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Baboró International Arts Festival for Children

Baboró recorded three talks during the 2022 festival discussing early years arts education, sectoral sustainability and artist development, which they have now made available for streaming.

The Baboró podcast is available to listen on Spotify or Apple.

Opening Doors

In this discussion, a roundtable of makers, educators and thinkers explored models of practice to aid artists in the creation of work for very young audiences in early years education and crèche settings.

The panel featured Gaëtane Reginster (Théâtre de la Guimbarde, Belgium), Marc Mac Lochlainn (Branar, Ireland) and Dr. Rita Melia (Atlantic Technological University, Ireland). Chaired by Marianne Kennedy (University of Galway, Ireland).

Towards Sustainability

In partnership with Branar’s Meitheal Initiative, this panel discussion explored models of practice which support the sustainable development of career paths for independent artists making work for young audiences.

The panel featured Tony Reekie (Catherine Wheels, Scotland), Kate Cross (The Egg, England), Dan Colley and Matt Smyth (Creators of ‘The Man with Enormous Wings’ and formerly Collapsing Horse, Ireland), Emer McGowan (Draíocht, Ireland). Chaired by Linda Geraghty (Branar/Meitheal, Ireland).

Meitheal is a pilot creative support initiative committed to the development and presentation of performing arts for young audiences across Ireland. Devised by Branar, funded by the Arts Council.

Reflecting on LEAP

The participants and stakeholders of Baboró’s LEAP artist support programme discussed the pilot project’s development and execution.

The panel featured Rachel Baltz (Baboró, Ireland), Alexandra Craciun (LEAP Participant, Romania and Ireland), Fernanda Ferrari (LEAP Participant, Brazil and Ireland), Justyna Cwojdzińska (LEAP Participant, Poland and Ireland), Ionia Ní Chróinín (Moonfish, Ireland) Jo Cummins (Moonfish, Ireland) and Maeve Stone (Cracking Light Productions, Ireland). Chaired by Dr. Charlotte McIvor (Drama and Theatre Studies, University of Galway, Ireland).

Read more about Baboró’s Podcast Programme here: https://www.baboro.ie/news-events/podcasts-from-babor%C3%B3s-2022-delegate-programme.

South Dublin County Arts Office

Deadline: 5pm 20th January 2023

Applications are now being accepted for the Early Years Irish Language Arts Commission 2023.

A collaboration between Creative Ireland South Dublin, South Dublin Arts Office, Áras Chrónáin, and Naíonra Chrónáin

The Creative Ireland South Dublin programme wishes to commission an Early Years Irish Language artwork. This commission will be delivered in collaboration with children from Naíonra Chrónáin located on the grounds of Áras Chrónáin in Clondalkin.

The expectations of the commission are:

  1. Early Years children (0-6years) will be engaged with the creation process of the work and their voice will lead the way
  2. Close collaboration with the teachers at Naíonra Chrónáin to create artwork that could be a model for other Early Years facilities, while remaining feasible for the space of the Naíonra.
  3. The duration of the commission will be discussed with the awarded creative (s) but likely duration is one year.

Objectives

  • Develop process to work with young children in project creation
  • Create a model for other educators and practitioners to work in Early Years Arts and Irish Language
  • Create a participant-led piece of work

Award Amount

The commission is for €30,000 inclusive of VAT

Timeline

  • Applications closing date 5pm 20th January 2023
  • Assessment will take place week of the 23rd January 2023
  • Award Notification first week of February

Applications

For more detailed information on the application process and to submit an application, please visit: https://www.sdcc.ie/en/services/sport-and-recreation/arts/creative-ireland/

Irish Film Institute School Programme 2022/23

The Irish Film Institute is delighted to offer a brand new programme of films selected for students across primary and post-primary levels, available in-cinema at IFI Dublin or regional venue and online through IFI@Schools. This year includes exciting collaborations with the Irish National Opera, IMMA, the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland/BAI and An Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta & Gaelscolaíochta/COGG.

IFI@Schools supplements the in-cinema programme, offering further ways of incorporating film into your teaching, including rewatching key scenes or choosing from a wider range of content for other subjects such as history, geography, music, art, Gaeilge, English and more.

Screenings for the French language selection include Mes Fréres et moi (My Brothers and I) and King in partnership with the Ambassade De France en Irelande. Screenings for the German language selection includes Der Pfad (The Path) and Klammer in partnership with GEOTHE Institut.

Details of the full programme list and regional venue screenings can be found here.

To book tickets visit the Irish Film Institute at Irish Film Institute (ifi.ie) or contact Amy Louise or Holly at schools@irishfilm.ie

 

The Dock

‘Songs of Ourselves’ was one of the recipient projects of the 2021 Arts in Education Portal Documentation Award, the aim of which is to support the development of documented outcomes from arts in education initiatives in Ireland. The award is part of the Arts in Education Portal Editorial Committee’s commitment to supporting and recognising the value of documentation and reflection as a key component within arts in education initiatives.

From November 2020 to June 2021, George Higgs was The Dock Composer in Residence at Scoil Mhuire, Carrick on Shannon for the project ‘Songs of Ourselves’, exploring communal song forms – e.g., work songs, anthems, canons, and call and response – with the ultimate aim of creating a new composition. Based on his earlier investigations into multisensory composition (The Sense Ensemble, 2017), George asked the students to think of a song not only as sound, but as a participatory activity for all the senses. Students were encouraged to invent gestures to accompany the performance of each song and draw pictures to reflect on the various themes. A Song Scrapbook was amassed from all the sessions, featuring the finished multisensory lyric ‘The Dream of the Knockabock’.

‘The Dream of the Knockabock’ was performed at The Dock in early June, 2022 by the Scoil Mhuire Choir and the Millennium Choir. The song was a twelve-minute ‘mobile composition for multisensory voices’ created was a rich pageant of sound, movement and was a spatial performance to remember.

It was a special event for all involved and a great achievement.

View the performance below

View here the Documentation Award Series Discussion ‘Songs of Ourselves’ with composer George Higgs, teacher Noelle Igoe and The Dock’s Visual Arts and Education Manager, Laura Mahon as part of the 2021 National Arts in Education Portal Virtual Conference.

 

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council

Deadline: 15 August 2022

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, in partnership with Blackrock Education Centre, is looking for six creative practitioners in a variety of artforms to work with children and teachers in the classroom setting. The main purpose of the programme is to facilitate a professional Creative Practitioner to collaborate with a primary school class and teacher to explore creativity in the classroom setting through various artforms.

Overview of dlr’s Primary Arts Programme

dlr’s Primary Arts Programme was initiated in 1994. dlr Arts Office has partnered with Blackrock Education Centre since 2008 to deliver the countywide programme. dlR Arts Office recognise the importance of life-long learning and the positive impact that early intervention may have in addressing education inequality. Through the partnership with Blackrock Education Centre, dlr Arts Office works to ensure that children have access to cultural education regardless of circumstances. The main purpose of the programme is to facilitate a professional Creative Practitioner to collaborate with a primary school class and teacher to explore creativity in the classroom setting through various art forms. A Creative Practitioner is a professional facilitator with an artform background, for example, a Dancer, a Visual Artist, a Writer or a Musician.

The timeline for engagement of the creative practitioners is October 2022 – May 2023. Upon agreement between both parties, this may be extended from October 2023 – May 2024.

Deadline for applications: 12 noon 15 August 2022 

Full details included fees, criteria and applications details are available at www.dlrcoco.ie/en/funding-opportunities/dlr-primary-arts-programme-2022-23. 

 

Baboró International Arts Festival for Children
Deadline: 29 July 2022

Baboró is looking for children who will be starting 4th class in September 2022 to join their Children’s Panel to ensure their voices are included in their planning and decision making.

The Children’s Panel will play an important role in shaping Baboró’s work to make all children feel welcome, heard and represented at Baboró and in our community. The children will be guided through their experience of the festival and creative workshops throughout the year by Baboró artist in residence, Maisie Lee. Their perspectives and voice will inform how they present their annual festival and year round work with schools and communities.

Members of the Children’s Panel will attend their festival in October where they will watch performances and visit exhibitions; together meet artists and performers and learn about their creative process; meet the people who create the festival and share their ideas with them; workshop and express their opinions and perspectives of their festival experience.

Members will also meet once a month to take part in workshops and arts activities, attend creative events, meet new friends and have fun!

Deadline 29 July 2022

For more information, see www.baboro.ie/news-events/baboro-childrens-panel-2022

Branar and the Museum of Literature Ireland (MoLI)
Date: Bloomsday Thursday, 16 June 2022

MoLI is asking young people from 2nd to 6th class to tell us all about a day in their life, this Bloomsday, on Thursday, 16 June. And teachers, it’s a schoolday – so they need your help!

As a follow-on activity from watching Branar’s wonderful You’ll See… film, we want to capture the diversity of lived experiences of young people from around the island of Ireland and put their voice and perspective at the heart of this day.

This is a simple and fun exercise that links imagination and biography, giving us a sense of what their days are like. Schools from across the country are taking part, and the submissions will be presented as an online archive later this year.

The closing date for submissions is Friday, 8 July 2022.

Date: Bloomsday Thursday, 16 June 2022

For more information on how to take part, see ulysses22.ie/mybloomsday

 

 

Creative Schools
Deadline: 17.30, 16 June 2022

The Arts Council are delighted to announce that applications have opened for schools to apply for the Creative Schools 2022/ 2023 programme.

Creative Schools 2022 welcomes applications from schools and Youthreach centres across the country who would like to join the programme.  The deadline has been extended to 17.30, 16 June 2022.

The purpose of Scoileanna Ildánacha/Creative Schools is to support schools and Youthreach centres to put the arts and creativity at the heart of children’s and young people’s lives. Participating schools/centres will take part in a guided journey over two years to develop a Creative Schools Plan unique to each school, and begin to implement it.  Key supports offered by this award include up to nine days per year of expert support and advice from a Creative Associate assigned to each school/centre, and a €4,000 grant towards activities and projects arising.

All applications to the Arts Council are made through the Arts Council’s online services system.  Schools and Youthreach centres interested in applying to Scoileanna Ildánacha/Creative Schools 2022 can register an account on the Arts Council’s online services system here.

All Department of Education-recognised primary and post-primary schools and Youthreach centres that have not already participated in a previous round of Creative Schools are invited to apply.

Online information clinics for schools and Youthreach centres about how to apply for Creative Schools 2022

The Arts Council will be holding online information clinics in May about the Creative Schools programme and how to apply for 2022. The clinics are for representatives of Primary and Post Primary Schools, Special Schools and Youthreach Centres who are interested in participating in Scoileanna Ildánacha/Creative Schools for the academic years 2022/2023 and 2023/2024.

The online information clinics will take place as follows:

The application deadline for Creative Schools has been extended to 17.30 on 16 June 2022. The reason for the new deadline is to facilitate schools at this busy time to complete their applications successfully.

For application guidelines and information about the Creative Schools please see www.artscouncil.ie/creative-schools/schools-opportunities/. If you have any questions at all please contact us at creativeschools@artscouncil.ie.

 

Teacher-Artist Partnership (TAP)
Dates: 4 July – 8 July 2022

Teacher-Artist Partnership (TAP) Programme invites teachers to register for their Face-to-Face CPD this summer. The Teacher Artist Partnership Residency programme 2022 – 2023 will be available to eight participating schools in all 21 full-time Education Support Centres. Only schools whose teachers participated in the summer course 2022 will be eligible for a residency.

The Teacher-Artist Partnership (TAP) CPD and Residency Programme is a unique Department of Education led initiative for supporting and enhancing arts and creativity in education in primary schools. It is funded and supported under the Creative Ireland Programme – Creative Youth. The initiative includes CPD Summer Courses and subsequent funded Artist in Residency opportunities in which TAP trained teachers and artists and the children work together in partnership during the following academic year. For more on TAP see: edcentretralee.ie/27-teacher-artist-partnership.html

Dates: 4 July – 8 July 2022

Register on your local full-time Education Support Centre’s website. Find your local Education Support Centre here: esci.ie/

 

Download a PDF version of the TAP Face-to-face callout 2022 here

Barnstorm Theatre Company
Dates: 10am & 12pm, 25 May – 10 June 2022

Barnstorm Theatre Company are delighted to invite primary schools in Kilkenny to Swansong. This performance is a heartfelt and comic exploration of a once in a lifetime encounter between two strangers. This new play for audiences aged 9+ by Shane O’Reilly playfully and sensitively engages with the mythical notion of the swansong; a final gesture or performance.

Schools attending a performance can book two workshops in their school, a session on visual literacy in advance of the performance and a second workshop on critical analysis in the days following their visit to the theatre. There is limited availability and will be provided on a ‘first-come’ basis. A resource pack will be provided to participating teachers. The pack will provide a focus for exploration and discussion of themes raised through the play. There is a special school group ticket rate of €10 with teachers attending for free.

Dates: 10am & 12pm, 25 May – 10 June 2022

For more information or to book, see barnstorm.ie/swansong/

Chamber Choir Ireland
Dates: Ongoing

Chamber Choir Ireland is delighted to resume their popular Composers in the Classroom programme this Autumn term. With coaching from one of Ireland’s leading composers in the creative process of composing for choir, visits from a Chamber Choir Ireland singer to give insights from the performers’ perspective, and support from their school music teacher, up to four nominated students from each participating school will compose their own piece of choral music, a selection of which will be performed and recorded by Chamber Choir Ireland at a gala concert at the National Concert Hall. Composer and singer visits will be arranged at mutually convenient times.

Dates: Ongoing

Teachers interested in bringing Composers in the Classroom to their school should contact education@chamberchoirireland.com.

For more information on Composers in the Classroom, see www.chamberchoirireland.com/learning-participation/composers-in-the-classroom/

Teacher-Artist Partnership (TAP) & Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership
Video resource

The Teacher-Artist Partnership (TAP) Programme in partnership with Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership are delighted to launch a video series developed as part of a special initiative aiming to support teacher-artist pairs in documenting and engaging collaboratively online.

This video resource explores 4 different questions: Why is the Teacher-Artist relationship important, why is it important to document your projects, what is the value of the arts in the classroom and lastly, what does a child-led process look like? The four videos feature the Teacher – Artist pairs who participated in the TAP Special Initiative Project which took place over 2021.

These videos form part of a wider programme facilitated by Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership. Participants took part in a 5-session online documentation training programme. These in-depth workshops covered topics such as what is creative documentation, digital tools for creative collaboration and documentation, documenting as part of your process, presenting your creative self and work and lastly, editing and curating your work.

Watch the videos here:

  1. What does a child-led process look like: https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/706103042
  2. What is the value of the arts in the classroom: https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/706105556
  3. Why it is important to document your projects: https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/706107812
  4. Why is the Teacher – Artist relationship important: https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/706110192

The Teacher-Artist pairs also took part in 6 mentoring sessions, choosing a mentor that best suited their project from a curated panel. During these mentoring sessions, the pairs got the chance to delve deep into their practice together, offering a space for reflection. The final element of the Special Initiative will consist of a digital publication sharing the learnings of this documentation training programme.

The Teacher-Artist Partnership (TAP) CPD and Residency Programme is a unique Department of Education led initiative for supporting and enhancing arts and creativity in education in primary schools. It is funded and supported under the Creative Ireland Programme – Creative Youth. The initiative includes CPD Summer Courses and subsequent funded Artist in Residency opportunities in which TAP trained teachers and artists and the children work together in partnership during the following academic year. For more on TAP see: edcentretralee.ie/27-teacher-artist-partnership.html

TAP Face-to-Face 2022 runs from Monday 4th July – Friday 8th July. The Teacher Artist Partnership Residency programme 2022 – 2023 will be available to eight participating schools in all 21 full-time Education Support Centres. Only schools whose teachers participated in the summer course 2022 will be eligible for a residency.

Register on your local full-time Education Support Centre’s website. See link to find your local Education Support Centre https://esci.ie/

Solstice Arts Centre
Dates: Thursday 26 May, 9:30am – 11am or 11:30am – 1pm

Solstice Arts Centre invites 1st – 6th class primary school students to this hands-on workshop which will focus on the contrasting painted artworks in their current exhibition ‘Golden Fleece: 21 Years’. Artist Claire Halpin will begin with a Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) tour of the gallery to engage students in peer-to-peer conversation on the multiple perspectives and themes explored by the exhibiting artists. Students will then have the opportunity to respond and engage in a range of artistic and creative techniques, including 2d and 3d drawing, layering and collage.

This multimedia approach to image making will be inspired by the aspects of everyday urban and domestic environments depicted in the works of Kathy Tynan, the controlled brushwork and cropping of his subject matter seen in Marcel Vidal’s triptych, the atmospheric paintings by Paul Hallahan, focusing on how we relate and interact with nature or the subtle depictions based on gender, class, and identity within Irish history in an artwork by artist Jennifer Trouton.

Curricular links made during this workshop will include oral and visual literacy, visual art appreciation, drawing, collage, colour, history, SESE, SPHE as well as problem solving and collaboration.

Dates: Thursday 26 May, 9:30am – 11am or 11:30am – 1pm

Workshops cost €3 per pupil. To book, see solsticeartscentre.ie/event/image-making-meaning-with-artist-claire-halpin or contact Deirdre at deirdre.rogers@solsticeartscentre.ie.

National Museum of Ireland – Country Life
Dates: 1 May to 30 June 2022

The Irish Architecture Foundation and the National Museum of Ireland invite you to Architects in Schools Exhibition. This is a national exhibition created by Transition Year students, teachers and architects responding to themes of Community, Sustainability and Home.

This exhibition features 2D drawings and 3D models and were made in workshops by young people, in collaboration with architects and teachers. The exhibits are displayed in different locations throughout the Museum. An exhibition map is available to guide you on this exhibition trail. There are a number of objects in the Irish Folklife collection that link to the exhibition themes so keep an eye out for them!

The National Museum of Ireland is facilitating Student Response Workshops in response to the Architects in Schools Exhibition. These school visits are an opportunity for students participating in Architects in Schools to meet each other and share their views and ideas. As part of their visit, they will participate in a workshop facilitated by an architect.

Dates: 1 May to 30 June 2022

For more information on the Architects in Schools Exhibition or to book your school slot on a Student Response Workshop, please see www.museum.ie/en-IE/Museums/Country-Life/Exhibitions/Architects-in-schools

 

Dept of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Deadline: 12 May 2022

The Dept of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media has launched a new and pioneering pilot scheme to support artists and creative arts workers. The Basic Income for the Arts pilot scheme will examine, over a 3 year period, the impact of a basic income on artists and creative arts workers. Payments of €325 per week will be made to 2,000 eligible artists and creative arts workers who will be selected at random and invited to take part.

The overarching objective of the scheme is to address the earnings instability that can be associated with the intermittent, periodic, and often project-based nature of work in the arts. The scheme will research the impact on artists and creative arts workers creative practice of providing the security of a basic income, thereby reducing income precarity.

Its intention is to research the impact a basic income would have on artists and creatives work patterns by providing the opportunity to focus on their practice, and to minimise the loss of skills from the arts as a result of the pandemic and to contribute to the sectors gradual regrowth post pandemic.

The delivery of the pilot is a key priority for Minister Catherine Martin, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, to underpin the recovery in the arts and culture sector and provide much needed certainty to the artists and creatives who choose to avail of the pilot scheme.

The pilot scheme will be open to eligible artists and creative arts sector workers.

Deadline: 12 May 2022

To apply, see www.gov.ie/en/campaigns/09cf6-basic-income-for-the-arts-pilot-scheme/

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.

 

Backstage Theatre
Date: 11am & 1pm, Friday 20 May 2022

Backstage Theatre invites primary schools to Lúminaria, a theatre show for ages 6+. With an array of wonderful characters played by three amazing actors, colourful puppets and original music, Lúminaria brings the audience on a whimsical journey into the unknown.

There is an emergency in the village of Lúminaria and only Lúna can save them. Join Lúna on an adventure into the sky as she tries to find the light to protect her mother and the villagers from darkness. As Lúna faces her deepest fears, we learn about courage, love and finding light in the darkest of moments.

Writer Fionnuala Gygax & Director Maisie Lee carried out a number of workshops with two local Longford schools in Lúminaria’s development stage, incorporating the childrens’ feedback into this imaginative show.

Date: 11am & 1pm, Friday 20 May 2022

Tickets cost €6. For more information or to book tickets, see backstage.ticketsolve.com/shows/1173621455

 

 

 

Hawk’s Well Theatre
Dates: Monday 25 or Tuesday 26 April 2022

Hawk’s Well Theatre is bringing Super Paua to Sligo to deliver three different in-person workshops in local primary and secondary schools. Super Paua is an Irish artist-led collective whose workshop programmes encourage young people to question what they know and how they’ve come to know it, creating space for them to harness their creative ideas and to come together to connect in a new way.

There are three workshops: ARTificial; Is Peace Possible? Zine Workshop; and Getting Lost- Ag Dul Ar Strae – Multilingual/Super Paua Stories Workshops.

ARTificial
This art and science workshop explores artificial intelligence, machine learning and fake news. Using practical, creative, and discussion based activities, Super Paua explore with the young people the impacts that technology and fake news have, and could have on our world and future.

Is Peace Possible? Zine Workshop
In 1957, Kathleen Lonsdale wrote her book Is Peace Possible? Kathleen was a pioneering chemist, crystallographer and activist who was extremely aware of the social and political impacts science can have. In this zine workshop, participants will develop your artistic and storytelling skills to create your own zines based on the question Lonsdale poses in the title of her book. What would peace look like to you? What do young people, scientists, artists and citizens need to engage with to make peace a possibility?

Getting Lost- Ag Dul Ar Strae
In this workshop, you will be playing with idioms and proverbs to create stories together, and to celebrate different languages (Irish, English and the other languages in your class!). Participants will use drama, images and conversation to create imaginative stories from unique poetic phrases in our native languages, chosen by the children. This workshop is based on Lara ar Strae from Scéalta Super Paua, a bilingual podcast for children.

Dates: Monday 25 or Tuesday 26 April 2022

For more information, visit www.hawkswell.com/events/event/super-paua-school-workshops. To book, call the Hawk’s Well Theatre box office on 071 9161518 (Mon – Fri 10am – 2pm) or email boxoffice@hawkswell.ie.

21 years of stories.

We are delighted to be celebrating our 21st year of making work for children this year. We have the great privilege as arts to be allowed to create arts experiences for young citizens aged 0- 12 years. This privilege comes with a great responsibility also, because the day we meet a new audience member could be their first ever experience of the arts and it also could be their last.

Therefore, we must ensure that each and every artistic encounter we have with children is excellent, because we believe every child should have the best childhood possible and that excellent art made especially for them should be part of it.

We insist on calling our audience young citizen because as citizens they have the same rights as adults and therefore are entitled to every opportunity that an adult is entitled to.

Article 31 of the UN Convention on the Rights of The Child (1989) states that ..

“State parties shall respect and promote the right of the child to participate fully in cultural and artistic life and shall encourage the provision of appropriate and equal opportunities for cultural, artistic, recreational and leisure activity.”

The importance of arts and culture for children cannot be understated and it is this belief that is the core of what we do at Branar.

We love stories, and we promise to create stories that children can enjoy. Branar was founded 2 April 2001, with the aim of creating arts experiences for children so that they and their imagination may thrive. Over the years, we have created over 22 shows, working with an ensemble of exceptional artists and creative partners including The Ark, Baboró, NIE (England), Starcatchers (Scotland), and many leading Irish arts centres and festivals.

This year we have also launched Meitheal, our new support initiative for artists creating work for young audiences across the performing arts disciplines. With this initiative, we aim to help independent artists create exciting new work for young audiences.

Over the next few blog posts, we will be giving some behind the scenes sneak peaks into one of the projects the team will be working on in the coming months. 

Highlanes Gallery
Dates: April – Nov 2022

Highlanes Gallery are offering both primary and post-primary school programmes running from April – November 2022 that engage your students with art & ideas.

The primary school programme involves 4 free sessions where teachers will explore art with your class, looking, thinking and making, focusing on Highlanes’ current exhibitions.

Facilitated by artist Claire Halpin, you and your class will visit Highlanes Gallery in-person in Session 1 to view the exhibition where Claire will use Visual Thinking Strategies methodology to activate reflection and discussion. Session 2 and 3 are practical and involve Claire visiting your classroom where you and your class group will work with ideas and materials liked with the exhibition. Session 4 concludes with a reflection and discussion session back in the gallery and with the other class groups (2) who will also have taken part in the programme.

Recent Acquisitions (Summer)
Wed 11th May Gallery Visit
Wed 18th May Classroom Session
Wed 25th May Classroom Session
Wed 1st June Gallery Feedback Session

Eithne Jordan Solo Exhibition (Autumn)
Wed 7th Sept Gallery Visit
Wed 14th Sept Classroom Session
Wed 21st Sept Classroom Session
Wed 28th Sept Gallery Feedback Session

Brian Fay – The Most Recent Forever (Winter)
Wed 12th Oct Gallery Visit
Wed 19th Oct Classroom Session
Wed 26th Oct Classroom Session
Wed 9th Nov Gallery Feedback Session

Also on offer are post-primary guided tours of Highlanes’ current exhibition ‘We are here’. This exhibition which was co-curated by a group of artist-art teachers and lecturers continues until 16th April. The guided tours will focus on the Leaving Cert Curriculum and/or other approaches that are of interest to your students.

Dates: April – Nov 2022

Both programmes plus materials are free to teachers and their students. To book your place, or get more information, please email Simon Colfer at info@highlanes.ie

RTÉ and Creative Ireland Programme
Deadline: 1 May 2022

Calling all artists of all abilities – This Is Art! Competition is back. RTÉ and Creative Ireland Programme are inviting artists aged 18 and under who live anywhere on the island of Ireland to create and submit an original piece of visual art with the theme ‘This Is Extraordinary’.

Snap or scan a digital version of the artwork and upload it, together with a brief artist statement, to an online art gallery where it will be shown for for generations to come.

There are five categories: Age 7 and under, age 8 – 11, age 12 – 15, age 16 – 18 and a group category. A prize fund of more than €10,000 will be awarded across the different categories for further education and art related vouchers. The competition aims to promote artistic practice among young people and encourage and support creativity, originality and self-expression. All visual art disciplines are welcomed.

Deadline: 1 May 2022

For further information go to: www.rte.ie/thisisart/competition

National Gallery of Ireland
Date: 4-5pm, 11 May 2022

National Gallery of Ireland invites teachers to an online CPD for Teachers: Mindfulness & Art. Join Maria Broderick, gallery tour guide and primary-school teacher, for a practical workshop that will equip you with tools and ideas for including mindfulness in the classroom.

The session will support teachers using the National Gallery of Ireland’s schools resource Art & Mindfulness, and will include peer learning via group work to enable you to develop cross-curricular creative strategies.

This is an online event via Zoom. A link will be sent via email to all ticketholders before the event. Booking closes an hour before the event is scheduled to begin.

Date: 4-5pm, 11 May 2022

For more information or to book, see www.nationalgallery.ie/whats-on/online-cpd-teachers-mindfulness-art#na

Creative Clusters
Deadline: 13 May 2022

The Minister for Education Norma Foley TD invites primary and post-primary schools across Ireland to apply for Creative Clusters, an initiative taking place as part of Creative Ireland and under the Schools Excellence Fund. The Department of Education’s budget for Creative Clusters in 2022 is €595,000.

Under this scheme to support schools to build capacity in creativity, schools in each cluster will enjoy access to a specialist facilitator, artist or creative expertise in whatever their chosen area of interest or theme might be. These resources will help the schools to build a project of learning and activities tailor-made for their students. As part of this funding allocation, a cluster may receive up to €15,000 funding to help bring their plans and ideas to fruition in 2022-2024.

Minister Foley said:

“This is a wonderful opportunity for schools to work together on a project of their choice. Schools are given complete freedom to design and develop their own project, with support from a local facilitator and their local education centre. I hope that this exciting initiative will help schools to further enhance creativity in their classrooms. It is important that our children are enabled to express themselves and learn to adapt and collaborate. ‘Creative Clusters’ gives students of all ages the opportunity to develop these essential skills, enjoy and explore artistic and creative expression.”

To date, the Creative Clusters initiative has seen schools around the country work together to develop creative projects and collaborate on new ideas based on their local experience and unique perspective. The Schools Excellence Fund of the Department of Education sets out to encourage and recognise excellence and innovation in our schools. This initiative will help deliver on the Creative Youth pillar of Creative Ireland, which sets out a commitment that every child in Ireland has practical access to tuition, experience and participation in music, drama, arts and coding.

Application Deadline: 13 May 2022

Each Creative Cluster will receive grant funding of €3,000 per school over a two-year period to implement their project in the 2022–2024 school years (e.g. a cluster of 3 schools would receive €9,000 over two years while a cluster of 5 schools would receive €15,000 over two years). Clusters will receive 50% of the total grant funding in Year 1, with the second 50% being provided in Year 2.  In addition, but separate to the grant funding, all successful clusters are further supported with: A fully paid Creative Cluster Facilitator; paid Teacher Substitution to attend training and meetings; room hire, travel & subsistence.

Please see the following link for more details: Creative Clusters.

Applications should be sent to the local full-time Teacher Education Support Centre (list at Appendix 1 of Guidelines document on DoE website) or use this link Appendix 1.

Any queries, please contact your local Education Centre or email Arts in Education Administration artsineducation@edcentretralee.ie

Creative Clusters is an initiative of the Department of Education, led by and in partnership with the 21 full-time Teacher Education Centres (Education Support Centres Ireland – ESCI) and funded through the Schools Excellence Fund.

 

Cork City Libraries and Ó Bhéal
Date: Wednesday 4 May 2022

Cork City Libraries and Ó Bhéal are delighted to announce the 18th edition of The Unfinished Book of Poetry (2022) features new poetry from transition-year writers representing five Cork schools. This edition will be launched at Cork City Library, Grand Parade, at 12pm, Wednesday 4th May 2022. All are welcome to attend and listen to these young writers read from their work.

Each year these student writers undergo a series of workshops led by established poets, over nine sessions. The workshops take place between November and March and the book is then launched by the Lord Mayor of Cork each year.

This year’s schools include Bishopstown Community School, Gaelcholáiste Mhuire, A.G., Mayfield Community School, St Aloysius School and Coláiste Chríost Rí.

Date: Wednesday 4 May 2022

Since 2005 over thirty writers have provided workshops for Transition Year students from over twenty Cork schools, with almost 700 young writers find their way into print. Ó Bhéal has been curating the project since 2012. To find out more about this project, see www.obheal.ie/blog/the-unfinished-book-of-poetry/

RTÉ 
Dates: 5pm Thursdays & on RTÉ Player

RTÉ is launching an exciting new series for young artists and art lovers everywhere called This Is Art Club! Presented by Irish artists Holly Pereira, Shane Keeling and Ross Carvill, this eight-part series focuses on one special material each week, discovering where it comes from and why it makes such incredible art.

Each week, with the help of young Artist Apprentices, they will take a look at the coolest art from inspiring Irish artists, discover some exciting jobs in the art world, and see how you might turn your love of art into a career. From tech to teacups, makeup to metals, and digital dots to real paint pots, they cover all the materials and processes that make the world of art go round.

