate the small things that make us who we are. What we enjoy, what we do in our day-to-day routines, and our dreams and hopes for the future, simple things that others might take for granted, like going to work or enjoying a meal with friends.

The process consists of:

Storyboarding, green screen video telling the viewer about us and then creating animations to match the autobiographical video bites. These animations are made with tablets and stop motion studio, but each scene has a different background, elements, and props to accompany the narrative.

This specific creative & educational process has been led by the learners at their pace, to convey the message that is paramount to them & their peers.

Artist: Ana Colomer

Ana Colomer is a visual artist based in Ennis Co. Clare. Ana works as a community artist and arts educator. She is a tutor for LCYP, LCETB, a Creative Associate for Creative Schools, Arts Council, and an Associate Artist for Helium Arts. She holds a Bachelor Degree in Fine Arts by Seville University and a H Dip.

Ana is a firm believer in the importance of a holistic approach when educating at any level, such as primary, post primary or in adult education settings. This holistic approach should have the arts at the centre of it, promoting different ways of learning and prioritising the wellbeing and the joy of creative thinking.

This is Ana’s third collaborative project with Streetwise. “This project is truly special, there is so much effort and love put into it through collaborative learning, and it offers an intimate insight into the lives of people currently living in Ireland with intellectual disabilities.”