2025 Documentation Award: Creativity in the Classroom Announced as Second Recipient

The Portal Team is delighted to announce Creativity in the Classroom with five Primary Schools in Dublin 8 and Dublin 12 as the second recipient of 2025 Arts in Education Portal Documentation Award. This special award celebrates the 10th anniversary of the Arts in Education Portal. 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: Creativity in the Classroom

Creativity in the Classroom is an artist/ teacher collaborative initiative that emerged from the social and economic devastation of working-class communities in Dublin 8 and 12 in the 1980s & 90s. At that time teachers were witnessing signs of trauma in children in local schools and sought to find ways for children to support the emotional and social wellbeing of the whole child.

In 1997 a cross sectoral discourse led by the Canals Communities Partnerships resulted in the founding of Creativity in the Classroom, (CIC) a school-based creative arts programme in the belief that the arts could actively and positively contribute to the holistic development of the child and their educational experience.

Today, Creativity in the Classroom, continues to enrich the lives of our children, enriched by the ever- growing diversity of our school communities. Children continue to inform the direction of this process-based arts project, working together with artists and teachers. Despite the many challenges facing our children and their families, creativity continues to thrive amongst this generation of makers and doers.

The longitudinal nature of this project has allowed thousands of children to access excellent quality arts education in their classroom supported by the important dynamic of teacher and artist working collaboratively

Schools currently involved
• St James Primary School, Basin Lane, Dublin 8
• Loretto Jnr. Primary School, Crumlin, Dublin 12
• Loretto Snr. Primary School, Crumlin, Dublin 12
• Warrenmount, Presentation Primary School, Blackpitts, Dublin 8
• Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School, Inchicore, Dublin 8

Artists currently involved
Liz McMahon graduated in Fine Art from Limerick School of Art and Design in 1981 and has been involved with many art programmes, in and out of primary schools since. She is the longest serving artist on the project (since 1997) and continues to provide mentorship and support to artists.

Deirdre O’Reilly is a Ceramic artist with a collaborative and personal practice. She has developed a process based practice with children and teachers over the last 20 years in Creativity in the Classroom.

Jane Groves is a visual artist who specialises in working with young people, inspired by her own observations of nature and informed by children’s innate playfulness, and curiosity.

Duffy Mooney Shephard is the newest member of the team. Duffy is an Illustrator and Story maker. She is an experienced art education professional with expertise in workshop facilitation & programming for children, families and schools.

Melissa Hogan: Teacher/ Co-ordinator
Melissa is a primary school teacher with a special interest in the creative arts and the positive impact creative expression has on well-being. She has been involved with Creativity in the Classroom for over 25 years and is passionate about how this wonderful project has enriched the lives of the children it serves in each of the school communities