Dates: 5pm Thursdays & on RTÉ Player

You can watch this series of This is Art Club! every week on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player at a time that suits you. Find out more here: www.rte.ie/thisisart/club

Arts in Education
Deadline: 5pm, 31 March 2022

Artists, teachers, academics and arts education professionals… Would you like to be part of the Portal Spring Regional Day? The Arts in Education Portal Team are seeking submissions for presentations and workshops for the Portal Spring Regional Day 2022 with a focus on Kildare, Wicklow, Meath and Louth. This regional event will take place in the Mid-East at the Kildare Education Support Centre on Saturday, 7 May, 2022.

The event aims to connect teachers, artists, arts managers and anyone with an interest in arts in education based in Kildare, Wicklow, Meath and Louth. Practitioners can learn more about the Portal and what it offers, tell us about their work, connect with the community at regional level, share practice and find out what opportunities or events are available in their local area.

We are inviting proposals from organisations or individuals who are involved in arts and creative projects in education in the Mid-East, and who want to give inspiring presentations or workshops that can offer sharing of skills, practical approaches, new insights and critical thinking across the field, from a range of perspectives.

Deadline: 5pm, 31 March 2022

Do you have a workshop or presentation that you would like to be included in the programme for the Portal Spring Regional Day? If so, please get in touch by email to editor@artsineducation.ie.

Further Information

 

The Arts Council’s Creative Schools Initiative
Date: 9 – 13 May, 2022

Where does wondering happen in schools? When do students explore ‘What if’ questions? How is inspiration and imagination expressed? Creativity is developing and flourishing in all school environments. The Arts Council of Ireland is delighted to announce Creative Schools Week. This week provides a space in the calendar to recognise schools as centres of creativity, highlight those areas where creativity is at work, and give students an opportunity to share their creative exploits.

‘Creativity Lives Here’ is the theme for this year’s celebration. It presents an opportunity for school communities to pause and reflect on where creativity is evident in every class, in every department and in the experience of every student. The week is a time to focus on celebrating this creativity, perhaps adding to the experiences of students in the form of events or workshops and providing a platform to show how creativity lives in each school.

The Creative Schools online programmes from the 2021 celebration provide a great snapshot of creative activities and events in a variety of school settings and age groups. These episodes are available to watch on www.artscouncil.ie/creative-schools/celebration-2021/

Date: 9 – 13 May, 2022

Creative Schools Week is open to every school.  Schools will receive a brochure with lots of ideas and ways to become involved in the celebration. Creative Schools will send some updates in the weeks leading up to May 9th with further ideas for activities and information about how your schools can celebrate. To further information or to get involved, please contact creativeschools@artscouncil.ie

Roscommon Arts Centre
Date: 10am & 12pm, 30 March 2022

Roscommon Arts Centre is delighted to present ‘Fall and Float’, a dance performance for everyone aged 4+. This highly visual show celebrates childhood, adventure, festivity, fantasy, imagination and friendship. Balloons are used by the dancers to evoke important moments of childhood and spark memories and emotions.

Two talented dancers Martijn Joling and Amy Pender, Mónica Muñoz’s playful choreography and a joyful soundscape by Denis Clohessy, combine to make ‘Fall and Float’ a delight for the senses and an ideal introduction to dance performance for a primary school audience. Funded by the Arts Council of Ireland with the support of Creative Ireland and Baboro Pathways to Production.

Date: 10am & 12pm, 30 March 2022

Tickets cost €5. For more information, contact box office on 09066 25824 or visit roscommonartscentre.ie/event/fall-and-float-school-shows/

Dublin City Council
Deadline: 12pm, 29 March 2022

Dublin City Council wishes to invite submissions by e-tender from highly motivated and suitably qualified individuals/organisations for the programming and coordination of Children’s Art in Libraries: Creative Hubs.

The Creative Hubs initiative is delivered in partnership by Dublin City Arts Office and Dublin City Libraries. Creative Hubs sustain high quality arts experiences for children, schools and families to access in their Library and locality, through the development of enhanced educational, community and cultural partnership. In recent years, they have prioritised more engaged developmental programming in response to local need and this has led to the establishment of three Creative Hubs in Coolock, Cabra and Ballyfermot libraries.

In 2022/3 programme will be delivered live in the three libraries and their grounds and may also be delivered online or by agreement in other local locations (schools or community buildings). Commissioning processes already agreed for Autumn/Winter 2022 include a visual arts exhibition for Ballyfermot library curated by and in partnership with RHA Gallery, a dance commission with Visual Carlow/GBS Theatre and a theatre commission with The Ark.

The successful tenderer will be responsible for the development and delivery of a high quality multi-disciplinary arts programme for children in identified city libraries and localities supported by the associated development of educational, community and cultural partnerships. The tender is for a one year contract with a potential to extend up to a further 12 months. The value of the one year contract will fall within the range of €38,000 – €45,000 including expenses and excluding VAT.

Deadline: 12pm, 29 March 2022

For full details and to apply see www.etenders.gov.ie Service ID/RFT: 208073. This opportunity is open to organisations or individuals.

Burrenbeo Trust
Date: 19 March, 2022

Burrenbeo Trust invites you to Having Fun in the Outdoor Landscape with Kate Lavender and Karen Van Drop, a workshop for anyone with an interest in place-based learning and/or learning more in the Burren. This workshop forms part of their 11th annual Learning Landscape Symposium that brings together leading change-makers and educators from 18 – 20 March 2022. The symposium takes place at the community centre in Kinvara, Co.Galway and outdoors in the Burren.

The symposium will comprise of a mixture of indoor workshops, outdoor fieldtrips, discussions, and networking events, and is open to anyone with an interest in communicating natural, built, or cultural heritage and sustainability to their audiences and inspiring action.

Date: 19 March, 2022

Learning Landscape Symposium runs from 18 – 20 March 2022 on the theme of From Learning to Action. For more information and to book tickets, see https://burrenbeo.com/lls/

 

National Association for Principals & Deputy Principals
Date: 9:30 – 17:00, 3 – 5 March, 2022 

National Association for Principals & Deputy Principals (NAPD) invites you to the 9th Annual Creative Engagement Exhibition, held online from 9:30 – 17:00, 3 – 5 March, 2022. The Exhibition will officially be opened at 9.30am by NAPD Director Paul Crone.

Creative Engagement is the longest running arts in education programme in second level schools in Ireland. It is an initiative of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals. The programme is part of the Creative Youth initiative which is Pillar 1 of Creative Ireland. The aim of the Creative Engagement programme is to encourage students’ creativity, initiative and expression through arts in education projects. From its inception in 2005, the arts-in-education programme entailed an artist or artists coming into the school to work with the students.

The event represents an important landmark in the calendar for educationalists and artists in the education sector, where schools exhibit the wide range of arts in the programme and display best practice in arts provision for young people. Against a background of a pandemic and lockdowns the resilience of students, teachers and artists is manifest and celebrated in the exhibition.

This year NAPD Creative Engagement has moved online to ensure accessibly for all audience members as per government guidelines. The programme has been supported by grant funding from the Department of Education and the Department of Tourism Culture Arts Gaeltacht Media and their forerunners since 2005.

Date: 9:30 – 17:00, 3 – 5 March, 2022 

For more information and to register please visit:
hopin.com/events/creative-engagement-annual-art-exhibition-46d84a96-c470-492e-ab79-80fc6c31c5ea

Graffiti Theatre Company
Online workshop

Graffiti Theatre Company are delighted to present The Voyage, a new interactive theatre workshop for Primary classes (8+) and their teachers. This participatory well-being workshop offers an opportunity to reflect on the year gone by, and equips students and teachers with skills they may need for future change and transition.

Designed and developed by Graffiti’s Creative Learning team in consultation with educational psychotherapist Marie Delaney, The Voyage offers:

  1. A pre-workshop discussion with a Creative Learning Team Member
  2. Resource activities in preparation for the workshop
  3. An interactive workshop for the class group, delivered online by Graffiti Theatre Creative Learning facilitators
  4. Follow up resources for additional teacher-lead workshops

This workshop has been designed during Covid restrictions to address some of the anxiety and well being issues faced by young people associated with the pandemic. This workshop has been designed to be delivered virtually, and will continue to be offered online when restrictions are lifted.

How to book

The Voyage cost €250 per class and the interactive workshop element lasts for 60 minutes. To book, contact Julie on 021 437 9111 or at julie@graffiti.ie. For more information, see www.graffiti.ie/workshops/creative-learning/the-voyage/

Draíocht 
Dates: 1-31 March 2022

To celebrate 25 years of World Book Day on March 3rd, Draíocht invites primary schools to this fun workshop which brings books to life.

Using themes of well-loved and known fairy-tales as a starting point, these workshops introduce students to the wonderful world of books through imaginative storytelling and fun collective group games. The workshops will explore ways of engaging the imagination, of thinking creatively, seeing, listening and expressing yourself through theatre games. Pupils will work together towards a common goal of creating a short performance based on stories they already know and giving them the opportunity to experience the creation of something from nothing!

The programme is offered on a first come first served basis and is restricted to schools within the Dublin 15 area. Cost per day €120. All materials are provided. Subject to artist availability, this subsidised workshop price is limited to two days per school.

Dates: 1-31 March 2022

Workshops can take place from 1-31 March 2022 on a date of your choosing. Closing date for Bookings is 11 March 2022. For further details please see www.draiocht.ie/whats-on/bringing-books-to-life

Minister Martin announces government decision to extend Creative Ireland, the culture and wellbeing programme that transforms people, places and communities through creativity. Committed to the vision that everyone should have the chance to realise their creative potential to the full, the innovative all-of-government culture and wellbeing programme will be extended, in principle, for five more years until 2027.

In 2017, Creative Ireland was launched as an all-of-government culture and wellbeing programme committed to the vision that every person should have the opportunity to realise their full creative potential. Established as a legacy initiative of the Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme, it is the only programme of its kind in the world.

The founding vision of the programme is that creativity must be at the heart of public policy and that participation in cultural and creative activity promotes the wellbeing of the individual, the community and the nation at large. Creative Ireland collaborates across government and with arts, community and voluntary organisations to deploy creativity as a strategy for wellbeing, social cohesion and economic success.

Alongside its very successful Creative Youth initiative, the programme’s Creative Communities partnership with the 31 local authorities, and their delivery of over 5,700 creative projects to date, has been key to enabling community-led nationwide engagement.

Minister Martin said:

“I warmly welcome the Government’s decision to implement the all-of-government Creative Ireland Programme for another five years, and to work with me in the coming months to develop its framework. This programme has been innovative and effective in delivering the opportunity for people to explore their creative potential. Key initiatives such as Cruinniú na nÓg and Creative Schools have become embedded in the country’s cultural infrastructure. New projects that respond to contemporary social issues such as climate action and loneliness have emerged. With the support of my Cabinet colleagues, I look forward to developing a Creative Ireland Programme that will continue to enhance people’s lives in the coming years.”

The Government’s decision in principle will be for the Creative Ireland Programme to continue for a further five years, encompassing the period 2023-2027, and to focus on the following areas:
I. Creative Youth;
II. Creative Communities;
III. Creative Industries;
IV. Creative Health and Wellbeing; and
V. Creative Climate Action and Sustainability.

It is anticipated that a final framework of Clár Éire Ildánach/Creative Ireland Programme 2023-2027 will be brought to Government for its final agreement in Autumn 2022 prior to its publication, launch and implementation on an all-of-government basis.

For more see www.creativeireland.gov.ie/en/news/creative-ireland-programme-extended-to-2027/

Mayo County Council Arts Service & Kids’ Own Publishing
Primary school resource

A Splash of Blue is a Schools Exhibition and classroom resource available on loan from Mayo County Council Arts Service to primary schools in County Mayo. The artworks in the exhibition are part of the Mayo County Council Collection and are by artists from or living in Mayo, or who had an exhibition in the county.

A Splash of Blue is an initiative of Mayo County Council Arts Service in collaboration with Kids’ Own Publishing and was developed to make the collection accessible to schools and show children how to explore artworks through looking, thinking, talking and responding in creative ways such as art, writing, music and more.

The collection and accompanying resource A Splash of Blue is available now to tour to schools in County Mayo. This booklet is jam packed with children’s thoughts and ideas on how to engage with the artworks in a fun way while they are at your school. So now you can become a creative explorer too and use this booklet to support you on your journey of discovery of the Schools Exhibition.

If you would like your school to become a creative explorer and to use ‘A Splash of Blue’ to support you on your journey of discovery of the Schools Exhibition, simply email mayoarts@mayococo.ie or call 09490 64666 to arrange a tour of the collection to your school.

For more information see: www.mayo.ie/arts/programme/youth-art/schools-exhibition

 

 

Solstice Arts Centre
Dates: 10:00 – 11:30 & 13:00-14:30, 16 February 2022

Solstice Arts Centre invites 1st – 6th class students to a guided tour and creative workshop using their latest exhibition ‘There is a forest in my backyard but my house is built from trees grown far away’ as a starting point.

Seeing architecture as a collaboration between humans and the environment, as co-organisms, WE ARE HERE will question if the structures we build can mimic how bees form their hives, a tree generates rings with each year, or a forest continually regenerates itself as a home for other organisms. Can a building be alive, breathing, growing, responsive, rather than something static and monumental? And what could this mean for the wellbeing of the people who use them and the wellbeing of our planet?

Following a tour of the exhibition, artist Anne Cradden will lead students through processes of experimentation with raw wood and plant products such as branches and twigs, as well as materials processed from wood and plants such as cardboard, paper, pulp forms, charcoal, MDF, wood chips and hessian. Thinking of building as a continually ongoing process rather than something with a predefined start and a final product, students will see what forms make-up their ideas before considering how humans can best use these structures. This workshop will touch on a broad range of cross-curricular topics including design, construction, mathematics, language, literacy, SESE, sustainability and co-operation.

Dates: 10:00 – 11:30 & 13:00-14:30, 16 February 2022

For more information and to book, see: solsticeartscentre.ie/event/we-are-here

Creativity and Change, Crawford College of Art & Design
Various dates

Creativity and Change Deep Dives are an opportunity for inspirational, intensive and in depth creative engagement over two days. Delivered by facilitators with specific expertise and experience, the programme is designed around the identified gaps and expressed interests of practitioners. Each creative workshop is a deep dive into a specific method that can be used to explore change-making, global citizenship and social justice.

These masterclasses explore a wide range of creative methods of storytelling, visual communication, podcasting, street art, drama and more. Masterclasses include:

1. The Story of Self with Clare Mulvany: Craft a compelling leadership story for social change
Sat 12th and Sun 13th of March
Cost €60

2. Visual Facilitation for Global Citizenship Education with Eimear Mc Nally
Sat 26th and Sun 27th March
Cost €60

3. Art + Activism = Artivism with Helen O Keeffe & Claire Coughlan
Sat 2nd and Sun 3rd April
Cost €60

4. Podcasting with Ainle ó Cairealláin from Rebel Matters Podcast
Sat 9th and Sun 10th April
Cost €60

5. Theatre of the Oppressed & Forum Theatre with Julian Boal
(Yes! That Boal!)
Friday 22nd, Saturday 23rd & Sunday 24th April
Cost €150

For more information on these creative workshops, see www.creativityandchange.ie/deep-dives/

Tipperary County Council Arts Office
Deadline: Friday 18 February 2022

Applications are now open for Tipperary Arts Office‘s Artist in Primary School Scheme 2022. The scheme provides funding to a professional artist of any discipline to work in a school for 50 hours on a project designed collaboratively between the school and the artist. The scheme provides opportunities for children to access and to engage with an artist and the language of creativity at an early age; and for schools and teachers to work collaboratively across curriculum areas.

Projects funded in 2022 must take place within the following timeframes: March – June 2022 or September–December 2022. This scheme is open to applications from all primary schools in Tipperary. Please note that schools that have been successful in their application for the scheme in 2020 and 2021 are ineligible to apply under the 2022 scheme. Artists must be Garda Vetted by the Arts Office before projects can commence.

The scheme is open to art projects in all art forms including visual arts, music, dance, drama, literature, film, photography, architecture and new media.

Deadline: Friday 18 February 2022

For more information, see www.tipperarycoco.ie/content/artist-primary-school-scheme-2022

The Playhouse 
Deadline: 5pm, Thursday 3 February 2022

The Playhouse is seeking an Education Officer. The Education Officer will work with the Head of Engagement and the wider Engagement Team to support learning and participation work in formal and informal settings and in the organisation’s role as an Open College Network Centre.

This is a part time role (2.5 days per week) in which you will help to ensure that The Playhouse develop pathways for people of all ages and abilities to engage in creative learning and participation.

The ideal candidate will be someone passionate about the value of education and motivated by engaging people in the learning that matters to them. You will understand and believe in a cultural democracy, in the value of the arts as part of our everyday lives and as a force for good in the world.

Deadline: 5pm, Thursday 3 February 2022

For more information on how to apply for the role of Education Officer, please see www.derryplayhouse.co.uk/vacancies

Bell Table 
Date: 12pm, 23 February 2022

Bell Table invites primary schools to ‘Science Magic Show’. Triple award-winning Irish comedian & scientist, Donal Vaughan, brings his hugely popular science and comedy show to Belltable this February. In Science Magic Show, using only things you find around the house, Donal will perform amazing tricks to show how magical science can be. Want to see a potato rocket launcher? Or conjure dragons breath? How about a vomiting unicorn? Of course you do.

Ticket price per student is €8. Book your school via box office only.

Date: 12pm, 23 February 2022

For more information, see limetreetheatre.ie/events/science-magic-show/

Linenhall Arts Centre
Date: 10:15am, Tuesday 22 February 2022

Linenhall Arts Centre invites your school to ‘Wire, Strings & Other Things’. This music performance encourages you to always be curious. To listen, respond to and communicate through the sounds, music and stories that are all around you – wherever you are and whoever you are with.

Meet Ed, Andrea and James, three totally different people with one thing in common – they are crazy about music and sound. Anything can happen as they find each other and start to invent music together. What stories will they share when, with your help, they explore the magic and mystery of how to compose, perform and improvise?

Perfect for all primary school classes, Wires, Strings and Other Things links in with the Listening and Responding strand units of the Music curriculum. It fosters a sense of excellence in and appreciation of new music. Through storytelling and composing, this show encourages an awareness and sensitivity to the inter-related elements of music and musical understanding. Experiencing this live music performance means children will see and hear outstanding musicians performing brand new music on a range of instruments including the viola, bass clarinet and improvised musical instruments made from a variety of objects.

Date: 10:15am, Tuesday 22 February 2022

Suitable for students ages 6 and up. Pre-booking essential.
For more information, see thelinenhall.ticketsolve.com/shows/873630591

Solstice Arts Centre
Available Online

Solstice Arts Centre are proud to present A-do-le-TA! This highly imaginative piece shows a day in the life of two friends. Joy and Sky are in a world where everything is possible – a tent can be a crab, an umbrella can be a cloud and the moon can sing! Through play, two friends overcome differences and together imagine, create and expand their reality and yours.

Enjoy a screening of the show in your classroom and continue the fun with their colourful and interactive AdoleTA! Play Packs. Each child/teacher will receive their own Play Pack with a link to a short video to watch after the show, where artist Selma Daniel demonstrates some of the fun activities for you to do. The activities include cutting out, sticking, movement and slow dance, all encouraging children to use their fine and gross motor skills.

The performance is based on the importance of play, especially free play during early childhood. It explores the fine line between the contemporary life, where electronic play has a huge role, and the natural instinctive play deep-rooted in human nature. Although digital media and technology have benefits, excessive use of electronic media can have a negative impact on wellbeing and mental health.

Available Online

Good internet access is required. A-do-le-TA! video is 45 minutes.
For bookings, further information and pricing, see solsticeartscentre.ie/event/a-do-le-ta-digital

Dublin City Council & RHA Gallery
Deadline: 12pm, 28 January 2022

Dublin City Council, in collaboration with and curated by RHA Gallery, invites submissions for its 3rd Visual Arts Exhibition Commission to be created for children, schools and families, which will be located in an exhibition room in Ballyfermot Library for 8-12 weeks in the Autumn of 2022. Dublin City Creative Hubs initiative, in collaboration with RHA, seeks to commission an engaging Visual Arts Exhibition for children that will stimulate both their curiosity and imagination and meets the following:

1. Provide children (both within and outside of school contexts) with a quality experience of Visual Arts.
2. Take cognisance of the library setting and the location of Ballyfermot.
3. Be appropriately cognisant of the needs, interests, real or imaginative lives of the target age group attending the Visual Arts Exhibition. (The age group identified can be jointly agreed between the Arts Office and the commission recipient(s) but must be under 12 years of age.
4. Be innovative in its approach and utilise the resources of its surroundings to deliver a quality artistic experience to its audience.
5. As part of the award, the successful candidate(s) will be expected to contribute to and help inform an engaging exhibition education and learning programme.

The Visual Art Exhibition Commission Award of €8500 is for research and delivery of commissioned works for exhibition. Technical support for installation will be provided by the RHA Gallery. A separate budget will be allocated for the associated education and learning programme that will take place with Primary School Children and family audiences across the 8 week term of the exhibition. This may involve additional artists as facilitators.

Deadline: 12pm, 28 January 2022

For more information, see mailchi.mp/dublincity/creative-hubs-1375478

Mother Tongues 
Date: 10-12:30, Friday 28 January 2022

Mother Tongues is offering an interactive online course ‘Bridging Language Barriers and Building Connection’. In this masterclass, participants will learn about linguistically and culturally responsive strategies that will help them to bridge language barriers and build connections in their work. During the session, participants will get to draft their own language strategy. This course is designed for individuals working in organisations that provide Artistic and Cultural experiences to the public.

Some of the topics covered will include:
– Understanding the types of language and communication barriers and challenges
– Identifying and addressing relevant language and communication barriers
– Building your own inclusive language and communication action plan

Date: 10-12:30, Friday 28 January 2022

About the training:
The course is delivered via Zoom. Participants will take part in group discussions and will be guided through the steps to build their inclusive language and communication plan. All participants receive a certificate of attendance. Cost: €150.

For more information, see discover.mothertongues.ie/shop/courses/bridging-language-barriers-and-building-connection/?mc_cid=dcb2794f78&mc_eid=8a08f8cb24

 

The Hunt Museum

Deadline: 4pm, January 26th 2022

The Hunt Museum are looking for a self-motivated, collaborative and efficient individual to take on the role of Public Engagement Coordinator for the ‘The Three Muses’ Joint Education programme. They will be required to consolidate, innovate and grow the reach and impact of this visual arts programme which engages primary school aged children from across Limerick with collections at the Hunt Museum, Limerick Museum and Limerick City Gallery of Art.

Are you excited by the unlimited potential the pooling of these collections offers for curriculum linked and creative learning with children? If you have excellent project management, facilitation and administration skills and enjoy working in a busy and creative environment, this role might well suit you. This contract is full time and for two years (subject to funding).

The Public Engagement Coordinator role has three key areas of responsibility:

The successful candidate will work across the three partner institutions and with primary schools from across Limerick. A priority area is engaging new schools who have not previously participated in the programme. Given the ongoing challenges presented by Covid 19, the successful candidate will be required to find new ways to deliver online and digital engagement with schools. On this basis, applications from those with excellent IT skills and some knowledge of gamification for learning and open-source learning are particularly welcomed.

Deadline: 4pm, January 26th 2022

For a full job description or to apply, see https://www.huntmuseum.com/about/opportunities/vacancies/three-muses-public-engagement-coordinator/

The Ark
Dates: 10.15am & 11.45am, 7 & 14 December 2021

The Ark invites you to two Early Years workshops this December.

Little Bird
10.15am & 11.45am, 7 December
In this workshop you’ll hear the tale of a hungry little Robin who needs your help. Learn how to make a special bird feeder for Robin and his friends to hang in your garden or window box. Further details and booking information here

Shadowlands
10.15am & 11.45am, 14 December 2021
Join artist Jane Groves and play in the light and the dark and all the shadows in between. Learn how to make a lantern to light your way. Create bright shiny stars to join our lonely star, and make the night sky dazzle and twinkle all night. Further details and booking information here.

Tickets cost €11.50/€9.50 per child with 20% off for members. These workshops are suitable for 2 – 4 year olds.

For more information, please visit www.theark.ie. 

National Gallery of Ireland
Date: 4pm, 2 February 2022

National Gallery of Ireland are delighted to announced their new online CPD workshop for teachers. Join Jennie Taylor, curator of the Zurich Young Portrait Prize, and Catherine O’Donnell, Education Officer, for a practical workshop, equipping you with tools and ideas for including portraiture in the classroom. The session will support teachers using their schools resource What is a Portrait?, and will include peer learning via group work to enable you to develop cross-curricular creative strategies.

Please note that this is an online CPD workshop via Zoom.

Date: 4pm, 2 February 2022

For more information see https://www.nationalgallery.ie/whats-on/online-cpd-teachers-portraiture

 

Watergate Theatre
Dates: 12pm, 2 December & 7pm, 3 December

‘A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings’ is Gabriel García Márquez’s darkly comic tale, brought to the stage in the Watergate Theatre, Kilkenny. Suitable for children aged 8+, the Watergate Theatre are offering special rates for school audiences.

In a kitchen, in a theatre, two storytellers and their audience find something remarkable — a very old man with enormous wings. The wise neighbour woman tells us he’s an angel. The priest says he’s an imposter. Pilgrims flock to see him, hoping to be healed by him, hoping for a gawp. They leave with something different than what they expected.

Adapted from Gabriel García Márquez’s ‘Un señor muy viejo con unas alas enormes’, Dan Colley and Riverbank Arts Centre bring this classic piece of magical realism to the stage in search of its beautiful, strange, emotional richness.

Dates: 12pm, 2 December & 7pm, 3 December

Watergate Theatre are offering schools a reduced rate of €8 per student and free for teachers. For more information, see https://watergatetheatre.ie/watergate_events/a-very-old-man-with-enormous-wings/ or contact boxoffice@watergatetheatre.com.

VISUAL Carlow
Dates: October 2021 – January 2022

The VISUAL Carlow invites primary, post-primary and third-level students to The Corona, an animated documentary film, interactive exhibition and series of guided workshops through the gallery, sharing the experiences of young people in their own voices during lockdown.

The Corona foregrounds the experiences of young people aged 3 – 24 in their own voices. The film shows the experience of lockdown from the perspective of children in early years settings, primary schools, afterschool care, young people from Comhairle na nÓg, early school leavers, third level students and children and young people with disabilities.

Schools can book facilitated, guided workshops through the galleries to view The Corona films, engage in facilitated conversation about their experience of the COVID-19 pandemic and contribute their drawings and reflections to the archive of children’s experiences of the pandemic.

Dates: October 2021 – January 2022
Times: Tuesday 10:00 – 11:30 & 12:30 – 14:00, Wednesday 10:00 – 11:30, Thursday 10:00 – 11:30 & 12:30 – 14:00
Cost €50 per group.

If cost is an issue for your school please contact learning@visualcarlow.ie Schools can also come to the gallery any time during opening hours and do a self-guided free visit to the exhibition. Self-guided tours are free but must be booked through boxoffice@visualcarlow.ie or by calling 059 917 2400.

For more information, see visualcarlow.ie/whats-on/the-corona-schools-workshops

Fighting Words
Deadline: 5pm, 22 December 2021 

Fighting Words invite submissions from post-primary students for its annual Fighting Words supplement in The Irish Times. They are looking for short pieces of fiction on any theme – as Béarla agus as Gaeilge. Young people may submit one prose submission or two poems for consideration. The maximum word count is 1,500 words.

Fighting Words aim is to help children and young people, and adults who did not have this opportunity as children, to discover and harness the power of their own imaginations and creative writing skills. It is about using the creative practice of writing and storytelling to strengthen children and teenagers – from a wide range of backgrounds – to be resilient, creative and successful shapers of their own lives.

Every year, Fighting Words publishes a magazine of exciting new writing by young people from all over Ireland. While the magazine will be predominantly short fiction, if anyone is working on monologues, scripts, poems, comics etc. they are welcome to be submitted, as are extracts from longer pieces. All work submitted will be considered.

Deadline: 5pm, 22 December 2021 

For more information see: www.fightingwords.ie/news/call-submissions-irish-times-supplement-2022

Solstice Arts Centre
Dates: Various times and dates available

Solstice Arts Centre invites schools to explore 3 artworks in their Surveyor exhibition from the comfort of their own classroom. Their learning and engagement coordinator Deirdre Rogers, will use Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) to expand students thoughts on ‘what’s going on in these artworks’. Encouraging peer to peer discussion, this is an opportunity for students to focus and reflect on multiple perspectives, enhancing engagement and enjoyment of learning through art. Students will learn about the artists who created the works explored in their VTS discussion, and may even be inspired to create artworks of their own!

These online school tours are free of charge. They are suitable for students from 2nd – 6th class and students of all ages at post-primary level. The tour and conversations can take place during an in-person visit to the gallery or over Zoom. Good classroom internet access is required if you prefer to attend through Zoom.

Dates: Various times and dates available, please enquire with you preferred date & time.

For more information see: solsticeartscentre.ie/event/online-school-gallery-tours-using-vts or contact Deirdre at deirdre.rogers@solsticeartscentre.ie

Poetry Ireland
Deadline: 5:30pm Friday 31 December 2021

Poetry Ireland are inviting applications from primary and post-primary schools for their Writers in Schools scheme this Autumn 2021. The Writers in Schools scheme part-funds visits by writers and storytellers to primary and post-primary schools in the Republic of Ireland (funded by The Arts Council) and Northern Ireland (funded by Arts Council Northern Ireland).

Writers in Schools visits are available with a range of artists including poets, novelists, storytellers, teen fiction writers, children’s writers and screenwriters. In-person visits are consist of 2–2.5 hours with a selected writer, which can be divided into shorter sessions for different class group. For the duration of the Covid-19 restrictions, Writers in Schools will also be supporting virtual visits by writers. These virtual visits will be one hour in duration and can be split into a maximum of 2 sessions.

Poetry Ireland recommend that schools submit their application as early as possible, as they generally operate on a first-come-first-served basis and unfortunately cannot accommodate every request.

Deadline: 5:30pm Friday 31 December 2021

For more information, see www.poetryireland.ie/education/writers-in-schools.

 

Cork International Film Festival
Dates: 8 – 11 November 2021

Cork International Film Festival presents five excellent films in this year’s Schools Programme. These specially selected titles are aimed at Leaving Cert students of French, German and Spanish. Presented in association with the Irish Film Institute Education Department, these films will be screened at the Gate Cinemas in Cork, Midleton and Mallow from 8 – 11 November.

Leaving Cert French titles include Gagarine by Fanny Liatard and Jérémy Trouilh, suitable for ages 12 and over; and Petit Pays by Eric Barbier, suitable for ages 15 and over. Leaving Cert German titles include Nachtwald by Andre Hörmann, suitable for ages 15 and over; and Cleo by Erik Schmitt for ages 13 and over. For Leaving Cert Spanish students, the Festival will screen Los Lobos by Samuel Kishi, a Mexican film suitable for ages 12 and over. Tickets are €6 per student and accompanying teachers go free.

Dates: 8 – 11 November 2021

For more information, email schools@corkfilmfest.org or see corkfilmfest.org/ciff-announces-family-schools-programme-intinn-and-journalism-workshop-as-part-of-its-2021-festival/.

The Ark
Date: 10.15am & 11.45am, 30 November 2021 

The Ark invites you to their early years workshop ‘Fallen Forest’ with artist Jane Groves. In the Fallen Forest all the trees have lost their leaves and the branches are bare. But nature is only sleeping: little seeds and big roots are buried deep down within the earth, resting through the cold winter so they’re ready to emerge in spring. Come explore the Fallen Forest with your grown up, discover all the colours and patterns of the forest. Make marks and curious designs with the fallen leaves, create your own squiggly roots and come dig for hidden seed treasure!

Artist Jane Groves loves to connect people, places, and landscapes and specialises in working with young people, inspired by her own observations of nature and informed in part by many children’s lack of interaction with and vocabulary about the natural world.

Tickets cost €11.50/€9.50 per child with 20% off for members. This workshop is suitable for 2 – 4 year olds.

Date: 10.15am & 11.45am, 30 November 2021 

For more information, please visit ark.ie/events/view/early-years-workshop-fallen-forest

 

Music Generation
Deadline: 12 noon, 8 November 2021

Kilkenny and Carlow Education and Training Board (KCETB) invite applications for the position of Music Generation Development Officer in Kilkenny. This post is a five year fixed term contract. As the lead partner for Kilkenny Local Music Education Partnership, KCETB seeks to employ a Music Generation Development Officer to implement its plans for the provision of performance music education for children and young people in Co. Kilkenny.

Deadline: 12 noon, 8 November 2021

Application form and further details are available from kilkennycarlow.etb.ie/vacancies-2/musicgenerationdevelopmentofficer/. Late applications will not be accepted.

 

Branar Téatar do Pháistí
Dates: 29 November – 10 December 2021

Branar, in association with Town Hall Theatre, are delighted to present a new film version of their acclaimed production of How to Catch a Star by Oliver Jeffers. Partnering with 24 venues across Ireland, all schools will have the opportunity to experience this unique and well-loved story.
Based on the beloved book, this film will be available to stream to classrooms throughout the country for a limited period.  Schools can book to receive access to the filmed production for a full week and receive access to a dedicated online educational resource pack for pre- and post-engagement.

This adaptation combines an original score by Colm Mac Con Iomaire, puppetry by Grace Kiely and Neasa Ní Chuanaigh, directed by Marc Mac Lochlainn with design by Maeve Clancy. Branar’s signature storytelling creates a show which reminds us all to follow our dreams.

Dates: 29 November – 10 December 2021

For more information, see www.branar.ie/htcas-schools

Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership
Deadline: 5pm Monday 1 November 2021

Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership seeks an experienced individual to lead on the delivery of their collaborative projects with children from late November 2021 to mid–June 2022. They are a national children’s arts organisation and publishing house, whose mission is to create opportunities for children to collaborate with artists, and to publish and promote the artwork and insights that emerge from these encounters.

The Project Manager will have a base at the office of Kids’ Own Sligo town, but will work both remotely and on-site. Some travel may be required as part of this role. The Project Manager will report to the CEO, and will work closely with our small team to support the delivery of our strategic aims. The role is a full-time post, based on a fixed-term contract to cover maternity leave.

Salary is pro-rata, based on an annual remuneration of €32,000.

Deadline: 5pm Monday 1 November 2021

For a full description, see kidsown.ie/kids-own-seeks-experienced-project-manager-maternity-cover/

Imagine Arts Festival
Dates: 15 – 24 October 2021
Imagine Arts Festival is a unique celebration of the arts in Waterford City. Now in its 20th year Imagine features live performances, exhibitions and interactive performances for people of all ages, including dance, film, visual art, theatre, spoken word and literature, as well as classical, contemporary and traditional music.

Below are some highlights for children and young people:

Theatre:
The Little Robber Girl
18 – 22 October
A limited audio drama series for children with accompanying posted pack, written and directed by Deirdre Dwyer. The school’s ticket includes a digital teacher’s pack with curriculum-related activities. Join Mattie, her little dog Arthur, and her new friend Finn as they go in search of Mattie’s missing Mammy…and return with much more than buried treasure. Let the listening adventure begin!

School’s Ticket – €50 (limited edition; includes a digital teacher’s pack with curriculum-related activities)

Multimedia art:
Creative Cluster exhibition
15 – 24 October
Under the theme of ‘Horizons’, five Post-Primary Schools in Waterford, supported by Creative Ireland, have come together to form an innovative ‘creative cluster’ aimed at student participation in the arts. This exhibition will feature creative writing, photography and visual art from the Transition Year students of 2020/2021 of Abbey Community College, Ardscoil na Mara, De La Salle College, Our Lady of Mercy School and St Angela’s Secondary School.

Workshops:
Body Percussion workshop for 8 – 10 year olds
23 October 
Join Karen from Mini Musos in this FUN and engaging body percussion workshop that uses the body as the instrument to create interesting and creative sounds, through pulse and rhythmic coordination.  The workshop will engage memory & sequencing skills as well as promote the use of music as a means of encouraging well-being especially in todays ‘new’ world. By the end of the session the children should be able to perform a short body percussive piece for their friends and families!

Leaflings with Niamh Sharkey and Owen Churcher
24 October
A Field Guide to Leaflings, a family event with former Laureate no nÓg Niamh Sharkey and Owen Churcher. Welcome to the world of Leaflings, the secret guardians of the trees. Among the branches and roots of some of our planet’s most important inhabitants, live the leaflings. These tiny creatures protect trees and help manage their interactions, their cycles and tell their stories.

For more information and to see the full programme, visit www.imagineartsfestival.com/index.php/whats-21

 

Baboró International Arts Festival for Children
Dates: 4 – 17 October 2021

Baboró International Arts Festival for Children are delighted to launch their Digital Delegate Pass. With a Digital Delegate Pass you will have access to a variety of talks and online work created by some of the finest makers of children’s art and theatre and a series of talks with artists, sector and academic leaders. For their 25th festival, Baboró will be celebrating the rights of the child with a strand of events and performances dedicated to giving children a platform for their voice to be heard, a space for expression and, of course, a festival experience to be enjoyed with family and friends.

For the duration of the festival, Digital Delegates will have access to:

Six Digital Talks

Six Filmed Performances & Exhibitions

Three Podcast Series

Dates: 4 – 17 October 2021

For more information on Baboró’s Digital Delegate Programme see: www.baboro.ie/festival/programme/digital-delegate

 

Music Generation
Deadline: 5pm Tuesday 5 October 2021

Music Generation is seeking to recruit a Quality Support & Development Manager as it builds towards its aim of nationwide expansion by 2022. This is an exciting job opportunity for a skilled professional with expertise in and a demonstrable track record of delivering results and achievement in music, education development and management. Reporting to the Head of Quality, Support and Development, the successful candidate will join a growing team focused on providing strategic support for the implementation of its Quality Strategy with its network of Local Music Education Partnerships.

Music Generation is Ireland’s National Music Education Programme which helps children and young people access performance music education in their local area. Music Generation has been successfully established in 25 cities and counties in Ireland. It has created some 67,000 opportunities for children and young people to engage in music tuition annually.

This position will be offered initially as an 18 month fixed-term contract commencing in January 2022. The Music Generation National Development Office is located in Dublin city centre; this job may be performed onsite or through a hybrid working arrangement.

Deadline: 5pm Tuesday 5 October 2021

For more information on this job opportunity, see www.musicgeneration.ie/news/job-opportunities-at-music-generation For further information, contact Conor Harty at mgrecruit@hartyvirtualhr.ie; or on 086-2406651.

The National Gallery of Ireland
Date: Wednesday 24 November 2021, 4 – 5.30pm

The National Gallery of Ireland is delighted to announce a Teachers’ CPD workshop in photography. Join photographer Brian Cregan and Education Officer Catherine O’Donnell for a practical workshop, equipping you with tools and ideas for photography in the classroom. The session will support teachers using their schools resource Medium, Materiality and Magic: Photography at the Gallery. It will also include peer learning via group work to enable you to develop cross-curricular creative strategies.

The National Gallery of Ireland’s Teachers’ CPD programme is designed to support teaching and learning through and about art, via collaborative networking.

Date: Wednesday 24 November 2021, 4 – 5.30pm

This is a free event but booking is required. To book, see www.nationalgallery.ie/explore-and-learn/schools/teacher-network-and-cpd. This event will take place via Zoom.

 

The National Gallery of Ireland
Deadline: 5pm, 17 Sept 2021

National Gallery of Ireland is thrilled to announce Your Gallery at School, along with the return of lots of new programmes, resources and opportunities, including the return of onsite school visits, digital sessions and teacher CPD. They are inviting post-primary schools to apply to participate in Your Gallery at School, a new holistic outreach programme that brings the Gallery directly to schools. This project builds on the success of the Gallery’s established schools programme and develops new content and partnerships outside of the Gallery walls.

Your Gallery at School aims to break down the barriers that prevent engagement with the arts through holistic programming that ensures children transition to adulthood equipped with the life-changing benefits of art. It also aims to build in students a sense of ownership of the Gallery, giving they a positive place to turn to in adulthood. Engagement occurs in three key strands: learning through and about art, wellbeing, and creative careers.

How to apply
Download and complete the short application form and email it to tours@ngi.ie. Please note that only schools who have not visited the National Gallery of Ireland in the past three years are eligible to apply. They will let you know if your application has been successful by Monday 4 October.

Deadline: 5pm, 17 Sept 2021

For more information or to apply, see www.nationalgallery.ie/explore-and-learn/schools/your-gallery-school

For more information on their onsite and digital school visits, see www.nationalgallery.ie/explore-and-learn/schools/schools-programme-autumn-2021

Crawford College of Art & Design
Deadline extended

The Arts in Group Facilitation Certificate (Level 8, 10 credits) at Crawford College of Art & Design focuses on the practical skills of planning and running creative workshops with groups in a range of non—formal contexts. Participants learn these skills through experiential learning processes, taking part in visual arts, drama, dance and music workshops and reflecting on the experience. The focus is on acknowledging the individual within learning, recognising the importance of play and the need for learning to be engaging. There is a strong emphasis on engaging with diversity and learning to adapt a range of arts approaches to meet the varying needs within a group.

The programme will be delivered through blended learning, involving face to face experiential learning and online learning. The face to face learning is being designed to maximise the potential of creative learning in outdoor environments. Crawford College of Art & Design are adapting to Covid—19 restriction and see the potential of learning in outdoor environments for participants in the programme and for those participants may work with in the future. They are inviting participants to join them with a bicycle to access outdoor learning environments.

The course will provide skills face to face in working in physical workshops, classes, centres as well as facilitation creative engagement online.

For more information, see https://www.cit.ie/course/CRAGRPA8 or contact helen.okeeffe@mtu.ie.

Culture Night
Date: Friday 17 September 2021

The sixteenth edition of Culture Night will take place on Friday 17 September 2021. Culture Night / Oíche Chultúir celebrates all that makes up the richness and diversity of culture in Ireland today, connecting people to cultural activities locally and nationally and aims to open up pathways to ongoing engagement. Doors are opened late and special and unique events are specifically programmed at participating locations.  All activities are free of charge, thanks to the continued support of the Arts Council and Local Authorities across the island of Ireland.

Here are a selection of family friendly events taking place for Culture Night:

Cork:
Pitch’d Circus and Street Arts Festival 
Time: 6pm – 10pm
The event is a space for friends to catch up, stand awestruck at acrobats flipping and tumbling, or even a place to scratch your head at some silly walkabout characters. Features pop-up performances of Tumble Circus’ “Cycle Circus” and Tom Campbell’s “Rubbish Performance”.

Dublin
Interactive Museum of Languages for Children
Time: 4pm – 8pm
Visit Mother Tongues’ touring Interactive Museum of Languages for Young Audiences in Rua Red. Since 2017, Mother Languages has promoted multilingualism in Ireland. Through artwork, sculptures, and spaces, the exhibit creatively encourages children to interact with different letters and alphabets across languages. This fun, immersive experience promotes both creativity and linguistic/cultural diversity.

Online
Sundown Circus
Event Times: 7.30, 9.30, 10.30
Erebidae Circus preforms an intimate and enchanting circus show with Irish mythology, original music, fire dancing and aerial circus spectacle. They will have three special online performances about three ancient fires: The Fire of the Hearth, The Fire of the Forge, and The Fire of Inspiration.

Zoom Book Clinic with Children’s Books Ireland and Hodges Figgis
Time: 4pm – 6pm
Are you a young reader? Looking for a new series to delve into? Feeling uninspired by your bookshelves at home? Then pop into the virtual Children’s Books Ireland Book Clinic with Hodges Figgis! Chat to the Book Doctor, consult on your favourite reads and leave with a prescription for your next book, as well as a 10% off book voucher.

Live Online Workshop for Teens: Kabuki Actors
Time: 6pm – 7pm
Inspired by the Kabuki theatre, join the Chester Beatty Library and create your very own puppet dressed to dance and entertain. Bring your theatrical creature to life with glamorous costume and heavy make-up of the Kabuki world.

Date: Friday 17 September 2021

See culturenight.ie for more information on events and activities in your local area.

 

 

 

 

Cork County Library and Arts Service
Deadline: Midnight 29 August 2021

Cork County Library and Arts Service is inviting visual artists, designers and craftspeople to apply for role of facilitators for Frameworks, its 2021 – 2022 Art Collection in Schools Scheme. Six primary schools across County Cork will be participating in the scheme.

The purpose of Frameworks is to:

Cork County Council has a substantial collection of visual art. This civic collection includes works in various media including, painting, drawing, print, photography, video and small scale 3—dimensional work. These artworks were created by emerging and established artists, many of who are living and working in Cork county.

Facilitators will engage with a primary school class for four 2-hour sessions, working with five artworks from the Cork County Collection as their starting point. The artworks will be installed in schools for the academic year 2021— 2022. The art facilitators will create and deliver an engagement plan specific to the artworks and context of the class. This plan should take into consideration the age of the class and other contexts such as geographic, historic or environmental factors.

Deadline: Midnight 29 August 2021

Artists will be paid a fee for these engagements, plus travel costs. A materials budget will be made available to each participating
school.

For more information or to apply, see www.yourcouncil.ie/service/Frameworks___Call_for_Artists

The Ark and Dublin Theatre Festival
Dates: 1 – 10 October, 2021

The Ark and Dublin Theatre Festival present a new show by The Ark Artist-in-Residence, Shaun Dunne. This children’s theatre piece offers a window into one child’s experience of the first lockdown of 2020.

Kyla is throwing a party on her street. Not just any party. It’s a graduation ceremony. It’ll be mad to see the kids from her old class again after so long. Summer 2020 was literally endless.

Now that they’re all in first year, Kyla wants to get the old gang back together. She’s made caps, she has gowns, and she’s even prepared a speech. But there’s one visitor she’s not expecting…

As Kyla attempts to mark an important milestone in her young life, can she and her mother learn to understand each other and bridge the divide left by lockdown?

Informed by collaborative work with The Ark Children’s Council and featuring choreography by the multi-award winning Junk Ensemble, What Did I Miss? is a story of both childhood and parenthood, about growing up, no matter what age you are.

For ages 10+

Dates: 1 & 2 October, 7pm; 3 & 10 October, 2pm & 4pm; 8 & 9 October, 7pm
Tickets: €7.50–€10

To book a ticket for this children’s theatre show, see dublintheatrefestival.ie/programme/event/what-did-i-miss-2

Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership
Deadline: Friday 3 September, 2021

Kids’ Own is seeking an Education Advisor to develop and expand their links with teachers, schools, and academics in teaching and learning over a nine-month period from October 2021. The Education Advisor is a brand new fixed-term role that aims to support Kids’ Own by building new audiences through outreach to schools. The Advisor will also build on the increased interest of teachers, academics, and educational bodies in their work. They will develop new connections with all of the above to ensure Kids’ Own’s work remains linked with sectoral developments.

The Education Advisor will primarily:

1) build links between Kids’ Own and schools, teachers, and teacher training colleges
2) conduct focus groups to understand the links between our books and the current and incoming primary school curriculum
3) make connections with governmental educational bodies
4) advocate for the use of Kids’ Own books within the classroom to demonstrate the value of greater representation of children’s voices and lived experience within the curriculum and the books children encounter in school.

Qualifications and experience needed:

Deadline: Friday 3rd September, 2021

To apply, please send a detailed cover letter expressing your interest and suitability for the role, along with a CV to staff@kidsown.ie. Please include a document that outlines ideas you have for how you may approach this role. This should include a breakdown of costings according to the fee that is being offered. There is a set fee of €10,000 offered for this role to take place between October 2021 and July 2022. This is primarily to cover the Education Advisor’s fee, but must also cover any other anticipated expenses, e.g. travel costs, materials etc.

For more information, see kidsown.ie/education-advisor-job-with-kids-own-publishing/

 

Dublin Fringe Festival
11-26 September

The Dublin Fringe Festival takes place this September with live events in venues across Dublin and online nationwide. Their programme features an outdoor visual art in Dublin 8 and secret locations city-wide, as well as live open-air performances at Dublin Castle and Grand Canal Dock. They will be hosting music and comedy gigs back in beloved venues. Whilst bringing cutting edge interdisciplinary performances to stages in The Abbey Theatre, Project Arts Centre, Smock Alley, Chapel Royal and Draíocht Blanchardstown – as well as events online.

Some of the highlights for children and young people include:

Dublin 8, Yer Lookin’ Great
11-26 September
Free

Emmalene Blake is an internationally recognised street artist based in Dublin. This September, she will create a new mural on Swift’s Alley, inspired by the ideas of children from that neighbourhood. Cities change and grow to suit the people who live in them. The artist asked children from local schools to tell her what makes Dublin 8 great. Children also shared the positive changes in the area that have made life better for them and their friends.

For more information, see www.fringefest.com/festival/whats-on/dublin-8-yer-lookin-great

The Veiled Ones
Dates: 7pm on 10, 11, 12 & 13 Sept; 4pm on 10 & 13 Sept; 12 noon on 11 & 12 Sept
Tickets: €12/€8

Junk Ensemble present a dance theatre production for young audiences. This show explores witches, transformations and the powerful relationship between a grandparent and grandchild. The audience are invited on an intriguing journey through intricately designed rooms with a cast of internationally acclaimed dancers, young performers and live musicians.

To book, see www.fringefest.com/festival/whats-on/the-veiled-ones

 

Baboró International Arts Festival for Children
October 4 — 17, 2021

For their 25th Arts Festival for Children, Baboró will be celebrating the rights of the child, inspired by the UN Convention on the Rights of The Child. The arts festival will have strands of events and performances dedicated to giving children a platform for their voice to be heard, a space for expression and, of course, a festival experience to be enjoyed with family and friends.

Two Baboró commissions, a co-commission and a touring exhibition, will be central to these celebrations and part of the festival programme in October. The full programme and box office will be announced at the end of August.

Dates: October 4 — 17, 2021

For more information on Baboró’s festival, see www.baboro.ie/news-events/celebrating-our-25th-festival

 

The Glucksman
Free online art toolkits

The Glucksman has released a series of online art toolkits suitable for primary and secondary students. Organised around key themes, their free art toolkits enable you to explore works in the UCC Art Collection. Whether you are an educator, activist, student or individual art lover, these online toolkits are full of ideas and information to support you and your community.

The toolkits focus on the work of Irish artists Fiona Kelly, Deirdre Breen and The Project Twins. Fiona Kelly’s work has a strong environmental interest and
focuses on ideas of urban sprawl and its impact on the Irish landscape and its traditions. Deirdre Breen is a printmaker and designer who makes screen
prints characterized by flat abstract motifs and geometric compositions. The Project Twins, a Cork based collaborative art duo, create bold and playful graphics which explore ideas of absurdity, identity and the mundane.

To download this art toolkit, see www.glucksman.org/discover/digital/toolkits

Based in Cork, The Glucksman is a leading museum nationally and internationally for creative learning and access to the visual arts.  For more information about the toolkit, get email education@glucksman.org.

Ireland’s National School Photography Awards
Finalist Mini Expo now online

Ireland’s National School Photography Awards (INSPA) are delighted to launch their Finalist Mini-Expo online. The theme for this year’s National School Photography Awards was Accessible Places | Safer Spaces. A national panel of judges have made the selections from a wide range of entries from primary schools around Ireland. The exhibition is open until October 2021 at INSPA’s online gallery.

The INSPA team would like to take this opportunity to congratulate every primary school who participated in the 2020/21 National School Photography Awards. Through photography, INSPA introduces creative wellbeing into the lives of primary schools, while building a future generation of people who are confident, resilient, connected, kind and ready. This programme provides an inclusive model for children of all backgrounds and abilities to get involved.

The awards are free and offer a range of fantastic prizes including experiences at the Amber Springs Hotel for principals, teachers, pupils and families, cameras for winners and schools, framed photographs, certificates, photo fundraising days and national recognition as a Positive Primary School. To date, INSPA has seen over 450 primary schools register and take their first step on their Positive Primaries Journey.

To view the free online exhibition of photograph, see www.inspa.ie/inspa-enter-exhibition

If your school would like to begin its own journey and participate in the 2021/22 awards, you can register your school at the INSPA website.

The Ark
Dates: 5 Aug 2021, 14 Aug 2021 and more

The Ark, Dublin are hosting a series of art workshops for Early Years this summer.

Dates: 5 Aug 2021, 14 Aug 2021 and more

For more information or to book these Early Years art workshops, see ark.ie/events. For safety reasons, a parent or grown-up should be present in the room throughout the session, and if necessary be available to assist your child.

 

The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon
Deadline: 5:30pm, 19 August 2021

The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon has opened applications for their Young People, Children and Education Project Award 2022 (YPCE). The purpose of the YPCE Project Award is to support artists to develop and deliver ambitious and original projects with and for children and young people. Projects may be interdisciplinary or focused on a specific artform. The maximum award is for €80,000.

This award has four strands. You should choose the strand that is most suitable for your project proposal. You may only apply to one strand:

Deadline: 5:30pm, 19 August 2021

For more information or to apply for this award, see www.artscouncil.ie/Funds/Young-People,-Children-and-Education-Project-Award/.

Coole Music & Arts
Until 26th July 2021

Coole Music & Arts have launched the Carolan’s Rambles Sound Walk, a unique geolocated audio experience along the banks of the Gort River Walk. This audio experience is the creative outcome of Coole Music and Arts’ music school, where musician Sinead Hayes worked with children and teens via Zoom. In this project, the participants explored the life of Turlough Carolan – a composer and musician who preformed across Connaught, Clare and south Ulster in the 1700s – creating artwork, stories, poems and original music compositions over the past three months.

The free ‘Geo-located Sound Walk’ is the first one in Ireland to use this newly launched sonic maps software, is available until 26th July 2021 along the River Walk in Gort (entrance beside Aldi). Bring headphones and a smart phone and hold your camera over the QR code on the Carolan’s Rambles poster or download the App through www.coole-music.com.

An e-book containing 19 original musical compositions composed by the children is available to download from their website here: https://www.coole-music.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Carolans-Rambles-Tune-Book-Draft-4-1.pdf. For more information on the project, see https://www.coole-music.com/ or contact Ellie Farrell at info@coole-music.com.

Dublin City Council Arts Service
Throughout summer 2021

Over seven weeks of Summer, Dublin City Arts Office and Libraries are delighted to present Inside Out – a feast of free online and outdoor workshops and performances for children and families. Events are free but booking is required through Eventbrite.

Summer Programme includes:

Underwater Moves: Early Years Dance workshops with Monica Munoz
Dates: 27th July, 28th July or 29th July, 10.15 – 10.45 or 11.45 – 12.15

The Storybook Treasure Trail: Performance based, interactive, outdoor family friendly adventure with the Gaiety School of Acting
Dates: 24th July, 7th August, 14th August, 11-11.45am, 12.45-1.30pm or 2.30-3.15pm

CuriousB: A pop-up festival site that you and your family will dream up, design and play in with ReCreate.
Dates: 4th August, 11th August, 10.15 – 11.00 & 12:00 – 12: 45

Throughout summer 2021

For the full line-up of workshops and performances, see here: Inside_Out_Arts_and_Libraries_Summer_2021.pdf

Events are free but booking is required. Capacity is limited to ensure that this is a good experience for children. To book workshops, see here: www.dublincity.ie/events.

Centre for Continuing Education
Dates: 19 July – 9 August

The Centre for Continuing Education at NCAD offers a range of short summer courses in art and design for adults and school leavers (16+) who want to explore their creative potential, learn new skills, or develop an on-going practice.

Summer courses are at different levels; there are introductory courses suitable for beginners, or for those considering returning to or progressing within higher education. If you want to learn something new you can choose beginners courses, and if you have established an arts practice and want to continue to expand and explore your options you can choose advanced courses.

Portfolio preparation courses are suitable for students considering applying to third level undergraduate art and design courses and wish to complete a portfolio in preparation.

Where students are interested in applying to the accredited part-time autumn options or want to progress within art and design they can consider taking one or more summer workshops as a way of developing skills and knowledge in a subject area.

Places on summer short courses are allocated on a first come first served basis. If a course is over-subscribed it is possible to join a wait list for cancellations.

Dates: 19 July – 9 August

For more information, see https://www.ncad.ie/continuing-education/cead-apply/summer-course-descriptions/

National Museum of Ireland
Deadline: 30th July 2021

The Education Department of the National Museum of Ireland is looking for artists working in visual arts, design, drama, film, storytelling, architecture, craft and/or other arts disciplines with experience of designing and delivering workshops to meet the learning styles and needs of a range of audiences, including adults, schools and intergenerational groups such as families.

While currently prioritising online engagement programmes, the National Museum of Ireland are inviting facilitators who are interested in creating both online content and in facilitating onsite programmes. Those eligible will have experience in the delivery of digital-based content in a virtual capacity and should be comfortable operating digital based equipment and programmes.

Facilitators and artists who register their interest in working with the Museum may be invited to work with them, at one or more of its four sites, and/or to create one or more short videos or participate in the Museum’s public engagement programmes through live online or onsite workshops or talks.

Any queries can be directed to bookings@museum.ie.

Deadline: 30th July 2021

The Gaiety School of Acting

Despite the fact that scientific developments permeate and enrich the lives of young people on a daily, or even hourly basis, studies across Europe are identifying pockets of this demographic that are struggling to relate to and engage with the science curriculum in the classroom. According to Science Foundation Ireland’s 2015 Science Barometer report, young women from less affluent backgrounds are less inclined to identify with science education at second level. This has a direct impact on the number of students from this demographic advancing to third level and ultimately working within the field.

Drilling down further into the statistics, researchers have found that young women from a cultural minority background or who identify as LGBTQIAP+ are even less likely to develop a positive scientific identity, meaning a far reduced number of people from these societal groups tend to aspire to careers in science.

With the aim to address these gaps in science engagement, The Gaiety School of Acting has teamed up with partners from Ireland, Finland, Poland and Holland to investigate ways in which performance, and specifically comedy improvisation, can be utilised by science educators to impact on their students in a new and dynamic way. The three year I-Stem  project, supported by the Erasmus Plus fund, began on September 1st 2020.

In its first publication ‘Creative Methods in Science Teaching – Ways Forward!’ an e-book resource for teachers, STEM subjects are related to arts. Use of arts in education tell us something about society: our educational systems and its angles of entry are creating the scientists of tomorrow. The combination of arts and science gives us a better starting point to develop our full potential which is needed when creating something new.

The publication has a preface video from Dr. Niamh Shaw, to view go to istem-project.eu/e-book/

This publication presents research and best practices of using arts as a means of improving pedagogy and classroom practice in STEM education. In these pages “STEAM” represents STEM plus the arts–humanities, language arts, dance, drama, music, visual arts, design and new media. It draws on theoretical understandings of arts in STEM disciplines to illustrate how researchers and practitioners are using creative initiatives to promote inclusive teaching approaches.

The e-book is aimed at post-primary school teachers who are currently using arts within their teaching practice or have an interest in doing so in the future. Examples of STEAM teaching in Poland, the Netherlands, Ireland and Finland are given. It is not intended to provide a fully comprehensive exploration of all aspects of arts in STEM disciplines. The I-Stem Project acknowledges the necessary limitations of this resource, but trusts that it will serve its purpose of guiding you through the main relevant concepts, and that it will give you insights and inspiration for your teaching.

To download the resource go to istem-project.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/I-STEM_e-book.pdf

Music Generation Clare
Deadline: 12noon, 9 July 2021 

Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board invites applications for the five year, fixed-term position of Music Generation Development Officer in Co Clare. The Music Generation Development Officer will be responsible for managing a programme of performance music education on behalf of County Clare Local Music Education Partnership.

The successful candidate will have a broad understanding of the diversity of effective, contemporary approaches across the diversity of performance music education – and will have the skills and experience to develop a programme that responds to the specific needs of children and young people.

Music Generation Clare is part of Music Generation – Ireland’s national music education programme, which is co-funded by U2, The Ireland Funds, the Department of Education and Local Music Education Partnerships.

Deadline: 12noon, 9th July 2021 

Application form and full job description are available at www.lcetb.ie/mgce/ Completed application forms should be emailed to recruitment@lcetb.ie. Please indicate in the subject line of your e-mail “Ref Number 21/12″.

Visual Artists’ Ireland
Dates: Ongoing

VAI is updating their research into the real impact and experience of the Artists’ Payments Guidelines. They have created a carefully edited questionnaire to capture the information that they need to continue their advocacy work in that area. They want to know about artists working at all levels of experience, and especially to know about artists who may not have generated an income from their practice during 2019 or 2020.

They are also asking organisations questions about their experience of the Guidelines and looking at their realities. They believe that it is important to get both sides of the story, and to understand those who have effectively implemented payment policies as well as those who have yet to do so, as well as the barriers that they may experience in their efforts to support artists.

Visual Artists Ireland is the Representative body for professional visual artists in Ireland.

To fill in the 5 minute survey, see here: https://visualartists.ie/vai-survey-on-artists-payments-and-workplace/

Chamber Choir Ireland
Deadline: 5pm, 24 June, 2021

This July, a group of aspiring composers age 15-18 will have the opportunity to work remotely with professional composers and singers to create their own Choral Postcards—short pieces of music written for four-part choir, in a joint project with Chamber Choir Ireland and the Contemporary Music Centre.

All sessions will be held via Zoom and it is free to participate.

To apply, please send the following to education@chamberchoirireland.com:
1. Any examples of music you’ve written, either for choir or any other instrument/combination of instruments
2. A note outlining your reasons for applying
3. A recommendation from your school music teacher, instrumental/vocal teacher, or choir conductor, outlining your capacity to be involved in a choral composition project with Chamber Choir Ireland

Deadline: 5pm Thursday 24th June, 2021

For more information, see: www.chamberchoirireland.com/learning-participation/choral-postcards/

Creativity & Change, MTU

Applications now open for the September intake of Creativity & Change ’21/’22

Creativity & Change’s accredited, Special Purpose Award programme, targets educators, change-makers, activists, artists, youth and community workers, adult educators, volunteers and anyone who is interested in how creative engagement can nurture global citizenship and empathic action around local and global justice themes.

Based at Crawford College of Art & Design, Cork, Creativity & Change is about creativity and its power to ignite empathy, passion and learning about our interconnected and interdependent world. It is about imagining more humane, just and viable ways to live and to connect with how we think, live, and act in the world. This course explores how we can live as connected global citizens becoming part of the changes we want to see.

In 2020/21, Creativity & Change have developed a new pop-up mobile classroom initiative. They have a new cargo e-bike to carry materials and participants are asked to bring bicycles where possible and they travel together to different locations around Cork City and surrounds, applying learning and creatively responding to the outdoor environment. Allowances are made for participants with mobility difficulties.

The course fee is €680. This is a subsidised fee that is made possible by the support of a grant from Irish Aid’s Development Education unit. Places on this programme are offered to suitable applicants on a rolling basis and will close once they reach maximum participant number.

It is advised to apply for the programme as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

Amplifying Voices Scholarships: Creativity & Change are consistently seeking to improve the accessibility of our programme and would love to provide opportunities to those who may have previously experienced barriers to accessing post—graduate education, such as members of minority groups, those in the Direct Provision system, or Travellers. They are now offering a number of free places on the course to those who may not have otherwise been in a position to apply. To apply for a scholarship, see www.creativityandchange.ie/amplifying-voices-scholarships/

Apply for Creativity & Change here: www.cit.ie/course/CRACRCH9

Please contact helen.okeeffe@cit.ie with any queries or see creativityandchange.ie.

BLAST Arts-in-Education Residencies 
Deadline: 30 September 2021

Arts in Education Residency Initiative in Primary and Post-primary Schools

The Department of Education has developed a new innovative Arts-in-Education BLAST Residency Programme in 2021, which will enable up to 400 new Arts-in-Education Residencies in schools each year.

This initiative aims to support the integration of the principles and key skills outlined in the Arts in Education Charter and the Creative Ireland Programme (2017-2022), Pillar 1 Creative Youth.

The aim of this scheme is to give pupils in schools all over the country the opportunity to work with a professional artist on unique projects, to be originated and planned between the artist, the teacher and the school, under the coordination of the Education Support Centres Ireland ESCI’s network of 21 full-time education centres. This initiative supports children and young people for the future, where skills like the ability to connect and collaborate with others, engage in creative and critical thinking and practice inclusivity at every level, will be paramount to peace, stability, sustainable economic growth and equality.

What is proposed is a unique streamlined process whereby schools apply for an artist on the Online Register of Approved Artists, who are already trained for the new BLAST Arts-in-Education Residency Programme, managed by the local education centre. The education centre will also pay the artist which will further remove the administrative burden on teachers and schools.

How this BLAST Residency initiative will work

The Education Centre:
While the programme will be nationally coordinated by the Arts in Education administrative base located at the Education Centre Tralee, schools will apply for a BLAST Arts-in-Education Residency to the full-time education centre in their area, based on the Online Register of Approved Artists. The Register of Approved Artists in each education centre will be arranged by artist and discipline, include relevant required and approved training experience, examples of previous work and examples of relevant or related experience in an educational and community context.

In excess of 300 artists are currently trained and registered on the Online Register of Approved Artists, managed by the education centre network nationally. All artists will have submitted their Child Safeguarding Best Practice Policy (to include Child Safeguarding Statement) and their Certificate of completion of the Children First Training module to the education centre.

What is proposed is a unique streamlined process when schools apply for an artist under the new BLAST Arts-in-Education Residency Programme. The education centre will also arrange for payment of the artist, which will further remove the administrative burden on teachers and schools.

Garda vetting:
Garda vetting for artists for successful school applications will be organised with the individual artist by the education centre in collaboration with the school. Schools may separately (if they wish) request the artist to apply for Garda vetting specifically to work in their school.

The Artists:
Artists from any artistic discipline, who have been trained in partnership working with schools, will be registered with each of the 21 full-time ESCI centres. Artistic disciplines include visual arts, crafts, music, dance, drama, literature and film. Creative disciplines will be expanded as the residency programme develops over the next number of years.

The artists on the Register of Approved Artists will have been previously trained and have engaged in school residencies under the Teacher-Artist Partnership CPD and Residency initiative or the Arts in Junior Cycle Programme which are both approved and led by the Department of Education.

The School:
The schools must be in the catchment of the local full-time education centre. Schools may submit only one application. Schools should make their own selection of artists on the Approved Register, based on CVs/examples of recent work, training and recommendations. Inclusion of artists on the Approved Register is based on training in the education centre (TAP) in addition to suitability/artistic qualification and has taken place in advance to ensure the selected artist satisfies school policies in relation to engagement of external personnel.

Once a school is approved for the scheme, the school has a commitment to the artist, who will have earmarked that time for the project and could potentially turn down other work at the times scheduled to work with the school.

This initiative encourages:

  • schools, primary and post-primary, that have not recently had an opportunity to participate in such creative initiatives, to apply
  • schools supporting inclusion and enhanced arts-in-education engagement with students from disadvantaged backgrounds and students with special educational needs to apply
  • schools that have a track record in teacher-artist partnership working in the classroom and school to apply
  • a whole-school commitment to the project, but it is not a requirement that all classes work with the artist
  • projects should have regard to the relevant school curricula where appropriate and have a focus on process

BLAST Arts-in-Education Residency funding:
The artist’s fee is €1,000 per residency. This is funded by the Department of Education via each education centre. The education centre will pay the artist in accordance with agreed guidelines after the artist and teacher/school evaluations have been submitted and received. In certain instances, this may include the payment of two instalments of €500 with agreement.

The artist will be funded for 20 contact hours, including 6 hours planning/development/review time. Participating schools must pay for materials associated with the project and also for documentation of the project through photographs, for example, and any other costs involved including insurance costs. Funded residencies can be delivered throughout the academic year commencing in September in the year the residency was approved.
Schools must acknowledge the Department of Education and the local education centre in all publicity relating to the project.
Successful applications:

Successful schools will be required to sign a short contract with their local education centre accepting the terms of the BLAST Arts-in-Education Residency Programme prior to the commencement of the residency. Successful residencies should not be started until official written notification to proceed has been received from the education centre and once Garda vetting has been completed and this has been communicated to the school.
It is a specific condition of this residency programme that a teacher works closely and collaborates with the artist to plan the learning experience and is present at all times with the artist while working with students in the school and to enhance further teacher-artist partnership. Schools will be responsible for ensuring the residency complies with Public Health advice relevant at the time of the project.

Evaluation:
The education centre will put in place the necessary evaluation for Arts-in-Education Residencies. This will include a school visit, completion and return of the Teacher/School Feedback Form and the Artist Feedback Form. The second instalment of the artist fee will be paid following the submission of the final reports.

Any images submitted by the school either in reports or on completing the project may be used to promote the scheme through print and other media including social media. It is therefore important that the schools have permission for the use of such images, noting in the consent forms that they will be used for this purpose, and only send images to the education centre once parental consent has been obtained.
Guidelines for application

A note on COVID-19 related Public Health Guidance: Schools should base proposals on the best public health advice and guidance available at the time of application.

Completed applications must include:

  • a completed application form
  • a written proposal for the project indicating the aims of the project, the theme, materials, processes, anticipated outcomes, deliverability, number of contact hours and number of classes and pupils that will participate in the project

Please also indicate the planned time-frame schedule and planned method of documentation for the project.

The proposal should demonstrate a whole school commitment to the project. (This does not mean that all children must participate in the project rather that the whole school should be supportive and flexible in facilitating the project).

Applications will open on 4 June 2021. The closing date is 30 September 2021.

Download BLAST Arts-in-Education Application Form

This initiative will be supported by the ESCI education centre network, Teacher Artist Partnership CPD programme, Arts in Junior Cycle, NAPD Creative Engagement Programme and the Arts in Education Portal.

For more information or to apply, see http://www.gov.ie/blast/

Irish Architecture Foundation
Date: 2pm, Friday 25 June

In collaboration with the London Festival of Architecture, Irish Architecture Foundation will host a live, virtual panel discussion entitled Together We Care About Public Spaces as part of their ‘Architects in Schools’ initiative 2021.

The panel will include Blaithin Quinn (Irish Architecture Foundation), Muhammad Achour (Places of ARcture), Frank Monahan (Architecture at the Edge) and students and teachers from Holy Faith and Synge Street secondary schools in Dublin, Ireland, and focus on imaginary public realm projects as part of the Irish Architecture Foundation’s ‘Architects in Schools‘ initiative 2021.

In their collaborative work with the students, Muhammad and Frank focused on care, co-creation, pride, citizen engagement and ownership in the design of public space. How we care for our public realm is always relevant, even more so now as we adapt to life in a post-pandemic world.

‘Architects in Schools’ is supported by the Arts Council of Ireland, Department of Education and Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

Date: 2pm, Friday 25 June

For more information, see: https://architecturefoundation.ie/event/architects-in-schools-at-london-festival-of-architecture-together-we-care-about-public-spaces/

Irish Architecture Foundation
Dates: 15 – 30 June 2021

Registration is open for IAF’s International Summer School, a series of live, virtual seminars and workshops exploring the relationship between architecture and media. The Summer School will explore how architecture as culture is mediated, communicated, disseminated, represented, experienced and consumed through the diverse media of filmmaking, podcasting and critical writing.

Events are suitable for post-primary school pupils.

Attendees can look forward to an exciting lineup of speakers and workshop facilitators including:
Emmett Scanlon (IRL), Matthew Blunderfield (UK), Grace La (USA), Inga Saffron (USA), Mimi Zeiger (USA), Tom Ravenscroft (UK) & Shane O’Toole (IRL).

For more information, see: architecturefoundation.ie/event/international-summer-school-architecture-and-media/

 

Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership
Deadline: 5pm, 21 June 2021

Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership are seeking 8 professional artists and writers (4 artists and 4 writers) to join their panel specifically for collaborative book-making and publishing projects with children and young people. Are you an artist or writer with a strong professional practice who is interested in exploring collaborative ways of working with children and young people? Would you like join a panel of experts who will lead on developing new publications for Kids’ Own with groups of children and young people?

Having developed an approach to collaborative publishing with children and young people over two decades, they are inviting applications from people who would like to participate in a 2-day funded training programme and subsequently be part of a panel, from which artist–teacher pairs will be selected to work on future projects.

Kids’ Own invite applications from all over the island of Ireland, and especially welcome applications from diverse communities that are reflective of the communities of children they work with, and of artistic and cultural life in Ireland.

Deadline: 5pm, 21st June 2021

For more information or to apply, see https://kidsown.ie/callout-exciting-training-opportunity-for-artists-and-writers-interested-in-working-with-children-and-young-people/

And Now….?

The unforeseen adventures that were created by being forced to re-invent, re-imagine, to find ways to re-connect with our audiences at this time of distance and disconnection had a profound impact on me.

It became clear that, for some of our audience, taking shows directly to where they are, taking the flexibility of the shows to a whole new level was what really worked for them.

So this year, inspired by that adventure and that discovery, I’m making a new show called SWEET DREAMS ARE MADE OF THIS that can play anywhere. A garden, around a hospital bed, outside a school, in a hospice – wherever makes most sense of our audience. It’ll be a tiny intimate show with just two performers, a gentle magical soundtrack and two gorgeous costumes created by leading Irish fashion designer, Rebecca Marsden who works with responsive wearable tech fashion – costumes that light up with the connection we make with our audience, costumes that transform an ordinary space into an extraordinary moment. The development is funded by Wicklow Arts Office and will happen this July and September in creative consultation with St Catherine’s School, County Wicklow families and with St Catherine’s Hospice, hopefully leading to a longer tour next year to my national Network For Extraordinary Audiences.

And right now, we’re on week 3 of an 8 week tour of GROOVE – a chilled out 70’s inspired happening for children and young people with complex needs, full of immersive video and live harmony singing. In masks of course.

It’s a wonderful co-incidence that for GROOVE (conceived in 2019 so well pre-pandemic) that there’s such an overwhelming visual element – even with one side of the tent missing in order to allow sufficient ventilation – the combination of the immersive video art and the live singing to a hypnotic soundtrack is so rich and all around that it has an energy and a presence that, whilst not replacing the usual tactile offers that we might make, has a welcome viscerality.

I’ve been describing GROOVE as a happening – I remember reading the definition of a 60’s/70’s happening – in broad terms it’s about an environment being created and then what happens is totally dependent on who comes and what they bring.  That’s the space and the adventure that I wanted to create with my audience for GROOVE.

I hardly dare hope that we’ll make it through all of the 8 weeks all over the country.  I’m grateful for each day and for the incredible welcome that the schools have given and are continuing to give us in what must be the hardest year they’ve ever had.    They truly are extraordinary audiences.

Throughout these last 18 months, the power of human connection has continued to be my lodestar and it, and my audiences, keeps me putting one foot in front of the other as we move forward as best we can.

Museum of Literature Ireland

New online visual arts education resource for primary school students.

The Museum of Literature Ireland are launching MoLI in the Classroom: a free, interactive, virtual, 40-50 minute workshop for 3rd to 6th class primary school students from across Ireland. It takes place over Zoom and is delivered directly into classrooms around Ireland. Teachers can book online with their live calendar. Their aim is to make the workshops fun and stimulating for all children, whatever their abilities.

All students need to participate is paper, pen/pencil and some colouring pencils, crayons or markers. Students can write, draw or doodle their responses according to their learning style. Students will see and hear all about the museum and will get to watch a special behind-the-scenes TikTok video. They will be encouraged to explore their own creativity through a range of individual and group work, fun word and drama games and creative writing exercises.

Teachers will not need to cover any topics in advance. After the online workshop, teachers can continue to encourage creativity in the classroom with their engaging follow-on activities, which include an opportunity to win a writer visit to a school and an iPad.

For more information, see moli.ie/learning/moli-in-the-classroom/

Irish Architecture Foundation
Deadline: 6pm, June 4 2021

The IAF are delighted to announce that applications are now open for schools to take part in the 2021/22 cycle of Architects in Schools programme. The programme is entering into its 9th cycle, and the IAF will be collaborating with the National Museum of Ireland (Museum of Country Life, Mayo) for the annual exhibition of student work in May 2022.

An architect will facilitate hands-on design workshops in your school. Dates, times and workshop duration will be arranged between the designated teacher / TY coordinator and the assigned architect. Workshops must take place between 1 September 2021 and 4 March 2022. All architects will be fully Garda Vetted and will sign our Child Protection Policy. There is no cost for schools to participate (apart from providing some art materials).

There are two options for participation:
Option A: Full Programme
30 schools can participate in the full programme
20 hours with an architect / architectural graduate, consisting of 12 hours of workshops & 8 hours of preparation time for the architect
Option B: Introductory Programme
A new strand introduced in 2020/21, up to 40 schools can avail of introductory workshops
1 x 3 hour workshop per school, with an architect / architectural graduate

Deadline: 6pm, June 4th 2021

For more information and to apply online please visit https://architecturefoundation.ie/news/architects-in-schools-call-for-schools/

Cork County Council Arts Service
Deadline: 3pm, Thursday 10th June 2021

Cork County Council’s Arts Service is inviting schools to participate in a new classroom based arts in education programme that will be facilitated by a professional artist. Four schools in County Cork will be invited to become temporary custodians of Cork’s County Art Collection.

Cork County Council has a substantial collection of visual art. This civic collection includes works in various media including, painting, drawing, print, photography, video and small scale 3-dimensional work created by emerging and established artists, many of who are living and working in Cork County. This collection is owned by the people of Cork and as such it is the policy of Cork County Council to make this collection as widely available to the public as possible. It is in this context that they have developed a schools education programme that will enable young people to gain knowledge and engage creatively with work from the collection in a managed programme in the classroom. They will have an opportunity to create a collaborative artwork with an artist, using the artworks as a springboard for creativity.

The programme is funded by Creative Ireland and will be provided free of charge to all schools.

Deadline: 3pm, Thursday 10th June 2021

Applications should be made via email to grace.mitchell@corkcoco.ie no later than Thursday 10th June 2021 at 3pm. Queries can be made to Grace Mitchell, Creative Ireland Projects Coordinator, 021 4346210 or grace.mitchell@corkcoco.ie.

St. Paul’s N.S. Dooradoyle, Limerick
Deadline: 12pm, 25 June 2021

St. Paul’s N.S. Dooradoyle, Limerick invites submissions from artists for its Per Cent for Art commission of €35,000. This commission is open to all visual artists working in all art forms including but not limited to painting, print, sculpture, digital and new media art, sound art, street art, socially engaged and participatory art.

It is hoped that the selected commission will emphasise and prioritise the current pupils and create a meaningful experience for them. This may be achieved by involving the pupils in a participatory project or in the making of an artwork, or by creating an interactive artwork or area for pupils to engage with. In addition to any participatory elements, the commissioners would like a tangible and enduring element from which future generations of pupils will also benefit. They are open to the form this may take, it could be a physical artwork, a film, involve digital technology, a book, activity area or a workshop plan.

Deadline: 12pm, Friday 25 June 2021

For more information, see visualartists.ie/advert/per-cent-for-art-commission-st-pauls-n-s-dooradoyle-limerick/

To make enquiries regarding the commission, email shelly@visualartists.ie.

Kildare County Council Arts Service and St. Mary’s Boys’ National School
Deadline: 12pm, 11 June 2021

Kildare County Council Arts Service and St. Mary’s Boys’ National School, Maynooth invites submissions for their Per Cent For Art commission of €49,000. The commission may include Artists in Residence programmes, commissioning of artwork (temporary and permanent) across all art forms including digital media, and may include collaborative work practice. Applications that consider the physical school environment (the buildings and grounds, indoor and outdoor) as well as applications that directly engage the school community are welcome.

Artists should submit their CV, expression of interest and samples of work to percentforart@maynoothbns.ie. All queries relating to the Per Cent for Art commission should be directed to Lucina Russell, Arts Officer, Tel: 045-448328; Mob: 0872399212; Email lrussell@kildarecoco.ie.

Deadline: 12pm, Friday 11th June 2021

For more information on how to apply, see: www.maynoothbns.ie/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/per_cent_for_art_2021.pdf

 

Offaly County Council Arts Office
Deadline: 4pm, 2 June, 2021

Offaly County Council Arts Office invites professional artists, individual or collaboratively, to submit proposals for the delivery of a new Youth Arts Project for the cohort of 13 to 25 year olds within Offaly. The commission is open to submissions from all art disciplines including visual arts, film, animation, digital arts, performing arts, literature or sound art. The commission can concentrate on one art form or a range of art forms but must demonstrate a youth led ethos. It is vital that consideration is given to the times we are in and how engagement with young people can take place within a socially distanced world.

A fully inclusive fee of €15,000.00 to include all travel, materials, VAT will be made payable in three instalments:
1. €5000.00 on signing of contract with agreement on a submitted project outlining clear timelines, delivery and process.
2. €5000.00 mid way into the project
3. €5000.00 on completion of the project

There need not be a specific outcome, (i.e. piece of art, performance), rather the process and engagement with the Young People in Offaly should be central to the project and be inspired by their wants and needs. If there is an outcome, consideration should be given on how same could be showcased.

We would envisage the project as being easily accessible, have a wide reach and attract young people that are not necessarily involved in Arts.

Deadline: 4pm, Wednesday 2 June, 2021

For more information and to apply, see https://offalycoco.submit.com//show/92

 

Teacher-Artist Partnership (TAP) CPD 
Deadline: 5pm 21st May 2021

The Teacher Artist Partnership CPD Online Summer Course and Residency Programme, together with the Local Authority Arts Officers are inviting expressions of interest from artists (of all disciplines) who are committed to sharing their practice with children and teachers in a modern primary school environment.

The programme includes a specialist week-long online training on 1st – 7th July 2021 with a training allowance of €150 per day over the initial 5-day training week (€750 in total); and a guarantee of a paid, in-school-residency with a local primary school (Fee €900, plus €100 travel) to carry out a 20-hour project (14 contact hours plus 6 preparation hours) in partnership with your teacher partner throughout the 2021/2022 academic year.

Artists can apply to be part of the scheme via expressions of interest to Thérése Gamble, Director, Drumcondra Education Centre at director@ecdrumcondra.ie. Expressions of interest should be in the form of a letter of max 600 words, accompanied by a CV or short bio with links to images or samples of relevant work.

Deadline: 5pm 21st May 2021

For more information view the poster below

TAP Poster 2021

Callout for Artists: Teacher-Artist Partnership (TAP) CPD 2021

 

 

 

First Cut! Youth Film Festival
Dates: 17 April – 9 May 2021

First Cut! Youth Film Festival returns for its 12th year showcasing new films by young filmmakers. Running from 17 April – 9 May 2021, offers an imaginative, thought-provoking and entertaining programme for young people aged 12-24yrs. Audiences from all over Ireland, and from abroad, are invited to join them virtually for a completely free programme of events including: Open call short film and feature film screenings, workshops, panel discussions with some of the leading filmmakers in Ireland, a host of special guest appearances and more.

Workshops include: Puppetry for Film and Television Workshop, Stormtroopers SFX Workshop and more.

Dates: 17 April – 9 May 2021

To see the full programme, see: https://firstcutfilmfestival.com/

The Glucksman 
Date: Saturday May 22nd, 10:30-11:30am or 12-1pm

The Glucksman presents Natural Creators: Exploring and Creating Soundscapes with composer Karen Power. These free, interactive workshops focus on early years listening, composing and improvising sound. Using found sounds from our natural and constructed environment, these workshops encourage children’s natural openness and curiosity through a series of guided composing, improving, listening and play activities.

Natural Creators workshops are built on slowly integrating sound into children’s everyday lives. This program is designed in an open and improvised manner facilitating every child to engage in the process with their own unique approach to creating sound.

Date: Saturday May 22nd, 10:30-11:30 or 12-1pm

For more information or to book, see karenpower.ie/natural-creators.html

Creative Schools
Deadline: 17:30, Thursday 10 June 2021

Scoileanna Ildánacha/Creative Schools are delighted to announce an exciting opportunity for schools/centres to apply to participate in the initiative. Schools/centres may apply from 6 April and the deadline is 17:30, Thursday 10 June 2021.

The Creative Schools initiative supports schools/centres to put the arts and creativity at the heart of children’s and young people’s lives. This initiative provides opportunities for children and young people to build their artistic and creative skills; to communicate, collaborate, stimulate their imaginations, be inventive, and to harness their curiosity. It will empower children and young people to develop, implement and evaluate arts and creative activity throughout their schools/centres and stimulate additional ways of working that reinforce the impact of creativity on children and young people’s learning, development and well-being.

Participating schools/centres will be provided with a package of supports that includes working with a Creative Associate, training and networking to support them to create their Creative School Plan, as well as seed funding to begin to implement their Plan.

Creative Associates will respond to each school/centre’s development priorities and needs in order to support them to deepen the arts and creative opportunities for children and young people. They will use their practical experience, to develop partnerships and mechanisms that enable sustained relationships between schools/centres and the arts and cultural sectors.

All Department of Education and Skills-recognised primary and post-primary schools and Youthreach centres who have not already participated in a previous round of Creative Schools are eligible to apply.

Deadline: 17:30, Thursday 10 June 2021

Further information on the Creative Schools application process will be available online shortly. Applications must be submitted online and schools are encouraged to register well in advance of the deadline: https://onlineservices.artscouncil.ie/Register.aspx

 

TULCA

New online visual arts education resource for primary and secondary school students.

TULCA is a festival celebrating contemporary visual art, that takes place annually in November across Galway City and County with a programme of multi-venue exhibitions and events. TULCA Education Programme is a unique programme that focuses on looking at and responding to visual art. It is about reaching out and engaging with schools and the wider community to create an increased awareness and a shared understanding of the Visual Arts. The programme engages a process of slow looking, reflection and response.

TULCA’s Education Programme is designed to continue this process of critical thinking by creating a space for dialogue and learning exchange. It draws on individual personal experience and acknowledges that we all have our own set of visual codes, value systems, likes and dislikes.

The online arts education resource caters for primary and secondary school students and uses a mixture of creative activities and videos to explore contemporary visual art.

For further information, see https://www.tulca.ie/news/2021/03/24

Pallas Projects

Pallas Projects have produced an online resource ‘Art @ Home’ for teachers and primary school students.

This year to coincide with Pallas Projects Online Periodical Review X Exhibition, they have teamed up with artist and education curator Liliane Puthod to create an activity pack for students to do at home or in school. Each of the four activities are relevant to all ages, and relate to a work in their online exhibition.

Pallas Projects/Studios is a not-for-profit artist-run organisation dedicated to the facilitation of artistic production and discourse, via the provision of affordable artists studios in Dublin’s city centre, and curated exhibitions. Pallas Projects is dedicated to the making and showing of visual art to our peers as well as a wide and diverse audience: via exhibitions, talks and tours.

For more information and to download the activity resource, see here: pallasprojects.org/news/art-home-activity-pack-pallas-projects-resources-for-schools

The Everyman & Graffiti Theatre Company

Dates: 1 – 31 May On Demand

On demand audio stream theatre for young audiences 8+ for families or schools.

This Girl Laughs, This Girl Cries, This Girl Does Nothing by Finegan Kruckemeyer, is presented by The Everyman and Graffiti Theatre Company as part of Play It by Ear, a programme of shows performed on The Everyman stage, and available as an audio stream.

Triplet sisters are left in the forest by their woodcutter father. From this fairytale beginning, three resolutions are made – one sister will walk one way, one the other, and the third will stay right where she is. Twenty years later, having circumnavigated the globe, and fought Vikings, and crossed oceans, and tamed wilds, and achieved greatness, the three meet again, as women.

Fun and accessible resources will be available on Graffiti’s website for teachers and parents to support children’s enjoyment of the episodes.  These resources – which will be available for the audio stream live date – will include creative prompts and activities to give children a deeper engagement with the piece.

Price: On Demand Audio Stream Family €12 | Schools €65

Age recommendation: 8+, recommended for young audiences and their families

Running Time: 5 X 10mins

For further details go to everymancork.com/events/this-girl-laughs-this-girl-cries-this-girl-does-nothing/

Source Arts Centre
Date: 24 April

The Source Arts Centre is hosting a series of online workshops until June as part of their ‘Y’ Arts Programme. The ‘Y’ Arts Programme encourages young people aged between 13 and 18 to create new works of art using a task and challenge based approach. The programme aims to encourage an understanding of contemporary art and avant-garde art.

Workshop : Dream Like Maya Deren
12pm-1pm, 24th April 2021

Maya Deren was a Ukrainian-born American experimental filmmaker  in the 1940s and 1950s. In this workshop, participants will look at her most famous film ‘Meshes Of The Afternoon’ and examine how dream states or the subconscious are depicted in art.

For more information, see here: www.thesourceartscentre.ie/events/info/dream-like-maya-deren-workshop

Music Generation 
Deadline: 23 April 2021

Dublin and Dun Laoghaire Education and Training Board (DDLETB) invites applications for the position of Music Generation Development Officer (Fingal). They will be responsible for managing a programme of performance music education on behalf of Fingal Local Music Education Partnership. This is a five-year fixed term contract.

The successful candidate will have a broad understanding of the diversity of effective, contemporary approaches across the diversity of performance music education – and will have the skills and experience to develop a programme that responds to the specific needs of young people in disadvantaged communities.

Music Generation is Ireland’s National Music Education Programme that gives children and young people access to high-quality, subsidised performance music education. Initiated by Music Network, Music Generation is co-funded by U2, The Ireland Funds, the Department of Education and Local Music Education Partnerships.

Deadline: 4pm Friday 23rd April 2021

For more information on how to apply, see: www.musicgeneration.ie/news/job-opportunity-music-generation-development-officer-fingal

 

Music Generation 
Deadline: 30 April 2021

Music Generation invites individual or groups of professional musicians to tender to lead and develop distinct Communities of Practice with musicians that deliver Music Generation programmes; and to lead, develop and create new work for children and young people with musicians involved in Music Generation Communities of Practice.

Music Generation is Ireland’s National Music Education Programme that gives children and young people access to high-quality, subsidised performance music education. Initiated by Music Network, Music Generation is co-funded by U2, The Ireland Funds, the Department of Education and Local Music Education Partnerships.

Deadline: 5pm Friday 30th April 2021

For more information on how to apply, see: www.musicgeneration.ie/news/request-for-tenders-professional-musicians-provision-of-services

 

 

Creative Schools
Deadline: 2 April, 2021

Creative Schools is forming a panel of Creative Associate Regional Coordinators across the country. It is envisaged that the Arts Council will engage the services of 8 Regional Coordinators. Both individuals and organisations (who nominate a particular representative) may apply to provide these services.

The main tasks of the Creative Associate regional coordinators are:

– Work closely with the Arts Council’s Creative Schools’ team to support and assist in coordinating the work of the Creative Associates at a regional level.

– Liaise with and support up to twenty Creative Associates and their assigned schools across each region.

– Be required to carry out services for around seventy days per annum, with a minimum of one day per week between the months of September to June.

Deadline for applications: Friday 2nd April, 2021

For more information, see www.etenders.gov.ie/ (select Arts Council in ‘authority’ field of an advanced search on etenders).

The National Museum of Ireland (NMI)

The National Museum of Ireland (NMI) has launched its spring/summer 2021 programme of online workshops, activities and resources for schools.

The Museum is inviting schools all over Ireland to enjoy, engage and learn with culture in the classroom this spring and beyond.

From the Crazy Life of Crows to pop-up talks on the Easter Rising, the spring/summer programme explores a diverse range of topics and themes, all inspired by the National Collections across four Museum sites in Dublin and Mayo.

The NMI usually welcomes some 90,000 primary and post primary students on classroom visits each year. Due to COVID-19 public health advice, the Museum has now moved its schools programme online with imaginative workshops, virtual tours and classroom activities, delivering meaningful learning experiences for students.

Some highlights from the spring/summer programme include a family tree workshop with the NMI – Country Life; a virtual tour about the 1916 Rising from the NMI – Decorative Arts & History; an Ogham Code challenge from the NMI – Archaeology; and special virtual classroom sessions exploring extinction with the NMI – Natural History.

All events are offered free of charge.

For further infromation go to –  www.museum.ie/en-IE/News/National-Museum-of-Ireland-invites-schools-to-lear

Lismore Castle Arts
Online exhibition

Artifice is an annual exhibition by Lismore Castle Arts which presents works of art created by transition year students from across County Waterford. This year’s theme is “Land Art”, based on Lismore Castle Arts’ main exhibition for 2021 “Light and Language” centred around the work of Nancy Holt, a significant figure in the Land Art movement. Students were invited to explore their relationship with the environment  and to express their experience of the lockdown, environmentalism and personal identity.

Over 130 students took part in Artifice 2021, creating new artworks using a variety of media including photography, film, sculpture and painting. The five schools participating in Artifice 2021 are Meánscoil San Nioclás (An Rinn), Ard Scoil na nDéise (Dungarvan), Ardscoil na Mara (Tramore), St. Augustine’s College (Dungarvan) and Blackwater Community School (Lismore).

View the exhibition here: www.lismorecastlearts.ie/education/

Baboró International Arts Festival for Children
Event Date: 23 April 2021

Baboró are delighted to present their Galway 2020 European Capital of Culture project, RISE.

Children in Galway are dancing, leaping and learning with local and international artists this spring, thanks to the RISE programme from Baboró International Arts Festival for Children in partnership with Galway 2020 European Capital of Culture. This March children aged 8 to 13 years are taking on starring roles in two “RISE” projects, combining parkour, circus skills, performance art, sport and more. Making the most of digital opportunities to connect across the globe, the young people are participating at school and at home.

Projects include:

St. Pats Lockdown Olympics: A whacky series of four weekly videos, accompanied by props delivered to students’ homes, to guide them through the creation of their own spectacularly zany sports.

The Streets Are Ours: A collaborative project to create a promenade performance by Galway children combining parkour, contemporary dance and circus skills. The dance performance will be recorded in April and shared with the public as soon as safely possible.

The Veiled Ones: The final element of the RISE programme will be The Veiled Ones, a new dance theatre production highlighting the powerful relationship between grandparents and grandchildren, created by renowned Irish company Junk Ensemble.

This immersive work, currently in development.

In Conversation with Junk Ensemble & kabinet k

On April 23, Baboró will host the digital event, ‘In Conversation with Junk Ensemble & kabinet k’, exploring both companies’ development processes in making work with and for children, and the challenges to creating dance in a global pandemic.

For more information, www.baboro.ie/galway-2020.

Ennis Book Club Festival
Dates: 2 – 5 March

Ennis Book Club Festival invites post-primary school students and teachers in County Clare to a series of online workshops scheduled as part of their wider book club festival taking place from 2 – 7 March.

The workshops include:

For more information on how to book, see https://www.ennisbookclubfestival.com/ebcf-2021-events

The LAB Gallery, Dublin City Arts Office
Dates: Wednesdays 4-6pm, 3, 10, 24 March & 14, 21, 28 April

The Practice of Looking is a six-week, online course to learn about Visual Thinking Strategies and its use in Dublin, and to practice its facilitation. It was born out of the growing interest in the adoption of Visual Thinking Strategies at the LAB Gallery and in the partnerships and networks that have evolved around it. The LAB Gallery, Dublin City Arts Office, The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) and VTS Neighbourhood Schools are partnering to host an online course that offers the opportunity to learn from trained VTS coaches in the existing network. The course will have a strong focus on facilitation practice and reflection. You will receive a certificate of attendance after completion of the course.

Please note that to participate to the course, you need to:

For more information and to register, please see here: http://www.dublincityartsoffice.ie/the-lab/vts-projects/the-practice-of-looking

 

 

Irish Architecture Foundation

The IAF have produced an online resource ‘DIYStudio’ for teachers and secondary school students.

DIYStudio introduces you to architecture and is perfect for secondary schools students who might be curious about the process of design. Follow the five stages – Explore, Research, Design, Present, Reflect to design your own architectural space, learning and experimenting along the way. All you need to get started is internet access, paper and a pencil.

Students can start and finish anytime, DIYStudio is an ongoing project.

For further information go to architecturefoundation.ie/event/diystudio/

If you have any questions please email learning@architecturefoundation.ie

The Ark
Date: 25 February 2021

The Ark invites you to ‘Creativity in the Online Classroom Made Easy’ CPD workshop for teachers, where you will learn a range of easy, accessible skills to help you bring creativity into your online teaching. Find out how easy it can be to breathe imagination into an online class, inspiring both your students and yourself. The ideas shared will be useful for both teaching online and when you are back in the classroom.

Perhaps you are overwhelmed with the technical aspects of moving your teaching online, or feeling frustrated with the limitations and struggling to make your online lessons creative and engaging. Or perhaps you are simply looking for some fresh inspiration for ideas that can work well in the online space. Join the Ark for this morning of inspiration and art-making to help you address these challenges, led by artist Duffy Mooney-Sheppard who has been leading online classes for children for the past year.

During this session you will gain valuable time to explore various tools available on Zoom to develop, hone and gain confidence in digital art lessons. Ideas shared will be adaptable and transferrable to other online platforms you may be using also. The possibilities in virtual learning spaces are wide and we are all learning! We will ask questions, share challenges, try things out and build our knowledge as a group.

This is a free CPD event for teachers, but advance booking is essential. For more details please go to: https://ark.ie/events/view/cpd-creativity-online-classroom

Children’s Books Ireland & Poetry Ireland
Dates: 23 & 24 February, 2, 3, 10 March

Children’s Books Ireland and Poetry Ireland are working in partnership to host a series of capacity-building webinars for artists who are delivering online programmes to children and young people. The webinars are free to attend and places are limited. Children’s Books Ireland and Poetry Ireland are committed to supporting artists in the development of their practice and their working conditions.

For more information or to register for these workshops, see https://www.eventbrite.ie/o/childrens-books-ireland-11806877628

What. How. Why.

I remember really vividly where I was on 12th March 2020. I was visiting the cast at the end of their 3rd week of a 10 week tour of my show for babies ‘I AM BABA’ and our tiny gorgeous tent was set up in a rather grand hotel ballroom in Trim. We came out of the third show to the news of the announcement of lockdown. We threw the set and costumes back in my storage facility without masses of care – as we knew it was only going to be a couple of weeks.

I know.

For the next 2 months, I was lost, desperately trying to think what to do and how to do it.

And then I worked out that it wasn’t about the what or the how but rather about the why.

When creating ‘BLISS’, the first show I made specifically for audiences of children with complex needs, I was doing some creative consultation in a classroom and over the course of these few days these children revealed to me what I think theatre is – one human being connecting with another. That’s it. And that my job is to create the optimum conditions for that connection.

And for my audiences, the optimum conditions overwhelmingly are that it’s a live experience.

The work has always had at its very heart the live responsive connection and an inherent and crucial ability to nuance and change from moment to moment.  And I realised what I had to do was to take this built-in flexibility to a whole new level…

Thanks to the incredible support of funders, venues, audiences and artists and more than a little bit of luck, I managed to tour work live for 8 weeks in the summer, autumn and winter of 2020.

And in my next couple of blogs, I’ll tell you the how and the what.

 

VISUAL Carlow 

Dates: Throughout February & March

Would you and your class like to participate in an online workshop with VISUAL Carlow’s Curator of Learning, Clare Breen?

Clare will bring your class on a virtual walk through this season’s exhibitions, broadcast live from inside their closed gallery. After the tour she will lead an art activity that can be completed with simple materials children can find at home or in school.

These workshops are suitable for primary school groups from 1st to 6th class. Book your place for an online workshop in February and March, workshops are free but places are limited!

For further information or to book your place, email learning@visualcarlow.ie.

A selection of some of the fantastic digital arts in education activities and programmes available for children and young people which support learning at home.

The Ark @ Home for Teachers

To support teachers delivering arts-based learning to children remotely while they are home due to the COVID-19 restrictions, The Ark have a variety of classroom and at-home activity packs relating to different areas of the curriculum, as well as a selection of recorded shows available to stream for your class privately.

For more information: ark.ie/projects/details/ark-home-teachers

The Glucksman: Creativity at Home

Join The Glucksman online for on daily live art sessions and creative activities you can do at home. A team of facilitators delivers daily art classes and discover a range of art making skills and techniques. These free online sessions will keep children engaged as they learn about drawing, painting, constructing and printmaking using basic art and household materials.

For more information: www.glucksman.org/exhibitions/creativity-at-home

IMMA: Explorer at Home

With your family, you can explore specially selected artworks from the IMMA Collection online and their temporary Exhibition Programme, as well as suggested starting points for creative activities related to those artworks. These free online resources cover themes such as abstract painting, collage, land art and more.

For more information: imma.ie/whats-on/explorer-at-home-abstract-painting/

National Gallery of Ireland at Home

Stay connected with the National Gallery of Ireland online, with lots of different ways to engage with their collection – virtual tours, videos, podcasts, downloadable resources, activities for children, online workshops, blogposts, and much more.

For more information: www.nationalgallery.ie/national-gallery-ireland-at-home

 

 

The Dock Arts Centre and The Lab Gallery

Eleven Irish artists reveal what inspires them and how they make their art in a free video series designed for use in the classroom.

The Dock Arts Centre in Carrick on Shannon and The Lab Gallery in Dublin have worked together to produce an online resource for teachers and arts educators. This resource is ideal for use in a classroom or online educational setting and features artists speaking directly about themselves and the art making process. View the online resource here: https://vimeo.com/showcase/8094850

As well as connecting young people with some of the rich ideas that inform our visual culture and offering them a unique insight into the arts practices, methods and motivations of practicing artists the series also affords the artists a unique opportunity to speak directly to and connect with young audiences.

In the interviews the artists reveal their reasons for making art, describe the methods they use to make their work but most importantly reveal what is means to them to be an artist and how they transform their desire to create and communicate into the work they produce. The diversity of their individual backgrounds and experiences is reflected in the work each artist makes. They draw inspiration from many sources; the books they read as children, the films they have watched, conversations they have had, the environments that they have lived in and places they have visited.

The artists are Sinéad Ní Mhaonaigh, Eve O’ Callaghan, Jamie Cross, Ellen Duffy, Kate Murphy, Atoosa Pour Hosseini, Gemma Browne, Anna Maria Healy, Austin Ivers, Louise Manifold and Jackie McKenna.

The video series is a starting point to mediate conversations with young people about their own creativity, ideas and inspirations, the videos may also be used as an inspiration for teachers and educators to devise workshop and other practical activities for their classes.

Access this free resource here: https://vimeo.com/showcase/8094850

For further information go to www.thedock. ie/learning-projects/speaking- of-which.

 

Chester Beatty Library

Chester Beatty launched an Intercultural museum programme for primary and post-primary schools offering students and their teachers the opportunity to explore world cultures in an Irish museum.  Participants are encouraged to engage with Chester Beatty’s Islamic, East Asian and European collections through a variety of activities including guided tours, self-guided visits, online learning resources and access to the extensive image gallery.

Intercultural dialogue and learning plays a key role in the museum’s mission and fosters dialogue with the communities represented in Chester Beatty’s unique collections.  These collections offer wonderful learning opportunities and support a number of key curricular areas from art history to world faiths. A range of free teaching resources are available to support self-guided visits and inspire activities back at school.

The research for developing the programme was carried out in co-operation with Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, Maynooth University, the Intercultural Education Service (Education Authority of Northern Ireland) and the UK Heritec Education Consultancy.  A key component of the development programme was the training of guides and facilitators in visual thinking strategies and object-based learning to reflect the school curriculum.

This report includes the background to the intercultural school’s project and includes definitions on intercultural dialogue and relevant policies, strategies and projects in both the formal education, arts and cultural sectors; the development of the intercultural school’s programme; analysis of current practices and methodologies; programme development including the training of volunteer guides, Continuous Professional Development of teachers; and pilot tours and evaluation.

Schools have full access to Chester Beatty’s remarkable treasures through the website www.chesterbeatty.ie thus allowing students and teachers to experience the Chester Beatty from the school desk or from home.  In addition, the CB’s new Digital Museum Guide app offers audio tours in 13 languages, virtual 3D walkthroughs of the museum, online browsing of the Chester Beatty’s world-renowned treasures, and a news section to highlight our extensive programme of events and activities.

View and Download the ‘Embracing cultural diversity in the classroom – Research and Development Report’ here.

For more details about the Chester Beatty Learning and Education Department please contact educationservices@cbl.ie

 

 

Baboró International Arts Festival, Graffiti Theatre and TYA Ireland

Deadline: Monday 8 February 2021

Callout for a 6-month playwriting programme led by Finegan Kruckemeyer for established and emerging playwrights based in Ireland who are interested in writing for young audiences.

Baboró International Arts Festival for Children, Graffiti Theatre and TYA Ireland are excited to collaborate with International TYA Playwright Finegan Kruckemeyer to host a new playwriting programme for writers and theatre makers in Ireland who are interested in writing plays for young audiences.

At a time when the world and its distances are both larger and smaller than ever before, a collaboration will occur, spanning half a globe, and half a year, and driven by that most exciting of provocations – to forge something from nothing.

Beginning with a blank page, eight Irish authors will respond to writing aids and impositions both as they explore theatre for young audiences – what makes a TYA play, and what TYA play they wish to make.

But more important than the audience, shall be the idea. And in writing work solemn and silly, foreign and known, as vast as an ocean and as small as a boat which may rock upon it, eight individual voices shall be celebrated, and their plays play out to their ends.

Who is this for?
This opportunity is open to both established and emerging playwrights, residing in Ireland, interested in writing plays for young audiences. Applications are encouraged from artists with a disability, those from minority ethnic communities and those who feel their voices are not commonly represented. There are eight places available on the programme.

Irish language writers are welcome to participate in this project through the medium of Irish.  Support and translation will be provided to facilitate a bilingual writing journey with Fin. Samples of writing in Irish can be included in the application.

Cuirimid fáilte roimh scríbhneoirí le Gaeilge páirt a ghlacadh sa togra seo as Gaeilge. Cuirfear tacaíocht agus aistriúcháin ar fáil chun an turas scríbhneoireachta dátheangach le Fin a éascú. Is féidir samplaí Gaeilge a bheith mar chuid den iarratas.

Deadline for Applications is Monday 8 February 2021

For further information and application details go to https://www.baboro.ie/news-events/you-fin-and-the-play-between

RTÉ and Creative Ireland Programme

Deadline extended to Sunday 31 Jan 2021

RTÉ and Creative Ireland Programme have come together in partnership to create This Is Art! – a celebration of visual art through the creation of an exciting new online art competition aimed at young people across the island of Ireland.

The competition aims to promote artistic practice among young people and encourage and support creativity, originality and self-expression. Applicants can enter individually or they can enter as part of a group and all visual art disciplines are welcomed. The competition is open for anyone 18yrs and under.

All of the artwork will be included in a digital gallery and considered for the This Is Art! 2021 Grand Prix Award.

Deadline extended to Sunday 31 Jan 2021

For further information go to: https://www.thisisart.ie/

The National Gallery of Ireland

Deadline: Friday 5 February 2021

The National Gallery of Ireland invites schools to apply to participate in Your Gallery at School, a new holistic outreach programme that brings the National Gallery of Ireland directly to schools.

Over the course of 2021, The National Gallery of Ireland will work with six primary schools that wouldn’t usually be able to visit the Gallery, to create a tailored programme of activities for their students.

Participating schools will be selected via an open application process. Selected schools will not have visited the Gallery in the past three years and will be from one or more of three key groups:

  • DEIS schools to address socio-economic barriers to accessing culture.
  • Boys’ schools to address the gender barrier to accessing culture.
  • Schools geographically far away (over 2 hours away from Dublin) to address the geographic barrier to accessing culture.

The closing date: Friday 5 February 2021

Your Gallery at School aims to break down the barriers that prevent engagement with the arts through holistic programming that ensures children transition to adulthood equipped with the life-changing benefits of art.

For more details please go to: https://www.nationalgallery.ie/explore-and-learn/your-gallery-school

 


!!!! Podcasts from Baboró’s 2022 Festival

Baboró International Arts Festival for Children

Baboró recorded three talks during the 2022 festival discussing early years arts education, sectoral sustainability and artist development, which they have now made available for streaming.

The Baboró podcast is available to listen on Spotify or Apple.

Opening Doors

In this discussion, a roundtable of makers, educators and thinkers explored models of practice to aid artists in the creation of work for very young audiences in early years education and crèche settings.

The panel featured Gaëtane Reginster (Théâtre de la Guimbarde, Belgium), Marc Mac Lochlainn (Branar, Ireland) and Dr. Rita Melia (Atlantic Technological University, Ireland). Chaired by Marianne Kennedy (University of Galway, Ireland).

Towards Sustainability

In partnership with Branar’s Meitheal Initiative, this panel discussion explored models of practice which support the sustainable development of career paths for independent artists making work for young audiences.

The panel featured Tony Reekie (Catherine Wheels, Scotland), Kate Cross (The Egg, England), Dan Colley and Matt Smyth (Creators of ‘The Man with Enormous Wings’ and formerly Collapsing Horse, Ireland), Emer McGowan (Draíocht, Ireland). Chaired by Linda Geraghty (Branar/Meitheal, Ireland).

Meitheal is a pilot creative support initiative committed to the development and presentation of performing arts for young audiences across Ireland. Devised by Branar, funded by the Arts Council.

Reflecting on LEAP

The participants and stakeholders of Baboró’s LEAP artist support programme discussed the pilot project’s development and execution.

The panel featured Rachel Baltz (Baboró, Ireland), Alexandra Craciun (LEAP Participant, Romania and Ireland), Fernanda Ferrari (LEAP Participant, Brazil and Ireland), Justyna Cwojdzińska (LEAP Participant, Poland and Ireland), Ionia Ní Chróinín (Moonfish, Ireland) Jo Cummins (Moonfish, Ireland) and Maeve Stone (Cracking Light Productions, Ireland). Chaired by Dr. Charlotte McIvor (Drama and Theatre Studies, University of Galway, Ireland).

Read more about Baboró’s Podcast Programme here: https://www.baboro.ie/news-events/podcasts-from-babor%C3%B3s-2022-delegate-programme.

!!!! Opportunity for artists: Early Years Irish Language Arts Commission 2023

South Dublin County Arts Office

Deadline: 5pm 20th January 2023

Applications are now being accepted for the Early Years Irish Language Arts Commission 2023.

A collaboration between Creative Ireland South Dublin, South Dublin Arts Office, Áras Chrónáin, and Naíonra Chrónáin

The Creative Ireland South Dublin programme wishes to commission an Early Years Irish Language artwork. This commission will be delivered in collaboration with children from Naíonra Chrónáin located on the grounds of Áras Chrónáin in Clondalkin.

The expectations of the commission are:

  1. Early Years children (0-6years) will be engaged with the creation process of the work and their voice will lead the way
  2. Close collaboration with the teachers at Naíonra Chrónáin to create artwork that could be a model for other Early Years facilities, while remaining feasible for the space of the Naíonra.
  3. The duration of the commission will be discussed with the awarded creative (s) but likely duration is one year.

Objectives

  • Develop process to work with young children in project creation
  • Create a model for other educators and practitioners to work in Early Years Arts and Irish Language
  • Create a participant-led piece of work

Award Amount

The commission is for €30,000 inclusive of VAT

Timeline

  • Applications closing date 5pm 20th January 2023
  • Assessment will take place week of the 23rd January 2023
  • Award Notification first week of February

Applications

For more detailed information on the application process and to submit an application, please visit: https://www.sdcc.ie/en/services/sport-and-recreation/arts/creative-ireland/

!!!! IFI Schools Programme 2022/23

Irish Film Institute School Programme 2022/23

The Irish Film Institute is delighted to offer a brand new programme of films selected for students across primary and post-primary levels, available in-cinema at IFI Dublin or regional venue and online through IFI@Schools. This year includes exciting collaborations with the Irish National Opera, IMMA, the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland/BAI and An Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta & Gaelscolaíochta/COGG.

IFI@Schools supplements the in-cinema programme, offering further ways of incorporating film into your teaching, including rewatching key scenes or choosing from a wider range of content for other subjects such as history, geography, music, art, Gaeilge, English and more.

Screenings for the French language selection include Mes Fréres et moi (My Brothers and I) and King in partnership with the Ambassade De France en Irelande. Screenings for the German language selection includes Der Pfad (The Path) and Klammer in partnership with GEOTHE Institut.

Details of the full programme list and regional venue screenings can be found here.

To book tickets visit the Irish Film Institute at Irish Film Institute (ifi.ie) or contact Amy Louise or Holly at schools@irishfilm.ie

 

!!!! ‘Songs of Ourselves’ Live Performance at The Dock

The Dock

‘Songs of Ourselves’ was one of the recipient projects of the 2021 Arts in Education Portal Documentation Award, the aim of which is to support the development of documented outcomes from arts in education initiatives in Ireland. The award is part of the Arts in Education Portal Editorial Committee’s commitment to supporting and recognising the value of documentation and reflection as a key component within arts in education initiatives.

From November 2020 to June 2021, George Higgs was The Dock Composer in Residence at Scoil Mhuire, Carrick on Shannon for the project ‘Songs of Ourselves’, exploring communal song forms – e.g., work songs, anthems, canons, and call and response – with the ultimate aim of creating a new composition. Based on his earlier investigations into multisensory composition (The Sense Ensemble, 2017), George asked the students to think of a song not only as sound, but as a participatory activity for all the senses. Students were encouraged to invent gestures to accompany the performance of each song and draw pictures to reflect on the various themes. A Song Scrapbook was amassed from all the sessions, featuring the finished multisensory lyric ‘The Dream of the Knockabock’.

‘The Dream of the Knockabock’ was performed at The Dock in early June, 2022 by the Scoil Mhuire Choir and the Millennium Choir. The song was a twelve-minute ‘mobile composition for multisensory voices’ created was a rich pageant of sound, movement and was a spatial performance to remember.

It was a special event for all involved and a great achievement.

View the performance below

View here the Documentation Award Series Discussion ‘Songs of Ourselves’ with composer George Higgs, teacher Noelle Igoe and The Dock’s Visual Arts and Education Manager, Laura Mahon as part of the 2021 National Arts in Education Portal Virtual Conference.

 

!!!! Opportunity for Artists: County Dublin Primary Arts Programme 2022-2023

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council

Deadline: 15 August 2022

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, in partnership with Blackrock Education Centre, is looking for six creative practitioners in a variety of artforms to work with children and teachers in the classroom setting. The main purpose of the programme is to facilitate a professional Creative Practitioner to collaborate with a primary school class and teacher to explore creativity in the classroom setting through various artforms.

Overview of dlr’s Primary Arts Programme

dlr’s Primary Arts Programme was initiated in 1994. dlr Arts Office has partnered with Blackrock Education Centre since 2008 to deliver the countywide programme. dlR Arts Office recognise the importance of life-long learning and the positive impact that early intervention may have in addressing education inequality. Through the partnership with Blackrock Education Centre, dlr Arts Office works to ensure that children have access to cultural education regardless of circumstances. The main purpose of the programme is to facilitate a professional Creative Practitioner to collaborate with a primary school class and teacher to explore creativity in the classroom setting through various art forms. A Creative Practitioner is a professional facilitator with an artform background, for example, a Dancer, a Visual Artist, a Writer or a Musician.

The timeline for engagement of the creative practitioners is October 2022 – May 2023. Upon agreement between both parties, this may be extended from October 2023 – May 2024.

Deadline for applications: 12 noon 15 August 2022 

Full details included fees, criteria and applications details are available at www.dlrcoco.ie/en/funding-opportunities/dlr-primary-arts-programme-2022-23. 

 

!!!! Open Call: Baboró Children’s Panel 2022

Baboró International Arts Festival for Children
Deadline: 29 July 2022

Baboró is looking for children who will be starting 4th class in September 2022 to join their Children’s Panel to ensure their voices are included in their planning and decision making.

The Children’s Panel will play an important role in shaping Baboró’s work to make all children feel welcome, heard and represented at Baboró and in our community. The children will be guided through their experience of the festival and creative workshops throughout the year by Baboró artist in residence, Maisie Lee. Their perspectives and voice will inform how they present their annual festival and year round work with schools and communities.

Members of the Children’s Panel will attend their festival in October where they will watch performances and visit exhibitions; together meet artists and performers and learn about their creative process; meet the people who create the festival and share their ideas with them; workshop and express their opinions and perspectives of their festival experience.

Members will also meet once a month to take part in workshops and arts activities, attend creative events, meet new friends and have fun!

Deadline 29 July 2022

For more information, see www.baboro.ie/news-events/baboro-childrens-panel-2022

!!!! Opportunity for primary schools: My Bloomsday

Branar and the Museum of Literature Ireland (MoLI)
Date: Bloomsday Thursday, 16 June 2022

MoLI is asking young people from 2nd to 6th class to tell us all about a day in their life, this Bloomsday, on Thursday, 16 June. And teachers, it’s a schoolday – so they need your help!

As a follow-on activity from watching Branar’s wonderful You’ll See… film, we want to capture the diversity of lived experiences of young people from around the island of Ireland and put their voice and perspective at the heart of this day.

This is a simple and fun exercise that links imagination and biography, giving us a sense of what their days are like. Schools from across the country are taking part, and the submissions will be presented as an online archive later this year.

The closing date for submissions is Friday, 8 July 2022.

Date: Bloomsday Thursday, 16 June 2022

For more information on how to take part, see ulysses22.ie/mybloomsday

 

 

!!!! Deadline Extended: 2022/2023 Creative Schools Programme Open for Applications

Creative Schools
Deadline: 17.30, 16 June 2022

The Arts Council are delighted to announce that applications have opened for schools to apply for the Creative Schools 2022/ 2023 programme.

Creative Schools 2022 welcomes applications from schools and Youthreach centres across the country who would like to join the programme.  The deadline has been extended to 17.30, 16 June 2022.

The purpose of Scoileanna Ildánacha/Creative Schools is to support schools and Youthreach centres to put the arts and creativity at the heart of children’s and young people’s lives. Participating schools/centres will take part in a guided journey over two years to develop a Creative Schools Plan unique to each school, and begin to implement it.  Key supports offered by this award include up to nine days per year of expert support and advice from a Creative Associate assigned to each school/centre, and a €4,000 grant towards activities and projects arising.

All applications to the Arts Council are made through the Arts Council’s online services system.  Schools and Youthreach centres interested in applying to Scoileanna Ildánacha/Creative Schools 2022 can register an account on the Arts Council’s online services system here.

All Department of Education-recognised primary and post-primary schools and Youthreach centres that have not already participated in a previous round of Creative Schools are invited to apply.

Online information clinics for schools and Youthreach centres about how to apply for Creative Schools 2022

The Arts Council will be holding online information clinics in May about the Creative Schools programme and how to apply for 2022. The clinics are for representatives of Primary and Post Primary Schools, Special Schools and Youthreach Centres who are interested in participating in Scoileanna Ildánacha/Creative Schools for the academic years 2022/2023 and 2023/2024.

The online information clinics will take place as follows:

The application deadline for Creative Schools has been extended to 17.30 on 16 June 2022. The reason for the new deadline is to facilitate schools at this busy time to complete their applications successfully.

For application guidelines and information about the Creative Schools please see www.artscouncil.ie/creative-schools/schools-opportunities/. If you have any questions at all please contact us at creativeschools@artscouncil.ie.

 

!!!! Teacher Opportunity: Teacher-Artist Partnership Face-to-Face CPD 2022

Teacher-Artist Partnership (TAP)
Dates: 4 July – 8 July 2022

Teacher-Artist Partnership (TAP) Programme invites teachers to register for their Face-to-Face CPD this summer. The Teacher Artist Partnership Residency programme 2022 – 2023 will be available to eight participating schools in all 21 full-time Education Support Centres. Only schools whose teachers participated in the summer course 2022 will be eligible for a residency.

The Teacher-Artist Partnership (TAP) CPD and Residency Programme is a unique Department of Education led initiative for supporting and enhancing arts and creativity in education in primary schools. It is funded and supported under the Creative Ireland Programme – Creative Youth. The initiative includes CPD Summer Courses and subsequent funded Artist in Residency opportunities in which TAP trained teachers and artists and the children work together in partnership during the following academic year. For more on TAP see: edcentretralee.ie/27-teacher-artist-partnership.html

Dates: 4 July – 8 July 2022

Register on your local full-time Education Support Centre’s website. Find your local Education Support Centre here: esci.ie/

 

Download a PDF version of the TAP Face-to-face callout 2022 here

!!!! School theatre & workshops: Swansong

Barnstorm Theatre Company
Dates: 10am & 12pm, 25 May – 10 June 2022

Barnstorm Theatre Company are delighted to invite primary schools in Kilkenny to Swansong. This performance is a heartfelt and comic exploration of a once in a lifetime encounter between two strangers. This new play for audiences aged 9+ by Shane O’Reilly playfully and sensitively engages with the mythical notion of the swansong; a final gesture or performance.

Schools attending a performance can book two workshops in their school, a session on visual literacy in advance of the performance and a second workshop on critical analysis in the days following their visit to the theatre. There is limited availability and will be provided on a ‘first-come’ basis. A resource pack will be provided to participating teachers. The pack will provide a focus for exploration and discussion of themes raised through the play. There is a special school group ticket rate of €10 with teachers attending for free.

Dates: 10am & 12pm, 25 May – 10 June 2022

For more information or to book, see barnstorm.ie/swansong/

!!!! Post-primary opportunity: Composers in the Classroom

Chamber Choir Ireland
Dates: Ongoing

Chamber Choir Ireland is delighted to resume their popular Composers in the Classroom programme this Autumn term. With coaching from one of Ireland’s leading composers in the creative process of composing for choir, visits from a Chamber Choir Ireland singer to give insights from the performers’ perspective, and support from their school music teacher, up to four nominated students from each participating school will compose their own piece of choral music, a selection of which will be performed and recorded by Chamber Choir Ireland at a gala concert at the National Concert Hall. Composer and singer visits will be arranged at mutually convenient times.

Dates: Ongoing

Teachers interested in bringing Composers in the Classroom to their school should contact education@chamberchoirireland.com.

For more information on Composers in the Classroom, see www.chamberchoirireland.com/learning-participation/composers-in-the-classroom/

!!!! Resource: Teacher – Artist Partnership (TAP) Special Initiative videos

Teacher-Artist Partnership (TAP) & Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership
Video resource

The Teacher-Artist Partnership (TAP) Programme in partnership with Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership are delighted to launch a video series developed as part of a special initiative aiming to support teacher-artist pairs in documenting and engaging collaboratively online.

This video resource explores 4 different questions: Why is the Teacher-Artist relationship important, why is it important to document your projects, what is the value of the arts in the classroom and lastly, what does a child-led process look like? The four videos feature the Teacher – Artist pairs who participated in the TAP Special Initiative Project which took place over 2021.

These videos form part of a wider programme facilitated by Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership. Participants took part in a 5-session online documentation training programme. These in-depth workshops covered topics such as what is creative documentation, digital tools for creative collaboration and documentation, documenting as part of your process, presenting your creative self and work and lastly, editing and curating your work.

Watch the videos here:

  1. What does a child-led process look like: https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/706103042
  2. What is the value of the arts in the classroom: https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/706105556
  3. Why it is important to document your projects: https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/706107812
  4. Why is the Teacher – Artist relationship important: https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/706110192

The Teacher-Artist pairs also took part in 6 mentoring sessions, choosing a mentor that best suited their project from a curated panel. During these mentoring sessions, the pairs got the chance to delve deep into their practice together, offering a space for reflection. The final element of the Special Initiative will consist of a digital publication sharing the learnings of this documentation training programme.

The Teacher-Artist Partnership (TAP) CPD and Residency Programme is a unique Department of Education led initiative for supporting and enhancing arts and creativity in education in primary schools. It is funded and supported under the Creative Ireland Programme – Creative Youth. The initiative includes CPD Summer Courses and subsequent funded Artist in Residency opportunities in which TAP trained teachers and artists and the children work together in partnership during the following academic year. For more on TAP see: edcentretralee.ie/27-teacher-artist-partnership.html

TAP Face-to-Face 2022 runs from Monday 4th July – Friday 8th July. The Teacher Artist Partnership Residency programme 2022 – 2023 will be available to eight participating schools in all 21 full-time Education Support Centres. Only schools whose teachers participated in the summer course 2022 will be eligible for a residency.

Register on your local full-time Education Support Centre’s website. See link to find your local Education Support Centre https://esci.ie/

!!!! School workshops: Image-Making-Meaning with artist Claire Halpin

Solstice Arts Centre
Dates: Thursday 26 May, 9:30am – 11am or 11:30am – 1pm

Solstice Arts Centre invites 1st – 6th class primary school students to this hands-on workshop which will focus on the contrasting painted artworks in their current exhibition ‘Golden Fleece: 21 Years’. Artist Claire Halpin will begin with a Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) tour of the gallery to engage students in peer-to-peer conversation on the multiple perspectives and themes explored by the exhibiting artists. Students will then have the opportunity to respond and engage in a range of artistic and creative techniques, including 2d and 3d drawing, layering and collage.

This multimedia approach to image making will be inspired by the aspects of everyday urban and domestic environments depicted in the works of Kathy Tynan, the controlled brushwork and cropping of his subject matter seen in Marcel Vidal’s triptych, the atmospheric paintings by Paul Hallahan, focusing on how we relate and interact with nature or the subtle depictions based on gender, class, and identity within Irish history in an artwork by artist Jennifer Trouton.

Curricular links made during this workshop will include oral and visual literacy, visual art appreciation, drawing, collage, colour, history, SESE, SPHE as well as problem solving and collaboration.

Dates: Thursday 26 May, 9:30am – 11am or 11:30am – 1pm

Workshops cost €3 per pupil. To book, see solsticeartscentre.ie/event/image-making-meaning-with-artist-claire-halpin or contact Deirdre at deirdre.rogers@solsticeartscentre.ie.

!!!! Architects in Schools Exhibition: Student Response Workshops

National Museum of Ireland – Country Life
Dates: 1 May to 30 June 2022

The Irish Architecture Foundation and the National Museum of Ireland invite you to Architects in Schools Exhibition. This is a national exhibition created by Transition Year students, teachers and architects responding to themes of Community, Sustainability and Home.

This exhibition features 2D drawings and 3D models and were made in workshops by young people, in collaboration with architects and teachers. The exhibits are displayed in different locations throughout the Museum. An exhibition map is available to guide you on this exhibition trail. There are a number of objects in the Irish Folklife collection that link to the exhibition themes so keep an eye out for them!

The National Museum of Ireland is facilitating Student Response Workshops in response to the Architects in Schools Exhibition. These school visits are an opportunity for students participating in Architects in Schools to meet each other and share their views and ideas. As part of their visit, they will participate in a workshop facilitated by an architect.

Dates: 1 May to 30 June 2022

For more information on the Architects in Schools Exhibition or to book your school slot on a Student Response Workshop, please see www.museum.ie/en-IE/Museums/Country-Life/Exhibitions/Architects-in-schools

 

!!!! Artist Opportunity: Artist Basic Income Scheme open for applications

Dept of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Deadline: 12 May 2022

The Dept of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media has launched a new and pioneering pilot scheme to support artists and creative arts workers. The Basic Income for the Arts pilot scheme will examine, over a 3 year period, the impact of a basic income on artists and creative arts workers. Payments of €325 per week will be made to 2,000 eligible artists and creative arts workers who will be selected at random and invited to take part.

The overarching objective of the scheme is to address the earnings instability that can be associated with the intermittent, periodic, and often project-based nature of work in the arts. The scheme will research the impact on artists and creative arts workers creative practice of providing the security of a basic income, thereby reducing income precarity.

Its intention is to research the impact a basic income would have on artists and creatives work patterns by providing the opportunity to focus on their practice, and to minimise the loss of skills from the arts as a result of the pandemic and to contribute to the sectors gradual regrowth post pandemic.

The delivery of the pilot is a key priority for Minister Catherine Martin, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, to underpin the recovery in the arts and culture sector and provide much needed certainty to the artists and creatives who choose to avail of the pilot scheme.

The pilot scheme will be open to eligible artists and creative arts sector workers.

Deadline: 12 May 2022

To apply, see www.gov.ie/en/campaigns/09cf6-basic-income-for-the-arts-pilot-scheme/

!!!! Part 2 – Announcing the 2022 Arts in Education Portal Documentation Award Recipients

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.

 

!!!! Theatre for primary schools: Lúminaria

Backstage Theatre
Date: 11am & 1pm, Friday 20 May 2022

Backstage Theatre invites primary schools to Lúminaria, a theatre show for ages 6+. With an array of wonderful characters played by three amazing actors, colourful puppets and original music, Lúminaria brings the audience on a whimsical journey into the unknown.

There is an emergency in the village of Lúminaria and only Lúna can save them. Join Lúna on an adventure into the sky as she tries to find the light to protect her mother and the villagers from darkness. As Lúna faces her deepest fears, we learn about courage, love and finding light in the darkest of moments.

Writer Fionnuala Gygax & Director Maisie Lee carried out a number of workshops with two local Longford schools in Lúminaria’s development stage, incorporating the childrens’ feedback into this imaginative show.

Date: 11am & 1pm, Friday 20 May 2022

Tickets cost €6. For more information or to book tickets, see backstage.ticketsolve.com/shows/1173621455

 

 

 

!!!! Workshops for primary & post-primary schools with Super Paua

Hawk’s Well Theatre
Dates: Monday 25 or Tuesday 26 April 2022

Hawk’s Well Theatre is bringing Super Paua to Sligo to deliver three different in-person workshops in local primary and secondary schools. Super Paua is an Irish artist-led collective whose workshop programmes encourage young people to question what they know and how they’ve come to know it, creating space for them to harness their creative ideas and to come together to connect in a new way.

There are three workshops: ARTificial; Is Peace Possible? Zine Workshop; and Getting Lost- Ag Dul Ar Strae – Multilingual/Super Paua Stories Workshops.

ARTificial
This art and science workshop explores artificial intelligence, machine learning and fake news. Using practical, creative, and discussion based activities, Super Paua explore with the young people the impacts that technology and fake news have, and could have on our world and future.

Is Peace Possible? Zine Workshop
In 1957, Kathleen Lonsdale wrote her book Is Peace Possible? Kathleen was a pioneering chemist, crystallographer and activist who was extremely aware of the social and political impacts science can have. In this zine workshop, participants will develop your artistic and storytelling skills to create your own zines based on the question Lonsdale poses in the title of her book. What would peace look like to you? What do young people, scientists, artists and citizens need to engage with to make peace a possibility?

Getting Lost- Ag Dul Ar Strae
In this workshop, you will be playing with idioms and proverbs to create stories together, and to celebrate different languages (Irish, English and the other languages in your class!). Participants will use drama, images and conversation to create imaginative stories from unique poetic phrases in our native languages, chosen by the children. This workshop is based on Lara ar Strae from Scéalta Super Paua, a bilingual podcast for children.

Dates: Monday 25 or Tuesday 26 April 2022

For more information, visit www.hawkswell.com/events/event/super-paua-school-workshops. To book, call the Hawk’s Well Theatre box office on 071 9161518 (Mon – Fri 10am – 2pm) or email boxoffice@hawkswell.ie.

!!!! Blog 1 – Marc Mac Lochlainn, Executive Artistic Director of Branar Téatar do Pháistí

21 years of stories.

We are delighted to be celebrating our 21st year of making work for children this year. We have the great privilege as arts to be allowed to create arts experiences for young citizens aged 0- 12 years. This privilege comes with a great responsibility also, because the day we meet a new audience member could be their first ever experience of the arts and it also could be their last.

Therefore, we must ensure that each and every artistic encounter we have with children is excellent, because we believe every child should have the best childhood possible and that excellent art made especially for them should be part of it.

We insist on calling our audience young citizen because as citizens they have the same rights as adults and therefore are entitled to every opportunity that an adult is entitled to.

Article 31 of the UN Convention on the Rights of The Child (1989) states that ..

“State parties shall respect and promote the right of the child to participate fully in cultural and artistic life and shall encourage the provision of appropriate and equal opportunities for cultural, artistic, recreational and leisure activity.”

The importance of arts and culture for children cannot be understated and it is this belief that is the core of what we do at Branar.

We love stories, and we promise to create stories that children can enjoy. Branar was founded 2 April 2001, with the aim of creating arts experiences for children so that they and their imagination may thrive. Over the years, we have created over 22 shows, working with an ensemble of exceptional artists and creative partners including The Ark, Baboró, NIE (England), Starcatchers (Scotland), and many leading Irish arts centres and festivals.

This year we have also launched Meitheal, our new support initiative for artists creating work for young audiences across the performing arts disciplines. With this initiative, we aim to help independent artists create exciting new work for young audiences.

Over the next few blog posts, we will be giving some behind the scenes sneak peaks into one of the projects the team will be working on in the coming months. 

!!!! Events: Schools programme at the Highlanes Gallery

Highlanes Gallery
Dates: April – Nov 2022

Highlanes Gallery are offering both primary and post-primary school programmes running from April – November 2022 that engage your students with art & ideas.

The primary school programme involves 4 free sessions where teachers will explore art with your class, looking, thinking and making, focusing on Highlanes’ current exhibitions.

Facilitated by artist Claire Halpin, you and your class will visit Highlanes Gallery in-person in Session 1 to view the exhibition where Claire will use Visual Thinking Strategies methodology to activate reflection and discussion. Session 2 and 3 are practical and involve Claire visiting your classroom where you and your class group will work with ideas and materials liked with the exhibition. Session 4 concludes with a reflection and discussion session back in the gallery and with the other class groups (2) who will also have taken part in the programme.

Recent Acquisitions (Summer)
Wed 11th May Gallery Visit
Wed 18th May Classroom Session
Wed 25th May Classroom Session
Wed 1st June Gallery Feedback Session

Eithne Jordan Solo Exhibition (Autumn)
Wed 7th Sept Gallery Visit
Wed 14th Sept Classroom Session
Wed 21st Sept Classroom Session
Wed 28th Sept Gallery Feedback Session

Brian Fay – The Most Recent Forever (Winter)
Wed 12th Oct Gallery Visit
Wed 19th Oct Classroom Session
Wed 26th Oct Classroom Session
Wed 9th Nov Gallery Feedback Session

Also on offer are post-primary guided tours of Highlanes’ current exhibition ‘We are here’. This exhibition which was co-curated by a group of artist-art teachers and lecturers continues until 16th April. The guided tours will focus on the Leaving Cert Curriculum and/or other approaches that are of interest to your students.

Dates: April – Nov 2022

Both programmes plus materials are free to teachers and their students. To book your place, or get more information, please email Simon Colfer at info@highlanes.ie

!!!! Opportunity: This is Art! open for entries

RTÉ and Creative Ireland Programme
Deadline: 1 May 2022

Calling all artists of all abilities – This Is Art! Competition is back. RTÉ and Creative Ireland Programme are inviting artists aged 18 and under who live anywhere on the island of Ireland to create and submit an original piece of visual art with the theme ‘This Is Extraordinary’.

Snap or scan a digital version of the artwork and upload it, together with a brief artist statement, to an online art gallery where it will be shown for for generations to come.

There are five categories: Age 7 and under, age 8 – 11, age 12 – 15, age 16 – 18 and a group category. A prize fund of more than €10,000 will be awarded across the different categories for further education and art related vouchers. The competition aims to promote artistic practice among young people and encourage and support creativity, originality and self-expression. All visual art disciplines are welcomed.

Deadline: 1 May 2022

For further information go to: www.rte.ie/thisisart/competition

!!!! Online CPD for Teachers: Mindfulness & Art

National Gallery of Ireland
Date: 4-5pm, 11 May 2022

National Gallery of Ireland invites teachers to an online CPD for Teachers: Mindfulness & Art. Join Maria Broderick, gallery tour guide and primary-school teacher, for a practical workshop that will equip you with tools and ideas for including mindfulness in the classroom.

The session will support teachers using the National Gallery of Ireland’s schools resource Art & Mindfulness, and will include peer learning via group work to enable you to develop cross-curricular creative strategies.

This is an online event via Zoom. A link will be sent via email to all ticketholders before the event. Booking closes an hour before the event is scheduled to begin.

Date: 4-5pm, 11 May 2022

For more information or to book, see www.nationalgallery.ie/whats-on/online-cpd-teachers-mindfulness-art#na

!!!! Opportunity for Schools: Creative Clusters Initiative Invite Applications

Creative Clusters
Deadline: 13 May 2022

The Minister for Education Norma Foley TD invites primary and post-primary schools across Ireland to apply for Creative Clusters, an initiative taking place as part of Creative Ireland and under the Schools Excellence Fund. The Department of Education’s budget for Creative Clusters in 2022 is €595,000.

Under this scheme to support schools to build capacity in creativity, schools in each cluster will enjoy access to a specialist facilitator, artist or creative expertise in whatever their chosen area of interest or theme might be. These resources will help the schools to build a project of learning and activities tailor-made for their students. As part of this funding allocation, a cluster may receive up to €15,000 funding to help bring their plans and ideas to fruition in 2022-2024.

Minister Foley said:

“This is a wonderful opportunity for schools to work together on a project of their choice. Schools are given complete freedom to design and develop their own project, with support from a local facilitator and their local education centre. I hope that this exciting initiative will help schools to further enhance creativity in their classrooms. It is important that our children are enabled to express themselves and learn to adapt and collaborate. ‘Creative Clusters’ gives students of all ages the opportunity to develop these essential skills, enjoy and explore artistic and creative expression.”

To date, the Creative Clusters initiative has seen schools around the country work together to develop creative projects and collaborate on new ideas based on their local experience and unique perspective. The Schools Excellence Fund of the Department of Education sets out to encourage and recognise excellence and innovation in our schools. This initiative will help deliver on the Creative Youth pillar of Creative Ireland, which sets out a commitment that every child in Ireland has practical access to tuition, experience and participation in music, drama, arts and coding.

Application Deadline: 13 May 2022

Each Creative Cluster will receive grant funding of €3,000 per school over a two-year period to implement their project in the 2022–2024 school years (e.g. a cluster of 3 schools would receive €9,000 over two years while a cluster of 5 schools would receive €15,000 over two years). Clusters will receive 50% of the total grant funding in Year 1, with the second 50% being provided in Year 2.  In addition, but separate to the grant funding, all successful clusters are further supported with: A fully paid Creative Cluster Facilitator; paid Teacher Substitution to attend training and meetings; room hire, travel & subsistence.

Please see the following link for more details: Creative Clusters.

Applications should be sent to the local full-time Teacher Education Support Centre (list at Appendix 1 of Guidelines document on DoE website) or use this link Appendix 1.

Any queries, please contact your local Education Centre or email Arts in Education Administration artsineducation@edcentretralee.ie

Creative Clusters is an initiative of the Department of Education, led by and in partnership with the 21 full-time Teacher Education Centres (Education Support Centres Ireland – ESCI) and funded through the Schools Excellence Fund.

 

!!!! Launch Event: The Unfinished Book of Poetry 2022

Cork City Libraries and Ó Bhéal
Date: Wednesday 4 May 2022

Cork City Libraries and Ó Bhéal are delighted to announce the 18th edition of The Unfinished Book of Poetry (2022) features new poetry from transition-year writers representing five Cork schools. This edition will be launched at Cork City Library, Grand Parade, at 12pm, Wednesday 4th May 2022. All are welcome to attend and listen to these young writers read from their work.

Each year these student writers undergo a series of workshops led by established poets, over nine sessions. The workshops take place between November and March and the book is then launched by the Lord Mayor of Cork each year.

This year’s schools include Bishopstown Community School, Gaelcholáiste Mhuire, A.G., Mayfield Community School, St Aloysius School and Coláiste Chríost Rí.

Date: Wednesday 4 May 2022

Since 2005 over thirty writers have provided workshops for Transition Year students from over twenty Cork schools, with almost 700 young writers find their way into print. Ó Bhéal has been curating the project since 2012. To find out more about this project, see www.obheal.ie/blog/the-unfinished-book-of-poetry/

!!!! New Arts & Creativity TV Series: This is Art Club!

RTÉ 
Dates: 5pm Thursdays & on RTÉ Player

RTÉ is launching an exciting new series for young artists and art lovers everywhere called This Is Art Club! Presented by Irish artists Holly Pereira, Shane Keeling and Ross Carvill, this eight-part series focuses on one special material each week, discovering where it comes from and why it makes such incredible art.

Each week, with the help of young Artist Apprentices, they will take a look at the coolest art from inspiring Irish artists, discover some exciting jobs in the art world, and see how you might turn your love of art into a career. From tech to teacups, makeup to metals, and digital dots to real paint pots, they cover all the materials and processes that make the world of art go round.

Dates: 5pm Thursdays & on RTÉ Player

You can watch this series of This is Art Club! every week on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player at a time that suits you. Find out more here: www.rte.ie/thisisart/club

!!!! Call for presentations and workshops: Portal Spring Regional Day 2022

Arts in Education
Deadline: 5pm, 31 March 2022

Artists, teachers, academics and arts education professionals… Would you like to be part of the Portal Spring Regional Day? The Arts in Education Portal Team are seeking submissions for presentations and workshops for the Portal Spring Regional Day 2022 with a focus on Kildare, Wicklow, Meath and Louth. This regional event will take place in the Mid-East at the Kildare Education Support Centre on Saturday, 7 May, 2022.

The event aims to connect teachers, artists, arts managers and anyone with an interest in arts in education based in Kildare, Wicklow, Meath and Louth. Practitioners can learn more about the Portal and what it offers, tell us about their work, connect with the community at regional level, share practice and find out what opportunities or events are available in their local area.

We are inviting proposals from organisations or individuals who are involved in arts and creative projects in education in the Mid-East, and who want to give inspiring presentations or workshops that can offer sharing of skills, practical approaches, new insights and critical thinking across the field, from a range of perspectives.

Deadline: 5pm, 31 March 2022

Do you have a workshop or presentation that you would like to be included in the programme for the Portal Spring Regional Day? If so, please get in touch by email to editor@artsineducation.ie.

Further Information

 

!!!! 2022 Creative Schools Week: Creativity Lives Here

The Arts Council’s Creative Schools Initiative
Date: 9 – 13 May, 2022

Where does wondering happen in schools? When do students explore ‘What if’ questions? How is inspiration and imagination expressed? Creativity is developing and flourishing in all school environments. The Arts Council of Ireland is delighted to announce Creative Schools Week. This week provides a space in the calendar to recognise schools as centres of creativity, highlight those areas where creativity is at work, and give students an opportunity to share their creative exploits.

‘Creativity Lives Here’ is the theme for this year’s celebration. It presents an opportunity for school communities to pause and reflect on where creativity is evident in every class, in every department and in the experience of every student. The week is a time to focus on celebrating this creativity, perhaps adding to the experiences of students in the form of events or workshops and providing a platform to show how creativity lives in each school.

The Creative Schools online programmes from the 2021 celebration provide a great snapshot of creative activities and events in a variety of school settings and age groups. These episodes are available to watch on www.artscouncil.ie/creative-schools/celebration-2021/

Date: 9 – 13 May, 2022

Creative Schools Week is open to every school.  Schools will receive a brochure with lots of ideas and ways to become involved in the celebration. Creative Schools will send some updates in the weeks leading up to May 9th with further ideas for activities and information about how your schools can celebrate. To further information or to get involved, please contact creativeschools@artscouncil.ie

!!!! Dance performance for schools: Fall and Float

Roscommon Arts Centre
Date: 10am & 12pm, 30 March 2022

Roscommon Arts Centre is delighted to present ‘Fall and Float’, a dance performance for everyone aged 4+. This highly visual show celebrates childhood, adventure, festivity, fantasy, imagination and friendship. Balloons are used by the dancers to evoke important moments of childhood and spark memories and emotions.

Two talented dancers Martijn Joling and Amy Pender, Mónica Muñoz’s playful choreography and a joyful soundscape by Denis Clohessy, combine to make ‘Fall and Float’ a delight for the senses and an ideal introduction to dance performance for a primary school audience. Funded by the Arts Council of Ireland with the support of Creative Ireland and Baboro Pathways to Production.

Date: 10am & 12pm, 30 March 2022

Tickets cost €5. For more information, contact box office on 09066 25824 or visit roscommonartscentre.ie/event/fall-and-float-school-shows/

!!!! Programming and Coordination of Children’s Art in Libraries: Creative Hubs

Dublin City Council
Deadline: 12pm, 29 March 2022

Dublin City Council wishes to invite submissions by e-tender from highly motivated and suitably qualified individuals/organisations for the programming and coordination of Children’s Art in Libraries: Creative Hubs.

The Creative Hubs initiative is delivered in partnership by Dublin City Arts Office and Dublin City Libraries. Creative Hubs sustain high quality arts experiences for children, schools and families to access in their Library and locality, through the development of enhanced educational, community and cultural partnership. In recent years, they have prioritised more engaged developmental programming in response to local need and this has led to the establishment of three Creative Hubs in Coolock, Cabra and Ballyfermot libraries.

In 2022/3 programme will be delivered live in the three libraries and their grounds and may also be delivered online or by agreement in other local locations (schools or community buildings). Commissioning processes already agreed for Autumn/Winter 2022 include a visual arts exhibition for Ballyfermot library curated by and in partnership with RHA Gallery, a dance commission with Visual Carlow/GBS Theatre and a theatre commission with The Ark.

The successful tenderer will be responsible for the development and delivery of a high quality multi-disciplinary arts programme for children in identified city libraries and localities supported by the associated development of educational, community and cultural partnerships. The tender is for a one year contract with a potential to extend up to a further 12 months. The value of the one year contract will fall within the range of €38,000 – €45,000 including expenses and excluding VAT.

Deadline: 12pm, 29 March 2022

For full details and to apply see www.etenders.gov.ie Service ID/RFT: 208073. This opportunity is open to organisations or individuals.

!!!! Workshop: Having Fun in the Outdoor Landscape

Burrenbeo Trust
Date: 19 March, 2022

Burrenbeo Trust invites you to Having Fun in the Outdoor Landscape with Kate Lavender and Karen Van Drop, a workshop for anyone with an interest in place-based learning and/or learning more in the Burren. This workshop forms part of their 11th annual Learning Landscape Symposium that brings together leading change-makers and educators from 18 – 20 March 2022. The symposium takes place at the community centre in Kinvara, Co.Galway and outdoors in the Burren.

The symposium will comprise of a mixture of indoor workshops, outdoor fieldtrips, discussions, and networking events, and is open to anyone with an interest in communicating natural, built, or cultural heritage and sustainability to their audiences and inspiring action.

Date: 19 March, 2022

Learning Landscape Symposium runs from 18 – 20 March 2022 on the theme of From Learning to Action. For more information and to book tickets, see https://burrenbeo.com/lls/

 

!!!! Event: NAPD Creative Engagement Exhibition

National Association for Principals & Deputy Principals
Date: 9:30 – 17:00, 3 – 5 March, 2022 

National Association for Principals & Deputy Principals (NAPD) invites you to the 9th Annual Creative Engagement Exhibition, held online from 9:30 – 17:00, 3 – 5 March, 2022. The Exhibition will officially be opened at 9.30am by NAPD Director Paul Crone.

Creative Engagement is the longest running arts in education programme in second level schools in Ireland. It is an initiative of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals. The programme is part of the Creative Youth initiative which is Pillar 1 of Creative Ireland. The aim of the Creative Engagement programme is to encourage students’ creativity, initiative and expression through arts in education projects. From its inception in 2005, the arts-in-education programme entailed an artist or artists coming into the school to work with the students.

The event represents an important landmark in the calendar for educationalists and artists in the education sector, where schools exhibit the wide range of arts in the programme and display best practice in arts provision for young people. Against a background of a pandemic and lockdowns the resilience of students, teachers and artists is manifest and celebrated in the exhibition.

This year NAPD Creative Engagement has moved online to ensure accessibly for all audience members as per government guidelines. The programme has been supported by grant funding from the Department of Education and the Department of Tourism Culture Arts Gaeltacht Media and their forerunners since 2005.

Date: 9:30 – 17:00, 3 – 5 March, 2022 

For more information and to register please visit:
hopin.com/events/creative-engagement-annual-art-exhibition-46d84a96-c470-492e-ab79-80fc6c31c5ea

!!!! Event: The Voyage Theatre Workshop with Graffiti

Graffiti Theatre Company
Online workshop

Graffiti Theatre Company are delighted to present The Voyage, a new interactive theatre workshop for Primary classes (8+) and their teachers. This participatory well-being workshop offers an opportunity to reflect on the year gone by, and equips students and teachers with skills they may need for future change and transition.

Designed and developed by Graffiti’s Creative Learning team in consultation with educational psychotherapist Marie Delaney, The Voyage offers:

  1. A pre-workshop discussion with a Creative Learning Team Member
  2. Resource activities in preparation for the workshop
  3. An interactive workshop for the class group, delivered online by Graffiti Theatre Creative Learning facilitators
  4. Follow up resources for additional teacher-lead workshops

This workshop has been designed during Covid restrictions to address some of the anxiety and well being issues faced by young people associated with the pandemic. This workshop has been designed to be delivered virtually, and will continue to be offered online when restrictions are lifted.

How to book

The Voyage cost €250 per class and the interactive workshop element lasts for 60 minutes. To book, contact Julie on 021 437 9111 or at julie@graffiti.ie. For more information, see www.graffiti.ie/workshops/creative-learning/the-voyage/

!!!! Event: Bringing Books To Life workshops for primary schools

Draíocht 
Dates: 1-31 March 2022

To celebrate 25 years of World Book Day on March 3rd, Draíocht invites primary schools to this fun workshop which brings books to life.

Using themes of well-loved and known fairy-tales as a starting point, these workshops introduce students to the wonderful world of books through imaginative storytelling and fun collective group games. The workshops will explore ways of engaging the imagination, of thinking creatively, seeing, listening and expressing yourself through theatre games. Pupils will work together towards a common goal of creating a short performance based on stories they already know and giving them the opportunity to experience the creation of something from nothing!

The programme is offered on a first come first served basis and is restricted to schools within the Dublin 15 area. Cost per day €120. All materials are provided. Subject to artist availability, this subsidised workshop price is limited to two days per school.

Dates: 1-31 March 2022

Workshops can take place from 1-31 March 2022 on a date of your choosing. Closing date for Bookings is 11 March 2022. For further details please see www.draiocht.ie/whats-on/bringing-books-to-life

!!!! Creative Ireland Programme extended to 2027

Minister Martin announces government decision to extend Creative Ireland, the culture and wellbeing programme that transforms people, places and communities through creativity. Committed to the vision that everyone should have the chance to realise their creative potential to the full, the innovative all-of-government culture and wellbeing programme will be extended, in principle, for five more years until 2027.

In 2017, Creative Ireland was launched as an all-of-government culture and wellbeing programme committed to the vision that every person should have the opportunity to realise their full creative potential. Established as a legacy initiative of the Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme, it is the only programme of its kind in the world.

The founding vision of the programme is that creativity must be at the heart of public policy and that participation in cultural and creative activity promotes the wellbeing of the individual, the community and the nation at large. Creative Ireland collaborates across government and with arts, community and voluntary organisations to deploy creativity as a strategy for wellbeing, social cohesion and economic success.

Alongside its very successful Creative Youth initiative, the programme’s Creative Communities partnership with the 31 local authorities, and their delivery of over 5,700 creative projects to date, has been key to enabling community-led nationwide engagement.

Minister Martin said:

“I warmly welcome the Government’s decision to implement the all-of-government Creative Ireland Programme for another five years, and to work with me in the coming months to develop its framework. This programme has been innovative and effective in delivering the opportunity for people to explore their creative potential. Key initiatives such as Cruinniú na nÓg and Creative Schools have become embedded in the country’s cultural infrastructure. New projects that respond to contemporary social issues such as climate action and loneliness have emerged. With the support of my Cabinet colleagues, I look forward to developing a Creative Ireland Programme that will continue to enhance people’s lives in the coming years.”

The Government’s decision in principle will be for the Creative Ireland Programme to continue for a further five years, encompassing the period 2023-2027, and to focus on the following areas:
I. Creative Youth;
II. Creative Communities;
III. Creative Industries;
IV. Creative Health and Wellbeing; and
V. Creative Climate Action and Sustainability.

It is anticipated that a final framework of Clár Éire Ildánach/Creative Ireland Programme 2023-2027 will be brought to Government for its final agreement in Autumn 2022 prior to its publication, launch and implementation on an all-of-government basis.

For more see www.creativeireland.gov.ie/en/news/creative-ireland-programme-extended-to-2027/

!!!! Resource: Mayo County Council’s A Splash of Blue

Mayo County Council Arts Service & Kids’ Own Publishing
Primary school resource

A Splash of Blue is a Schools Exhibition and classroom resource available on loan from Mayo County Council Arts Service to primary schools in County Mayo. The artworks in the exhibition are part of the Mayo County Council Collection and are by artists from or living in Mayo, or who had an exhibition in the county.

A Splash of Blue is an initiative of Mayo County Council Arts Service in collaboration with Kids’ Own Publishing and was developed to make the collection accessible to schools and show children how to explore artworks through looking, thinking, talking and responding in creative ways such as art, writing, music and more.

The collection and accompanying resource A Splash of Blue is available now to tour to schools in County Mayo. This booklet is jam packed with children’s thoughts and ideas on how to engage with the artworks in a fun way while they are at your school. So now you can become a creative explorer too and use this booklet to support you on your journey of discovery of the Schools Exhibition.

If you would like your school to become a creative explorer and to use ‘A Splash of Blue’ to support you on your journey of discovery of the Schools Exhibition, simply email mayoarts@mayococo.ie or call 09490 64666 to arrange a tour of the collection to your school.

For more information see: www.mayo.ie/arts/programme/youth-art/schools-exhibition

 

 

!!!! Event: We Are Here workshops for primary schools

Solstice Arts Centre
Dates: 10:00 – 11:30 & 13:00-14:30, 16 February 2022

Solstice Arts Centre invites 1st – 6th class students to a guided tour and creative workshop using their latest exhibition ‘There is a forest in my backyard but my house is built from trees grown far away’ as a starting point.

Seeing architecture as a collaboration between humans and the environment, as co-organisms, WE ARE HERE will question if the structures we build can mimic how bees form their hives, a tree generates rings with each year, or a forest continually regenerates itself as a home for other organisms. Can a building be alive, breathing, growing, responsive, rather than something static and monumental? And what could this mean for the wellbeing of the people who use them and the wellbeing of our planet?

Following a tour of the exhibition, artist Anne Cradden will lead students through processes of experimentation with raw wood and plant products such as branches and twigs, as well as materials processed from wood and plants such as cardboard, paper, pulp forms, charcoal, MDF, wood chips and hessian. Thinking of building as a continually ongoing process rather than something with a predefined start and a final product, students will see what forms make-up their ideas before considering how humans can best use these structures. This workshop will touch on a broad range of cross-curricular topics including design, construction, mathematics, language, literacy, SESE, sustainability and co-operation.

Dates: 10:00 – 11:30 & 13:00-14:30, 16 February 2022

For more information and to book, see: solsticeartscentre.ie/event/we-are-here

!!!! Masterclasses: Creativity and Change Deep Dives Spring series 2022

Creativity and Change, Crawford College of Art & Design
Various dates

Creativity and Change Deep Dives are an opportunity for inspirational, intensive and in depth creative engagement over two days. Delivered by facilitators with specific expertise and experience, the programme is designed around the identified gaps and expressed interests of practitioners. Each creative workshop is a deep dive into a specific method that can be used to explore change-making, global citizenship and social justice.

These masterclasses explore a wide range of creative methods of storytelling, visual communication, podcasting, street art, drama and more. Masterclasses include:

1. The Story of Self with Clare Mulvany: Craft a compelling leadership story for social change
Sat 12th and Sun 13th of March
Cost €60

2. Visual Facilitation for Global Citizenship Education with Eimear Mc Nally
Sat 26th and Sun 27th March
Cost €60

3. Art + Activism = Artivism with Helen O Keeffe & Claire Coughlan
Sat 2nd and Sun 3rd April
Cost €60

4. Podcasting with Ainle ó Cairealláin from Rebel Matters Podcast
Sat 9th and Sun 10th April
Cost €60

5. Theatre of the Oppressed & Forum Theatre with Julian Boal
(Yes! That Boal!)
Friday 22nd, Saturday 23rd & Sunday 24th April
Cost €150

For more information on these creative workshops, see www.creativityandchange.ie/deep-dives/

!!!! Opportunity: Tipperary Artist in Primary School Scheme 2022

Tipperary County Council Arts Office
Deadline: Friday 18 February 2022

Applications are now open for Tipperary Arts Office‘s Artist in Primary School Scheme 2022. The scheme provides funding to a professional artist of any discipline to work in a school for 50 hours on a project designed collaboratively between the school and the artist. The scheme provides opportunities for children to access and to engage with an artist and the language of creativity at an early age; and for schools and teachers to work collaboratively across curriculum areas.

Projects funded in 2022 must take place within the following timeframes: March – June 2022 or September–December 2022. This scheme is open to applications from all primary schools in Tipperary. Please note that schools that have been successful in their application for the scheme in 2020 and 2021 are ineligible to apply under the 2022 scheme. Artists must be Garda Vetted by the Arts Office before projects can commence.

The scheme is open to art projects in all art forms including visual arts, music, dance, drama, literature, film, photography, architecture and new media.

Deadline: Friday 18 February 2022

For more information, see www.tipperarycoco.ie/content/artist-primary-school-scheme-2022

!!!! Job: Education Officer for The Playhouse Derry-Londonderry

The Playhouse 
Deadline: 5pm, Thursday 3 February 2022

The Playhouse is seeking an Education Officer. The Education Officer will work with the Head of Engagement and the wider Engagement Team to support learning and participation work in formal and informal settings and in the organisation’s role as an Open College Network Centre.

This is a part time role (2.5 days per week) in which you will help to ensure that The Playhouse develop pathways for people of all ages and abilities to engage in creative learning and participation.

The ideal candidate will be someone passionate about the value of education and motivated by engaging people in the learning that matters to them. You will understand and believe in a cultural democracy, in the value of the arts as part of our everyday lives and as a force for good in the world.

Deadline: 5pm, Thursday 3 February 2022

For more information on how to apply for the role of Education Officer, please see www.derryplayhouse.co.uk/vacancies

!!!! Event: Science Magic Show for schools

Bell Table 
Date: 12pm, 23 February 2022

Bell Table invites primary schools to ‘Science Magic Show’. Triple award-winning Irish comedian & scientist, Donal Vaughan, brings his hugely popular science and comedy show to Belltable this February. In Science Magic Show, using only things you find around the house, Donal will perform amazing tricks to show how magical science can be. Want to see a potato rocket launcher? Or conjure dragons breath? How about a vomiting unicorn? Of course you do.

Ticket price per student is €8. Book your school via box office only.

Date: 12pm, 23 February 2022

For more information, see limetreetheatre.ie/events/science-magic-show/

!!!! Event: Wire, Strings & Other Things music performance

Linenhall Arts Centre
Date: 10:15am, Tuesday 22 February 2022

Linenhall Arts Centre invites your school to ‘Wire, Strings & Other Things’. This music performance encourages you to always be curious. To listen, respond to and communicate through the sounds, music and stories that are all around you – wherever you are and whoever you are with.

Meet Ed, Andrea and James, three totally different people with one thing in common – they are crazy about music and sound. Anything can happen as they find each other and start to invent music together. What stories will they share when, with your help, they explore the magic and mystery of how to compose, perform and improvise?

Perfect for all primary school classes, Wires, Strings and Other Things links in with the Listening and Responding strand units of the Music curriculum. It fosters a sense of excellence in and appreciation of new music. Through storytelling and composing, this show encourages an awareness and sensitivity to the inter-related elements of music and musical understanding. Experiencing this live music performance means children will see and hear outstanding musicians performing brand new music on a range of instruments including the viola, bass clarinet and improvised musical instruments made from a variety of objects.

Date: 10:15am, Tuesday 22 February 2022

Suitable for students ages 6 and up. Pre-booking essential.
For more information, see thelinenhall.ticketsolve.com/shows/873630591

!!!! Solstice Arts Centre Present A-do-le-TA! for Primary Schools

Solstice Arts Centre
Available Online

Solstice Arts Centre are proud to present A-do-le-TA! This highly imaginative piece shows a day in the life of two friends. Joy and Sky are in a world where everything is possible – a tent can be a crab, an umbrella can be a cloud and the moon can sing! Through play, two friends overcome differences and together imagine, create and expand their reality and yours.

Enjoy a screening of the show in your classroom and continue the fun with their colourful and interactive AdoleTA! Play Packs. Each child/teacher will receive their own Play Pack with a link to a short video to watch after the show, where artist Selma Daniel demonstrates some of the fun activities for you to do. The activities include cutting out, sticking, movement and slow dance, all encouraging children to use their fine and gross motor skills.

The performance is based on the importance of play, especially free play during early childhood. It explores the fine line between the contemporary life, where electronic play has a huge role, and the natural instinctive play deep-rooted in human nature. Although digital media and technology have benefits, excessive use of electronic media can have a negative impact on wellbeing and mental health.

Available Online

Good internet access is required. A-do-le-TA! video is 45 minutes.
For bookings, further information and pricing, see solsticeartscentre.ie/event/a-do-le-ta-digital

!!!! Opp: Visual Arts Exhibition for Children, Schools and Families at Ballyfermot Library Creative Hub

Dublin City Council & RHA Gallery
Deadline: 12pm, 28 January 2022

Dublin City Council, in collaboration with and curated by RHA Gallery, invites submissions for its 3rd Visual Arts Exhibition Commission to be created for children, schools and families, which will be located in an exhibition room in Ballyfermot Library for 8-12 weeks in the Autumn of 2022. Dublin City Creative Hubs initiative, in collaboration with RHA, seeks to commission an engaging Visual Arts Exhibition for children that will stimulate both their curiosity and imagination and meets the following:

1. Provide children (both within and outside of school contexts) with a quality experience of Visual Arts.
2. Take cognisance of the library setting and the location of Ballyfermot.
3. Be appropriately cognisant of the needs, interests, real or imaginative lives of the target age group attending the Visual Arts Exhibition. (The age group identified can be jointly agreed between the Arts Office and the commission recipient(s) but must be under 12 years of age.
4. Be innovative in its approach and utilise the resources of its surroundings to deliver a quality artistic experience to its audience.
5. As part of the award, the successful candidate(s) will be expected to contribute to and help inform an engaging exhibition education and learning programme.

The Visual Art Exhibition Commission Award of €8500 is for research and delivery of commissioned works for exhibition. Technical support for installation will be provided by the RHA Gallery. A separate budget will be allocated for the associated education and learning programme that will take place with Primary School Children and family audiences across the 8 week term of the exhibition. This may involve additional artists as facilitators.

Deadline: 12pm, 28 January 2022

For more information, see mailchi.mp/dublincity/creative-hubs-1375478

!!!! Masterclass: Bridging Language Barriers and Building Connection

Mother Tongues 
Date: 10-12:30, Friday 28 January 2022

Mother Tongues is offering an interactive online course ‘Bridging Language Barriers and Building Connection’. In this masterclass, participants will learn about linguistically and culturally responsive strategies that will help them to bridge language barriers and build connections in their work. During the session, participants will get to draft their own language strategy. This course is designed for individuals working in organisations that provide Artistic and Cultural experiences to the public.

Some of the topics covered will include:
– Understanding the types of language and communication barriers and challenges
– Identifying and addressing relevant language and communication barriers
– Building your own inclusive language and communication action plan

Date: 10-12:30, Friday 28 January 2022

About the training:
The course is delivered via Zoom. Participants will take part in group discussions and will be guided through the steps to build their inclusive language and communication plan. All participants receive a certificate of attendance. Cost: €150.

For more information, see discover.mothertongues.ie/shop/courses/bridging-language-barriers-and-building-connection/?mc_cid=dcb2794f78&mc_eid=8a08f8cb24

 

!!!! Opportunity: Three Muses Public Engagement Coordinator

The Hunt Museum

Deadline: 4pm, January 26th 2022

The Hunt Museum are looking for a self-motivated, collaborative and efficient individual to take on the role of Public Engagement Coordinator for the ‘The Three Muses’ Joint Education programme. They will be required to consolidate, innovate and grow the reach and impact of this visual arts programme which engages primary school aged children from across Limerick with collections at the Hunt Museum, Limerick Museum and Limerick City Gallery of Art.

Are you excited by the unlimited potential the pooling of these collections offers for curriculum linked and creative learning with children? If you have excellent project management, facilitation and administration skills and enjoy working in a busy and creative environment, this role might well suit you. This contract is full time and for two years (subject to funding).

The Public Engagement Coordinator role has three key areas of responsibility:

The successful candidate will work across the three partner institutions and with primary schools from across Limerick. A priority area is engaging new schools who have not previously participated in the programme. Given the ongoing challenges presented by Covid 19, the successful candidate will be required to find new ways to deliver online and digital engagement with schools. On this basis, applications from those with excellent IT skills and some knowledge of gamification for learning and open-source learning are particularly welcomed.

Deadline: 4pm, January 26th 2022

For a full job description or to apply, see https://www.huntmuseum.com/about/opportunities/vacancies/three-muses-public-engagement-coordinator/

!!!! Early Years Workshop at The Ark: Little Bird & Shadowlands

The Ark
Dates: 10.15am & 11.45am, 7 & 14 December 2021

The Ark invites you to two Early Years workshops this December.

Little Bird
10.15am & 11.45am, 7 December
In this workshop you’ll hear the tale of a hungry little Robin who needs your help. Learn how to make a special bird feeder for Robin and his friends to hang in your garden or window box. Further details and booking information here

Shadowlands
10.15am & 11.45am, 14 December 2021
Join artist Jane Groves and play in the light and the dark and all the shadows in between. Learn how to make a lantern to light your way. Create bright shiny stars to join our lonely star, and make the night sky dazzle and twinkle all night. Further details and booking information here.

Tickets cost €11.50/€9.50 per child with 20% off for members. These workshops are suitable for 2 – 4 year olds.

For more information, please visit www.theark.ie. 

!!!! National Gallery of Ireland Online CPD for Teachers: Portraiture

National Gallery of Ireland
Date: 4pm, 2 February 2022

National Gallery of Ireland are delighted to announced their new online CPD workshop for teachers. Join Jennie Taylor, curator of the Zurich Young Portrait Prize, and Catherine O’Donnell, Education Officer, for a practical workshop, equipping you with tools and ideas for including portraiture in the classroom. The session will support teachers using their schools resource What is a Portrait?, and will include peer learning via group work to enable you to develop cross-curricular creative strategies.

Please note that this is an online CPD workshop via Zoom.

Date: 4pm, 2 February 2022

For more information see https://www.nationalgallery.ie/whats-on/online-cpd-teachers-portraiture

 

!!!! Theatre for Schools: A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings

Watergate Theatre
Dates: 12pm, 2 December & 7pm, 3 December

‘A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings’ is Gabriel García Márquez’s darkly comic tale, brought to the stage in the Watergate Theatre, Kilkenny. Suitable for children aged 8+, the Watergate Theatre are offering special rates for school audiences.

In a kitchen, in a theatre, two storytellers and their audience find something remarkable — a very old man with enormous wings. The wise neighbour woman tells us he’s an angel. The priest says he’s an imposter. Pilgrims flock to see him, hoping to be healed by him, hoping for a gawp. They leave with something different than what they expected.

Adapted from Gabriel García Márquez’s ‘Un señor muy viejo con unas alas enormes’, Dan Colley and Riverbank Arts Centre bring this classic piece of magical realism to the stage in search of its beautiful, strange, emotional richness.

Dates: 12pm, 2 December & 7pm, 3 December

Watergate Theatre are offering schools a reduced rate of €8 per student and free for teachers. For more information, see https://watergatetheatre.ie/watergate_events/a-very-old-man-with-enormous-wings/ or contact boxoffice@watergatetheatre.com.

!!!! Guided Workshops for Schools with VISUAL Carlow: The Corona

VISUAL Carlow
Dates: October 2021 – January 2022

The VISUAL Carlow invites primary, post-primary and third-level students to The Corona, an animated documentary film, interactive exhibition and series of guided workshops through the gallery, sharing the experiences of young people in their own voices during lockdown.

The Corona foregrounds the experiences of young people aged 3 – 24 in their own voices. The film shows the experience of lockdown from the perspective of children in early years settings, primary schools, afterschool care, young people from Comhairle na nÓg, early school leavers, third level students and children and young people with disabilities.

Schools can book facilitated, guided workshops through the galleries to view The Corona films, engage in facilitated conversation about their experience of the COVID-19 pandemic and contribute their drawings and reflections to the archive of children’s experiences of the pandemic.

Dates: October 2021 – January 2022
Times: Tuesday 10:00 – 11:30 & 12:30 – 14:00, Wednesday 10:00 – 11:30, Thursday 10:00 – 11:30 & 12:30 – 14:00
Cost €50 per group.

If cost is an issue for your school please contact learning@visualcarlow.ie Schools can also come to the gallery any time during opening hours and do a self-guided free visit to the exhibition. Self-guided tours are free but must be booked through boxoffice@visualcarlow.ie or by calling 059 917 2400.

For more information, see visualcarlow.ie/whats-on/the-corona-schools-workshops

!!!! Fighting Words: Call Out for Student Submissions

Fighting Words
Deadline: 5pm, 22 December 2021 

Fighting Words invite submissions from post-primary students for its annual Fighting Words supplement in The Irish Times. They are looking for short pieces of fiction on any theme – as Béarla agus as Gaeilge. Young people may submit one prose submission or two poems for consideration. The maximum word count is 1,500 words.

Fighting Words aim is to help children and young people, and adults who did not have this opportunity as children, to discover and harness the power of their own imaginations and creative writing skills. It is about using the creative practice of writing and storytelling to strengthen children and teenagers – from a wide range of backgrounds – to be resilient, creative and successful shapers of their own lives.

Every year, Fighting Words publishes a magazine of exciting new writing by young people from all over Ireland. While the magazine will be predominantly short fiction, if anyone is working on monologues, scripts, poems, comics etc. they are welcome to be submitted, as are extracts from longer pieces. All work submitted will be considered.

Deadline: 5pm, 22 December 2021 

For more information see: www.fightingwords.ie/news/call-submissions-irish-times-supplement-2022

!!!! Online School Gallery Tours using Visual Thinking Strategy at Solstice Arts Centre

Solstice Arts Centre
Dates: Various times and dates available

Solstice Arts Centre invites schools to explore 3 artworks in their Surveyor exhibition from the comfort of their own classroom. Their learning and engagement coordinator Deirdre Rogers, will use Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) to expand students thoughts on ‘what’s going on in these artworks’. Encouraging peer to peer discussion, this is an opportunity for students to focus and reflect on multiple perspectives, enhancing engagement and enjoyment of learning through art. Students will learn about the artists who created the works explored in their VTS discussion, and may even be inspired to create artworks of their own!

These online school tours are free of charge. They are suitable for students from 2nd – 6th class and students of all ages at post-primary level. The tour and conversations can take place during an in-person visit to the gallery or over Zoom. Good classroom internet access is required if you prefer to attend through Zoom.

Dates: Various times and dates available, please enquire with you preferred date & time.

For more information see: solsticeartscentre.ie/event/online-school-gallery-tours-using-vts or contact Deirdre at deirdre.rogers@solsticeartscentre.ie

!!!! Poetry Ireland Writers in Schools Scheme: School Applications Open

Poetry Ireland
Deadline: 5:30pm Friday 31 December 2021

Poetry Ireland are inviting applications from primary and post-primary schools for their Writers in Schools scheme this Autumn 2021. The Writers in Schools scheme part-funds visits by writers and storytellers to primary and post-primary schools in the Republic of Ireland (funded by The Arts Council) and Northern Ireland (funded by Arts Council Northern Ireland).

Writers in Schools visits are available with a range of artists including poets, novelists, storytellers, teen fiction writers, children’s writers and screenwriters. In-person visits are consist of 2–2.5 hours with a selected writer, which can be divided into shorter sessions for different class group. For the duration of the Covid-19 restrictions, Writers in Schools will also be supporting virtual visits by writers. These virtual visits will be one hour in duration and can be split into a maximum of 2 sessions.

Poetry Ireland recommend that schools submit their application as early as possible, as they generally operate on a first-come-first-served basis and unfortunately cannot accommodate every request.

Deadline: 5:30pm Friday 31 December 2021

For more information, see www.poetryireland.ie/education/writers-in-schools.

 

!!!! Cork International Film Festival 2021 School’s Programme

Cork International Film Festival
Dates: 8 – 11 November 2021

Cork International Film Festival presents five excellent films in this year’s Schools Programme. These specially selected titles are aimed at Leaving Cert students of French, German and Spanish. Presented in association with the Irish Film Institute Education Department, these films will be screened at the Gate Cinemas in Cork, Midleton and Mallow from 8 – 11 November.

Leaving Cert French titles include Gagarine by Fanny Liatard and Jérémy Trouilh, suitable for ages 12 and over; and Petit Pays by Eric Barbier, suitable for ages 15 and over. Leaving Cert German titles include Nachtwald by Andre Hörmann, suitable for ages 15 and over; and Cleo by Erik Schmitt for ages 13 and over. For Leaving Cert Spanish students, the Festival will screen Los Lobos by Samuel Kishi, a Mexican film suitable for ages 12 and over. Tickets are €6 per student and accompanying teachers go free.

Dates: 8 – 11 November 2021

For more information, email schools@corkfilmfest.org or see corkfilmfest.org/ciff-announces-family-schools-programme-intinn-and-journalism-workshop-as-part-of-its-2021-festival/.

!!!! Early Years Workshop at The Ark – Fallen Forest

The Ark
Date: 10.15am & 11.45am, 30 November 2021 

The Ark invites you to their early years workshop ‘Fallen Forest’ with artist Jane Groves. In the Fallen Forest all the trees have lost their leaves and the branches are bare. But nature is only sleeping: little seeds and big roots are buried deep down within the earth, resting through the cold winter so they’re ready to emerge in spring. Come explore the Fallen Forest with your grown up, discover all the colours and patterns of the forest. Make marks and curious designs with the fallen leaves, create your own squiggly roots and come dig for hidden seed treasure!

Artist Jane Groves loves to connect people, places, and landscapes and specialises in working with young people, inspired by her own observations of nature and informed in part by many children’s lack of interaction with and vocabulary about the natural world.

Tickets cost €11.50/€9.50 per child with 20% off for members. This workshop is suitable for 2 – 4 year olds.

Date: 10.15am & 11.45am, 30 November 2021 

For more information, please visit ark.ie/events/view/early-years-workshop-fallen-forest

 

!!!! Job Opportunity: Music Generation Development Officer (Kilkenny)

Music Generation
Deadline: 12 noon, 8 November 2021

Kilkenny and Carlow Education and Training Board (KCETB) invite applications for the position of Music Generation Development Officer in Kilkenny. This post is a five year fixed term contract. As the lead partner for Kilkenny Local Music Education Partnership, KCETB seeks to employ a Music Generation Development Officer to implement its plans for the provision of performance music education for children and young people in Co. Kilkenny.

Deadline: 12 noon, 8 November 2021

Application form and further details are available from kilkennycarlow.etb.ie/vacancies-2/musicgenerationdevelopmentofficer/. Late applications will not be accepted.

 

!!!! Schools are invited to Branar Téatar do Pháistí How to Catch a Star

Branar Téatar do Pháistí
Dates: 29 November – 10 December 2021

Branar, in association with Town Hall Theatre, are delighted to present a new film version of their acclaimed production of How to Catch a Star by Oliver Jeffers. Partnering with 24 venues across Ireland, all schools will have the opportunity to experience this unique and well-loved story.
Based on the beloved book, this film will be available to stream to classrooms throughout the country for a limited period.  Schools can book to receive access to the filmed production for a full week and receive access to a dedicated online educational resource pack for pre- and post-engagement.

This adaptation combines an original score by Colm Mac Con Iomaire, puppetry by Grace Kiely and Neasa Ní Chuanaigh, directed by Marc Mac Lochlainn with design by Maeve Clancy. Branar’s signature storytelling creates a show which reminds us all to follow our dreams.

Dates: 29 November – 10 December 2021

For more information, see www.branar.ie/htcas-schools

!!!! Job Opportunity: Kids’ Own Seeks Experienced Project Manager (Maternity Cover)

Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership
Deadline: 5pm Monday 1 November 2021

Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership seeks an experienced individual to lead on the delivery of their collaborative projects with children from late November 2021 to mid–June 2022. They are a national children’s arts organisation and publishing house, whose mission is to create opportunities for children to collaborate with artists, and to publish and promote the artwork and insights that emerge from these encounters.

The Project Manager will have a base at the office of Kids’ Own Sligo town, but will work both remotely and on-site. Some travel may be required as part of this role. The Project Manager will report to the CEO, and will work closely with our small team to support the delivery of our strategic aims. The role is a full-time post, based on a fixed-term contract to cover maternity leave.

Salary is pro-rata, based on an annual remuneration of €32,000.

Deadline: 5pm Monday 1 November 2021

For a full description, see kidsown.ie/kids-own-seeks-experienced-project-manager-maternity-cover/

!!!! Imagine Arts Festival 20th Anniversary: Highlights for Children & Young People

Imagine Arts Festival
Dates: 15 – 24 October 2021
Imagine Arts Festival is a unique celebration of the arts in Waterford City. Now in its 20th year Imagine features live performances, exhibitions and interactive performances for people of all ages, including dance, film, visual art, theatre, spoken word and literature, as well as classical, contemporary and traditional music.

Below are some highlights for children and young people:

Theatre:
The Little Robber Girl
18 – 22 October
A limited audio drama series for children with accompanying posted pack, written and directed by Deirdre Dwyer. The school’s ticket includes a digital teacher’s pack with curriculum-related activities. Join Mattie, her little dog Arthur, and her new friend Finn as they go in search of Mattie’s missing Mammy…and return with much more than buried treasure. Let the listening adventure begin!

School’s Ticket – €50 (limited edition; includes a digital teacher’s pack with curriculum-related activities)

Multimedia art:
Creative Cluster exhibition
15 – 24 October
Under the theme of ‘Horizons’, five Post-Primary Schools in Waterford, supported by Creative Ireland, have come together to form an innovative ‘creative cluster’ aimed at student participation in the arts. This exhibition will feature creative writing, photography and visual art from the Transition Year students of 2020/2021 of Abbey Community College, Ardscoil na Mara, De La Salle College, Our Lady of Mercy School and St Angela’s Secondary School.

Workshops:
Body Percussion workshop for 8 – 10 year olds
23 October 
Join Karen from Mini Musos in this FUN and engaging body percussion workshop that uses the body as the instrument to create interesting and creative sounds, through pulse and rhythmic coordination.  The workshop will engage memory & sequencing skills as well as promote the use of music as a means of encouraging well-being especially in todays ‘new’ world. By the end of the session the children should be able to perform a short body percussive piece for their friends and families!

Leaflings with Niamh Sharkey and Owen Churcher
24 October
A Field Guide to Leaflings, a family event with former Laureate no nÓg Niamh Sharkey and Owen Churcher. Welcome to the world of Leaflings, the secret guardians of the trees. Among the branches and roots of some of our planet’s most important inhabitants, live the leaflings. These tiny creatures protect trees and help manage their interactions, their cycles and tell their stories.

For more information and to see the full programme, visit www.imagineartsfestival.com/index.php/whats-21

 

!!!! Baboró’s School Programme: Digital Delegate Pass

Baboró International Arts Festival for Children
Dates: 4 – 17 October 2021

Baboró International Arts Festival for Children are delighted to launch their Digital Delegate Pass. With a Digital Delegate Pass you will have access to a variety of talks and online work created by some of the finest makers of children’s art and theatre and a series of talks with artists, sector and academic leaders. For their 25th festival, Baboró will be celebrating the rights of the child with a strand of events and performances dedicated to giving children a platform for their voice to be heard, a space for expression and, of course, a festival experience to be enjoyed with family and friends.

For the duration of the festival, Digital Delegates will have access to:

Six Digital Talks

Six Filmed Performances & Exhibitions

Three Podcast Series

Dates: 4 – 17 October 2021

For more information on Baboró’s Digital Delegate Programme see: www.baboro.ie/festival/programme/digital-delegate

 

!!!! Job Opportunity Music Generation: Quality Support & Development Manager

Music Generation
Deadline: 5pm Tuesday 5 October 2021

Music Generation is seeking to recruit a Quality Support & Development Manager as it builds towards its aim of nationwide expansion by 2022. This is an exciting job opportunity for a skilled professional with expertise in and a demonstrable track record of delivering results and achievement in music, education development and management. Reporting to the Head of Quality, Support and Development, the successful candidate will join a growing team focused on providing strategic support for the implementation of its Quality Strategy with its network of Local Music Education Partnerships.

Music Generation is Ireland’s National Music Education Programme which helps children and young people access performance music education in their local area. Music Generation has been successfully established in 25 cities and counties in Ireland. It has created some 67,000 opportunities for children and young people to engage in music tuition annually.

This position will be offered initially as an 18 month fixed-term contract commencing in January 2022. The Music Generation National Development Office is located in Dublin city centre; this job may be performed onsite or through a hybrid working arrangement.

Deadline: 5pm Tuesday 5 October 2021

For more information on this job opportunity, see www.musicgeneration.ie/news/job-opportunities-at-music-generation For further information, contact Conor Harty at mgrecruit@hartyvirtualhr.ie; or on 086-2406651.

!!!! Teachers’ CPD: Photography with The National Gallery of Ireland

The National Gallery of Ireland
Date: Wednesday 24 November 2021, 4 – 5.30pm

The National Gallery of Ireland is delighted to announce a Teachers’ CPD workshop in photography. Join photographer Brian Cregan and Education Officer Catherine O’Donnell for a practical workshop, equipping you with tools and ideas for photography in the classroom. The session will support teachers using their schools resource Medium, Materiality and Magic: Photography at the Gallery. It will also include peer learning via group work to enable you to develop cross-curricular creative strategies.

The National Gallery of Ireland’s Teachers’ CPD programme is designed to support teaching and learning through and about art, via collaborative networking.

Date: Wednesday 24 November 2021, 4 – 5.30pm

This is a free event but booking is required. To book, see www.nationalgallery.ie/explore-and-learn/schools/teacher-network-and-cpd. This event will take place via Zoom.

 

!!!! Opportunity for Schools: Your Gallery at School with the National Gallery of Ireland

The National Gallery of Ireland
Deadline: 5pm, 17 Sept 2021

National Gallery of Ireland is thrilled to announce Your Gallery at School, along with the return of lots of new programmes, resources and opportunities, including the return of onsite school visits, digital sessions and teacher CPD. They are inviting post-primary schools to apply to participate in Your Gallery at School, a new holistic outreach programme that brings the Gallery directly to schools. This project builds on the success of the Gallery’s established schools programme and develops new content and partnerships outside of the Gallery walls.

Your Gallery at School aims to break down the barriers that prevent engagement with the arts through holistic programming that ensures children transition to adulthood equipped with the life-changing benefits of art. It also aims to build in students a sense of ownership of the Gallery, giving they a positive place to turn to in adulthood. Engagement occurs in three key strands: learning through and about art, wellbeing, and creative careers.

How to apply
Download and complete the short application form and email it to tours@ngi.ie. Please note that only schools who have not visited the National Gallery of Ireland in the past three years are eligible to apply. They will let you know if your application has been successful by Monday 4 October.

Deadline: 5pm, 17 Sept 2021

For more information or to apply, see www.nationalgallery.ie/explore-and-learn/schools/your-gallery-school

For more information on their onsite and digital school visits, see www.nationalgallery.ie/explore-and-learn/schools/schools-programme-autumn-2021

!!!! Arts in Group Facilitation Certificate at Crawford College of Art and Design

Crawford College of Art & Design
Deadline extended

The Arts in Group Facilitation Certificate (Level 8, 10 credits) at Crawford College of Art & Design focuses on the practical skills of planning and running creative workshops with groups in a range of non—formal contexts. Participants learn these skills through experiential learning processes, taking part in visual arts, drama, dance and music workshops and reflecting on the experience. The focus is on acknowledging the individual within learning, recognising the importance of play and the need for learning to be engaging. There is a strong emphasis on engaging with diversity and learning to adapt a range of arts approaches to meet the varying needs within a group.

The programme will be delivered through blended learning, involving face to face experiential learning and online learning. The face to face learning is being designed to maximise the potential of creative learning in outdoor environments. Crawford College of Art & Design are adapting to Covid—19 restriction and see the potential of learning in outdoor environments for participants in the programme and for those participants may work with in the future. They are inviting participants to join them with a bicycle to access outdoor learning environments.

The course will provide skills face to face in working in physical workshops, classes, centres as well as facilitation creative engagement online.

For more information, see https://www.cit.ie/course/CRAGRPA8 or contact helen.okeeffe@mtu.ie.

!!!! Culture Night 2021: Events for Children & Young People

Culture Night
Date: Friday 17 September 2021

The sixteenth edition of Culture Night will take place on Friday 17 September 2021. Culture Night / Oíche Chultúir celebrates all that makes up the richness and diversity of culture in Ireland today, connecting people to cultural activities locally and nationally and aims to open up pathways to ongoing engagement. Doors are opened late and special and unique events are specifically programmed at participating locations.  All activities are free of charge, thanks to the continued support of the Arts Council and Local Authorities across the island of Ireland.

Here are a selection of family friendly events taking place for Culture Night:

Cork:
Pitch’d Circus and Street Arts Festival 
Time: 6pm – 10pm
The event is a space for friends to catch up, stand awestruck at acrobats flipping and tumbling, or even a place to scratch your head at some silly walkabout characters. Features pop-up performances of Tumble Circus’ “Cycle Circus” and Tom Campbell’s “Rubbish Performance”.

Dublin
Interactive Museum of Languages for Children
Time: 4pm – 8pm
Visit Mother Tongues’ touring Interactive Museum of Languages for Young Audiences in Rua Red. Since 2017, Mother Languages has promoted multilingualism in Ireland. Through artwork, sculptures, and spaces, the exhibit creatively encourages children to interact with different letters and alphabets across languages. This fun, immersive experience promotes both creativity and linguistic/cultural diversity.

Online
Sundown Circus
Event Times: 7.30, 9.30, 10.30
Erebidae Circus preforms an intimate and enchanting circus show with Irish mythology, original music, fire dancing and aerial circus spectacle. They will have three special online performances about three ancient fires: The Fire of the Hearth, The Fire of the Forge, and The Fire of Inspiration.

Zoom Book Clinic with Children’s Books Ireland and Hodges Figgis
Time: 4pm – 6pm
Are you a young reader? Looking for a new series to delve into? Feeling uninspired by your bookshelves at home? Then pop into the virtual Children’s Books Ireland Book Clinic with Hodges Figgis! Chat to the Book Doctor, consult on your favourite reads and leave with a prescription for your next book, as well as a 10% off book voucher.

Live Online Workshop for Teens: Kabuki Actors
Time: 6pm – 7pm
Inspired by the Kabuki theatre, join the Chester Beatty Library and create your very own puppet dressed to dance and entertain. Bring your theatrical creature to life with glamorous costume and heavy make-up of the Kabuki world.

Date: Friday 17 September 2021

See culturenight.ie for more information on events and activities in your local area.

 

 

 

 

!!!! Call Out: Art Facilitators for Frameworks, Cork Art Collection in Schools Scheme

Cork County Library and Arts Service
Deadline: Midnight 29 August 2021

Cork County Library and Arts Service is inviting visual artists, designers and craftspeople to apply for role of facilitators for Frameworks, its 2021 – 2022 Art Collection in Schools Scheme. Six primary schools across County Cork will be participating in the scheme.

The purpose of Frameworks is to:

Cork County Council has a substantial collection of visual art. This civic collection includes works in various media including, painting, drawing, print, photography, video and small scale 3—dimensional work. These artworks were created by emerging and established artists, many of who are living and working in Cork county.

Facilitators will engage with a primary school class for four 2-hour sessions, working with five artworks from the Cork County Collection as their starting point. The artworks will be installed in schools for the academic year 2021— 2022. The art facilitators will create and deliver an engagement plan specific to the artworks and context of the class. This plan should take into consideration the age of the class and other contexts such as geographic, historic or environmental factors.

Deadline: Midnight 29 August 2021

Artists will be paid a fee for these engagements, plus travel costs. A materials budget will be made available to each participating
school.

For more information or to apply, see www.yourcouncil.ie/service/Frameworks___Call_for_Artists

!!!! The Ark & Dublin Theatre Festival Present ‘What Did I Miss?’

The Ark and Dublin Theatre Festival
Dates: 1 – 10 October, 2021

The Ark and Dublin Theatre Festival present a new show by The Ark Artist-in-Residence, Shaun Dunne. This children’s theatre piece offers a window into one child’s experience of the first lockdown of 2020.

Kyla is throwing a party on her street. Not just any party. It’s a graduation ceremony. It’ll be mad to see the kids from her old class again after so long. Summer 2020 was literally endless.

Now that they’re all in first year, Kyla wants to get the old gang back together. She’s made caps, she has gowns, and she’s even prepared a speech. But there’s one visitor she’s not expecting…

As Kyla attempts to mark an important milestone in her young life, can she and her mother learn to understand each other and bridge the divide left by lockdown?

Informed by collaborative work with The Ark Children’s Council and featuring choreography by the multi-award winning Junk Ensemble, What Did I Miss? is a story of both childhood and parenthood, about growing up, no matter what age you are.

For ages 10+

Dates: 1 & 2 October, 7pm; 3 & 10 October, 2pm & 4pm; 8 & 9 October, 7pm
Tickets: €7.50–€10

To book a ticket for this children’s theatre show, see dublintheatrefestival.ie/programme/event/what-did-i-miss-2

!!!! Education Advisor Role with Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership

Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership
Deadline: Friday 3 September, 2021

Kids’ Own is seeking an Education Advisor to develop and expand their links with teachers, schools, and academics in teaching and learning over a nine-month period from October 2021. The Education Advisor is a brand new fixed-term role that aims to support Kids’ Own by building new audiences through outreach to schools. The Advisor will also build on the increased interest of teachers, academics, and educational bodies in their work. They will develop new connections with all of the above to ensure Kids’ Own’s work remains linked with sectoral developments.

The Education Advisor will primarily:

1) build links between Kids’ Own and schools, teachers, and teacher training colleges
2) conduct focus groups to understand the links between our books and the current and incoming primary school curriculum
3) make connections with governmental educational bodies
4) advocate for the use of Kids’ Own books within the classroom to demonstrate the value of greater representation of children’s voices and lived experience within the curriculum and the books children encounter in school.

Qualifications and experience needed:

Deadline: Friday 3rd September, 2021

To apply, please send a detailed cover letter expressing your interest and suitability for the role, along with a CV to staff@kidsown.ie. Please include a document that outlines ideas you have for how you may approach this role. This should include a breakdown of costings according to the fee that is being offered. There is a set fee of €10,000 offered for this role to take place between October 2021 and July 2022. This is primarily to cover the Education Advisor’s fee, but must also cover any other anticipated expenses, e.g. travel costs, materials etc.

For more information, see kidsown.ie/education-advisor-job-with-kids-own-publishing/

 

!!!! Dublin Fringe Festival: Theatre Events For Children & Young People

Dublin Fringe Festival
11-26 September

The Dublin Fringe Festival takes place this September with live events in venues across Dublin and online nationwide. Their programme features an outdoor visual art in Dublin 8 and secret locations city-wide, as well as live open-air performances at Dublin Castle and Grand Canal Dock. They will be hosting music and comedy gigs back in beloved venues. Whilst bringing cutting edge interdisciplinary performances to stages in The Abbey Theatre, Project Arts Centre, Smock Alley, Chapel Royal and Draíocht Blanchardstown – as well as events online.

Some of the highlights for children and young people include:

Dublin 8, Yer Lookin’ Great
11-26 September
Free

Emmalene Blake is an internationally recognised street artist based in Dublin. This September, she will create a new mural on Swift’s Alley, inspired by the ideas of children from that neighbourhood. Cities change and grow to suit the people who live in them. The artist asked children from local schools to tell her what makes Dublin 8 great. Children also shared the positive changes in the area that have made life better for them and their friends.

For more information, see www.fringefest.com/festival/whats-on/dublin-8-yer-lookin-great

The Veiled Ones
Dates: 7pm on 10, 11, 12 & 13 Sept; 4pm on 10 & 13 Sept; 12 noon on 11 & 12 Sept
Tickets: €12/€8

Junk Ensemble present a dance theatre production for young audiences. This show explores witches, transformations and the powerful relationship between a grandparent and grandchild. The audience are invited on an intriguing journey through intricately designed rooms with a cast of internationally acclaimed dancers, young performers and live musicians.

To book, see www.fringefest.com/festival/whats-on/the-veiled-ones

 

!!!! Announcing the 25th Baboró International Arts Festival for Children

Baboró International Arts Festival for Children
October 4 — 17, 2021

For their 25th Arts Festival for Children, Baboró will be celebrating the rights of the child, inspired by the UN Convention on the Rights of The Child. The arts festival will have strands of events and performances dedicated to giving children a platform for their voice to be heard, a space for expression and, of course, a festival experience to be enjoyed with family and friends.

Two Baboró commissions, a co-commission and a touring exhibition, will be central to these celebrations and part of the festival programme in October. The full programme and box office will be announced at the end of August.

Dates: October 4 — 17, 2021

For more information on Baboró’s festival, see www.baboro.ie/news-events/celebrating-our-25th-festival

 

!!!! Online resource: The Glucksman’s Free Art Toolkit for Primary & Post-Primary Schools

The Glucksman
Free online art toolkits

The Glucksman has released a series of online art toolkits suitable for primary and secondary students. Organised around key themes, their free art toolkits enable you to explore works in the UCC Art Collection. Whether you are an educator, activist, student or individual art lover, these online toolkits are full of ideas and information to support you and your community.

The toolkits focus on the work of Irish artists Fiona Kelly, Deirdre Breen and The Project Twins. Fiona Kelly’s work has a strong environmental interest and
focuses on ideas of urban sprawl and its impact on the Irish landscape and its traditions. Deirdre Breen is a printmaker and designer who makes screen
prints characterized by flat abstract motifs and geometric compositions. The Project Twins, a Cork based collaborative art duo, create bold and playful graphics which explore ideas of absurdity, identity and the mundane.

To download this art toolkit, see www.glucksman.org/discover/digital/toolkits

Based in Cork, The Glucksman is a leading museum nationally and internationally for creative learning and access to the visual arts.  For more information about the toolkit, get email education@glucksman.org.

!!!! Online Exhibition: Ireland’s National School Photography Awards 2021

Ireland’s National School Photography Awards
Finalist Mini Expo now online

Ireland’s National School Photography Awards (INSPA) are delighted to launch their Finalist Mini-Expo online. The theme for this year’s National School Photography Awards was Accessible Places | Safer Spaces. A national panel of judges have made the selections from a wide range of entries from primary schools around Ireland. The exhibition is open until October 2021 at INSPA’s online gallery.

The INSPA team would like to take this opportunity to congratulate every primary school who participated in the 2020/21 National School Photography Awards. Through photography, INSPA introduces creative wellbeing into the lives of primary schools, while building a future generation of people who are confident, resilient, connected, kind and ready. This programme provides an inclusive model for children of all backgrounds and abilities to get involved.

The awards are free and offer a range of fantastic prizes including experiences at the Amber Springs Hotel for principals, teachers, pupils and families, cameras for winners and schools, framed photographs, certificates, photo fundraising days and national recognition as a Positive Primary School. To date, INSPA has seen over 450 primary schools register and take their first step on their Positive Primaries Journey.

To view the free online exhibition of photograph, see www.inspa.ie/inspa-enter-exhibition

If your school would like to begin its own journey and participate in the 2021/22 awards, you can register your school at the INSPA website.

!!!! Online Summer Early Years Art Workshops with The Ark

The Ark
Dates: 5 Aug 2021, 14 Aug 2021 and more

The Ark, Dublin are hosting a series of art workshops for Early Years this summer.

Dates: 5 Aug 2021, 14 Aug 2021 and more

For more information or to book these Early Years art workshops, see ark.ie/events. For safety reasons, a parent or grown-up should be present in the room throughout the session, and if necessary be available to assist your child.

 

!!!! Arts Council of Ireland Young People, Children and Education Project Award 2022

The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon
Deadline: 5:30pm, 19 August 2021

The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon has opened applications for their Young People, Children and Education Project Award 2022 (YPCE). The purpose of the YPCE Project Award is to support artists to develop and deliver ambitious and original projects with and for children and young people. Projects may be interdisciplinary or focused on a specific artform. The maximum award is for €80,000.

This award has four strands. You should choose the strand that is most suitable for your project proposal. You may only apply to one strand:

Deadline: 5:30pm, 19 August 2021

For more information or to apply for this award, see www.artscouncil.ie/Funds/Young-People,-Children-and-Education-Project-Award/.

!!!! Gort River Geolocated Sound Walk Created by Young Musicians

Coole Music & Arts
Until 26th July 2021

Coole Music & Arts have launched the Carolan’s Rambles Sound Walk, a unique geolocated audio experience along the banks of the Gort River Walk. This audio experience is the creative outcome of Coole Music and Arts’ music school, where musician Sinead Hayes worked with children and teens via Zoom. In this project, the participants explored the life of Turlough Carolan – a composer and musician who preformed across Connaught, Clare and south Ulster in the 1700s – creating artwork, stories, poems and original music compositions over the past three months.

The free ‘Geo-located Sound Walk’ is the first one in Ireland to use this newly launched sonic maps software, is available until 26th July 2021 along the River Walk in Gort (entrance beside Aldi). Bring headphones and a smart phone and hold your camera over the QR code on the Carolan’s Rambles poster or download the App through www.coole-music.com.

An e-book containing 19 original musical compositions composed by the children is available to download from their website here: https://www.coole-music.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Carolans-Rambles-Tune-Book-Draft-4-1.pdf. For more information on the project, see https://www.coole-music.com/ or contact Ellie Farrell at info@coole-music.com.

!!!! Children’s Summer Programme: ‘Inside Out’ with Dublin City Arts Office & Libraries

Dublin City Council Arts Service
Throughout summer 2021

Over seven weeks of Summer, Dublin City Arts Office and Libraries are delighted to present Inside Out – a feast of free online and outdoor workshops and performances for children and families. Events are free but booking is required through Eventbrite.

Summer Programme includes:

Underwater Moves: Early Years Dance workshops with Monica Munoz
Dates: 27th July, 28th July or 29th July, 10.15 – 10.45 or 11.45 – 12.15

The Storybook Treasure Trail: Performance based, interactive, outdoor family friendly adventure with the Gaiety School of Acting
Dates: 24th July, 7th August, 14th August, 11-11.45am, 12.45-1.30pm or 2.30-3.15pm

CuriousB: A pop-up festival site that you and your family will dream up, design and play in with ReCreate.
Dates: 4th August, 11th August, 10.15 – 11.00 & 12:00 – 12: 45

Throughout summer 2021

For the full line-up of workshops and performances, see here: Inside_Out_Arts_and_Libraries_Summer_2021.pdf

Events are free but booking is required. Capacity is limited to ensure that this is a good experience for children. To book workshops, see here: www.dublincity.ie/events.

!!!! Centre for Continuing Education in Art & Design at NCAD: Summer School

Centre for Continuing Education
Dates: 19 July – 9 August

The Centre for Continuing Education at NCAD offers a range of short summer courses in art and design for adults and school leavers (16+) who want to explore their creative potential, learn new skills, or develop an on-going practice.

Summer courses are at different levels; there are introductory courses suitable for beginners, or for those considering returning to or progressing within higher education. If you want to learn something new you can choose beginners courses, and if you have established an arts practice and want to continue to expand and explore your options you can choose advanced courses.

Portfolio preparation courses are suitable for students considering applying to third level undergraduate art and design courses and wish to complete a portfolio in preparation.

Where students are interested in applying to the accredited part-time autumn options or want to progress within art and design they can consider taking one or more summer workshops as a way of developing skills and knowledge in a subject area.

Places on summer short courses are allocated on a first come first served basis. If a course is over-subscribed it is possible to join a wait list for cancellations.

Dates: 19 July – 9 August

For more information, see https://www.ncad.ie/continuing-education/cead-apply/summer-course-descriptions/

!!!! National Museum of Ireland Call Out for Artists & Educators

National Museum of Ireland
Deadline: 30th July 2021

The Education Department of the National Museum of Ireland is looking for artists working in visual arts, design, drama, film, storytelling, architecture, craft and/or other arts disciplines with experience of designing and delivering workshops to meet the learning styles and needs of a range of audiences, including adults, schools and intergenerational groups such as families.

While currently prioritising online engagement programmes, the National Museum of Ireland are inviting facilitators who are interested in creating both online content and in facilitating onsite programmes. Those eligible will have experience in the delivery of digital-based content in a virtual capacity and should be comfortable operating digital based equipment and programmes.

Facilitators and artists who register their interest in working with the Museum may be invited to work with them, at one or more of its four sites, and/or to create one or more short videos or participate in the Museum’s public engagement programmes through live online or onsite workshops or talks.

Any queries can be directed to bookings@museum.ie.

Deadline: 30th July 2021

!!!! I-Stem Project Teacher Resource – The Gaiety School of Acting

The Gaiety School of Acting

Despite the fact that scientific developments permeate and enrich the lives of young people on a daily, or even hourly basis, studies across Europe are identifying pockets of this demographic that are struggling to relate to and engage with the science curriculum in the classroom. According to Science Foundation Ireland’s 2015 Science Barometer report, young women from less affluent backgrounds are less inclined to identify with science education at second level. This has a direct impact on the number of students from this demographic advancing to third level and ultimately working within the field.

Drilling down further into the statistics, researchers have found that young women from a cultural minority background or who identify as LGBTQIAP+ are even less likely to develop a positive scientific identity, meaning a far reduced number of people from these societal groups tend to aspire to careers in science.

With the aim to address these gaps in science engagement, The Gaiety School of Acting has teamed up with partners from Ireland, Finland, Poland and Holland to investigate ways in which performance, and specifically comedy improvisation, can be utilised by science educators to impact on their students in a new and dynamic way. The three year I-Stem  project, supported by the Erasmus Plus fund, began on September 1st 2020.

In its first publication ‘Creative Methods in Science Teaching – Ways Forward!’ an e-book resource for teachers, STEM subjects are related to arts. Use of arts in education tell us something about society: our educational systems and its angles of entry are creating the scientists of tomorrow. The combination of arts and science gives us a better starting point to develop our full potential which is needed when creating something new.

The publication has a preface video from Dr. Niamh Shaw, to view go to istem-project.eu/e-book/

This publication presents research and best practices of using arts as a means of improving pedagogy and classroom practice in STEM education. In these pages “STEAM” represents STEM plus the arts–humanities, language arts, dance, drama, music, visual arts, design and new media. It draws on theoretical understandings of arts in STEM disciplines to illustrate how researchers and practitioners are using creative initiatives to promote inclusive teaching approaches.

The e-book is aimed at post-primary school teachers who are currently using arts within their teaching practice or have an interest in doing so in the future. Examples of STEAM teaching in Poland, the Netherlands, Ireland and Finland are given. It is not intended to provide a fully comprehensive exploration of all aspects of arts in STEM disciplines. The I-Stem Project acknowledges the necessary limitations of this resource, but trusts that it will serve its purpose of guiding you through the main relevant concepts, and that it will give you insights and inspiration for your teaching.

To download the resource go to istem-project.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/I-STEM_e-book.pdf

!!!! Job Opportunity: Music Generation Development Officer Co. Clare

Music Generation Clare
Deadline: 12noon, 9 July 2021 

Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board invites applications for the five year, fixed-term position of Music Generation Development Officer in Co Clare. The Music Generation Development Officer will be responsible for managing a programme of performance music education on behalf of County Clare Local Music Education Partnership.

The successful candidate will have a broad understanding of the diversity of effective, contemporary approaches across the diversity of performance music education – and will have the skills and experience to develop a programme that responds to the specific needs of children and young people.

Music Generation Clare is part of Music Generation – Ireland’s national music education programme, which is co-funded by U2, The Ireland Funds, the Department of Education and Local Music Education Partnerships.

Deadline: 12noon, 9th July 2021 

Application form and full job description are available at www.lcetb.ie/mgce/ Completed application forms should be emailed to recruitment@lcetb.ie. Please indicate in the subject line of your e-mail “Ref Number 21/12″.

!!!! Survey: VAI’s Artists Payments and Workplace

Visual Artists’ Ireland
Dates: Ongoing

VAI is updating their research into the real impact and experience of the Artists’ Payments Guidelines. They have created a carefully edited questionnaire to capture the information that they need to continue their advocacy work in that area. They want to know about artists working at all levels of experience, and especially to know about artists who may not have generated an income from their practice during 2019 or 2020.

They are also asking organisations questions about their experience of the Guidelines and looking at their realities. They believe that it is important to get both sides of the story, and to understand those who have effectively implemented payment policies as well as those who have yet to do so, as well as the barriers that they may experience in their efforts to support artists.

Visual Artists Ireland is the Representative body for professional visual artists in Ireland.

To fill in the 5 minute survey, see here: https://visualartists.ie/vai-survey-on-artists-payments-and-workplace/

!!!! Opportunity: Choral Postcards Young Composers’ Online Summer Project

Chamber Choir Ireland
Deadline: 5pm, 24 June, 2021

This July, a group of aspiring composers age 15-18 will have the opportunity to work remotely with professional composers and singers to create their own Choral Postcards—short pieces of music written for four-part choir, in a joint project with Chamber Choir Ireland and the Contemporary Music Centre.

All sessions will be held via Zoom and it is free to participate.

To apply, please send the following to education@chamberchoirireland.com:
1. Any examples of music you’ve written, either for choir or any other instrument/combination of instruments
2. A note outlining your reasons for applying
3. A recommendation from your school music teacher, instrumental/vocal teacher, or choir conductor, outlining your capacity to be involved in a choral composition project with Chamber Choir Ireland

Deadline: 5pm Thursday 24th June, 2021

For more information, see: www.chamberchoirireland.com/learning-participation/choral-postcards/

!!!! Opportunity: Applications Now Open for Creativity & Change Programme

Creativity & Change, MTU

Applications now open for the September intake of Creativity & Change ’21/’22

Creativity & Change’s accredited, Special Purpose Award programme, targets educators, change-makers, activists, artists, youth and community workers, adult educators, volunteers and anyone who is interested in how creative engagement can nurture global citizenship and empathic action around local and global justice themes.

Based at Crawford College of Art & Design, Cork, Creativity & Change is about creativity and its power to ignite empathy, passion and learning about our interconnected and interdependent world. It is about imagining more humane, just and viable ways to live and to connect with how we think, live, and act in the world. This course explores how we can live as connected global citizens becoming part of the changes we want to see.

In 2020/21, Creativity & Change have developed a new pop-up mobile classroom initiative. They have a new cargo e-bike to carry materials and participants are asked to bring bicycles where possible and they travel together to different locations around Cork City and surrounds, applying learning and creatively responding to the outdoor environment. Allowances are made for participants with mobility difficulties.

The course fee is €680. This is a subsidised fee that is made possible by the support of a grant from Irish Aid’s Development Education unit. Places on this programme are offered to suitable applicants on a rolling basis and will close once they reach maximum participant number.

It is advised to apply for the programme as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

Amplifying Voices Scholarships: Creativity & Change are consistently seeking to improve the accessibility of our programme and would love to provide opportunities to those who may have previously experienced barriers to accessing post—graduate education, such as members of minority groups, those in the Direct Provision system, or Travellers. They are now offering a number of free places on the course to those who may not have otherwise been in a position to apply. To apply for a scholarship, see www.creativityandchange.ie/amplifying-voices-scholarships/

Apply for Creativity & Change here: www.cit.ie/course/CRACRCH9

Please contact helen.okeeffe@cit.ie with any queries or see creativityandchange.ie.

!!!! Opportunity: BLAST Arts in Education Residencies School Applications Open

BLAST Arts-in-Education Residencies 
Deadline: 30 September 2021

Arts in Education Residency Initiative in Primary and Post-primary Schools

The Department of Education has developed a new innovative Arts-in-Education BLAST Residency Programme in 2021, which will enable up to 400 new Arts-in-Education Residencies in schools each year.

This initiative aims to support the integration of the principles and key skills outlined in the Arts in Education Charter and the Creative Ireland Programme (2017-2022), Pillar 1 Creative Youth.

The aim of this scheme is to give pupils in schools all over the country the opportunity to work with a professional artist on unique projects, to be originated and planned between the artist, the teacher and the school, under the coordination of the Education Support Centres Ireland ESCI’s network of 21 full-time education centres. This initiative supports children and young people for the future, where skills like the ability to connect and collaborate with others, engage in creative and critical thinking and practice inclusivity at every level, will be paramount to peace, stability, sustainable economic growth and equality.

What is proposed is a unique streamlined process whereby schools apply for an artist on the Online Register of Approved Artists, who are already trained for the new BLAST Arts-in-Education Residency Programme, managed by the local education centre. The education centre will also pay the artist which will further remove the administrative burden on teachers and schools.

How this BLAST Residency initiative will work

The Education Centre:
While the programme will be nationally coordinated by the Arts in Education administrative base located at the Education Centre Tralee, schools will apply for a BLAST Arts-in-Education Residency to the full-time education centre in their area, based on the Online Register of Approved Artists. The Register of Approved Artists in each education centre will be arranged by artist and discipline, include relevant required and approved training experience, examples of previous work and examples of relevant or related experience in an educational and community context.

In excess of 300 artists are currently trained and registered on the Online Register of Approved Artists, managed by the education centre network nationally. All artists will have submitted their Child Safeguarding Best Practice Policy (to include Child Safeguarding Statement) and their Certificate of completion of the Children First Training module to the education centre.

What is proposed is a unique streamlined process when schools apply for an artist under the new BLAST Arts-in-Education Residency Programme. The education centre will also arrange for payment of the artist, which will further remove the administrative burden on teachers and schools.

Garda vetting:
Garda vetting for artists for successful school applications will be organised with the individual artist by the education centre in collaboration with the school. Schools may separately (if they wish) request the artist to apply for Garda vetting specifically to work in their school.

The Artists:
Artists from any artistic discipline, who have been trained in partnership working with schools, will be registered with each of the 21 full-time ESCI centres. Artistic disciplines include visual arts, crafts, music, dance, drama, literature and film. Creative disciplines will be expanded as the residency programme develops over the next number of years.

The artists on the Register of Approved Artists will have been previously trained and have engaged in school residencies under the Teacher-Artist Partnership CPD and Residency initiative or the Arts in Junior Cycle Programme which are both approved and led by the Department of Education.

The School:
The schools must be in the catchment of the local full-time education centre. Schools may submit only one application. Schools should make their own selection of artists on the Approved Register, based on CVs/examples of recent work, training and recommendations. Inclusion of artists on the Approved Register is based on training in the education centre (TAP) in addition to suitability/artistic qualification and has taken place in advance to ensure the selected artist satisfies school policies in relation to engagement of external personnel.

Once a school is approved for the scheme, the school has a commitment to the artist, who will have earmarked that time for the project and could potentially turn down other work at the times scheduled to work with the school.

This initiative encourages:

  • schools, primary and post-primary, that have not recently had an opportunity to participate in such creative initiatives, to apply
  • schools supporting inclusion and enhanced arts-in-education engagement with students from disadvantaged backgrounds and students with special educational needs to apply
  • schools that have a track record in teacher-artist partnership working in the classroom and school to apply
  • a whole-school commitment to the project, but it is not a requirement that all classes work with the artist
  • projects should have regard to the relevant school curricula where appropriate and have a focus on process

BLAST Arts-in-Education Residency funding:
The artist’s fee is €1,000 per residency. This is funded by the Department of Education via each education centre. The education centre will pay the artist in accordance with agreed guidelines after the artist and teacher/school evaluations have been submitted and received. In certain instances, this may include the payment of two instalments of €500 with agreement.

The artist will be funded for 20 contact hours, including 6 hours planning/development/review time. Participating schools must pay for materials associated with the project and also for documentation of the project through photographs, for example, and any other costs involved including insurance costs. Funded residencies can be delivered throughout the academic year commencing in September in the year the residency was approved.
Schools must acknowledge the Department of Education and the local education centre in all publicity relating to the project.
Successful applications:

Successful schools will be required to sign a short contract with their local education centre accepting the terms of the BLAST Arts-in-Education Residency Programme prior to the commencement of the residency. Successful residencies should not be started until official written notification to proceed has been received from the education centre and once Garda vetting has been completed and this has been communicated to the school.
It is a specific condition of this residency programme that a teacher works closely and collaborates with the artist to plan the learning experience and is present at all times with the artist while working with students in the school and to enhance further teacher-artist partnership. Schools will be responsible for ensuring the residency complies with Public Health advice relevant at the time of the project.

Evaluation:
The education centre will put in place the necessary evaluation for Arts-in-Education Residencies. This will include a school visit, completion and return of the Teacher/School Feedback Form and the Artist Feedback Form. The second instalment of the artist fee will be paid following the submission of the final reports.

Any images submitted by the school either in reports or on completing the project may be used to promote the scheme through print and other media including social media. It is therefore important that the schools have permission for the use of such images, noting in the consent forms that they will be used for this purpose, and only send images to the education centre once parental consent has been obtained.
Guidelines for application

A note on COVID-19 related Public Health Guidance: Schools should base proposals on the best public health advice and guidance available at the time of application.

Completed applications must include:

  • a completed application form
  • a written proposal for the project indicating the aims of the project, the theme, materials, processes, anticipated outcomes, deliverability, number of contact hours and number of classes and pupils that will participate in the project

Please also indicate the planned time-frame schedule and planned method of documentation for the project.

The proposal should demonstrate a whole school commitment to the project. (This does not mean that all children must participate in the project rather that the whole school should be supportive and flexible in facilitating the project).

Applications will open on 4 June 2021. The closing date is 30 September 2021.

Download BLAST Arts-in-Education Application Form

This initiative will be supported by the ESCI education centre network, Teacher Artist Partnership CPD programme, Arts in Junior Cycle, NAPD Creative Engagement Programme and the Arts in Education Portal.

For more information or to apply, see http://www.gov.ie/blast/

!!!! Architects in Schools Panel Discussion at London Festival of Architecture

Irish Architecture Foundation
Date: 2pm, Friday 25 June

In collaboration with the London Festival of Architecture, Irish Architecture Foundation will host a live, virtual panel discussion entitled Together We Care About Public Spaces as part of their ‘Architects in Schools’ initiative 2021.

The panel will include Blaithin Quinn (Irish Architecture Foundation), Muhammad Achour (Places of ARcture), Frank Monahan (Architecture at the Edge) and students and teachers from Holy Faith and Synge Street secondary schools in Dublin, Ireland, and focus on imaginary public realm projects as part of the Irish Architecture Foundation’s ‘Architects in Schools‘ initiative 2021.

In their collaborative work with the students, Muhammad and Frank focused on care, co-creation, pride, citizen engagement and ownership in the design of public space. How we care for our public realm is always relevant, even more so now as we adapt to life in a post-pandemic world.

‘Architects in Schools’ is supported by the Arts Council of Ireland, Department of Education and Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

Date: 2pm, Friday 25 June

For more information, see: https://architecturefoundation.ie/event/architects-in-schools-at-london-festival-of-architecture-together-we-care-about-public-spaces/

!!!! Irish Architecture Foundation International Summer School

Irish Architecture Foundation
Dates: 15 – 30 June 2021

Registration is open for IAF’s International Summer School, a series of live, virtual seminars and workshops exploring the relationship between architecture and media. The Summer School will explore how architecture as culture is mediated, communicated, disseminated, represented, experienced and consumed through the diverse media of filmmaking, podcasting and critical writing.

Events are suitable for post-primary school pupils.

Attendees can look forward to an exciting lineup of speakers and workshop facilitators including:
Emmett Scanlon (IRL), Matthew Blunderfield (UK), Grace La (USA), Inga Saffron (USA), Mimi Zeiger (USA), Tom Ravenscroft (UK) & Shane O’Toole (IRL).

For more information, see: architecturefoundation.ie/event/international-summer-school-architecture-and-media/

 

!!!! Opportunity for Artists & Writers: Callout for Panel for Collaborative Book Projects

Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership
Deadline: 5pm, 21 June 2021

Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership are seeking 8 professional artists and writers (4 artists and 4 writers) to join their panel specifically for collaborative book-making and publishing projects with children and young people. Are you an artist or writer with a strong professional practice who is interested in exploring collaborative ways of working with children and young people? Would you like join a panel of experts who will lead on developing new publications for Kids’ Own with groups of children and young people?

Having developed an approach to collaborative publishing with children and young people over two decades, they are inviting applications from people who would like to participate in a 2-day funded training programme and subsequently be part of a panel, from which artist–teacher pairs will be selected to work on future projects.

Kids’ Own invite applications from all over the island of Ireland, and especially welcome applications from diverse communities that are reflective of the communities of children they work with, and of artistic and cultural life in Ireland.

Deadline: 5pm, 21st June 2021

For more information or to apply, see https://kidsown.ie/callout-exciting-training-opportunity-for-artists-and-writers-interested-in-working-with-children-and-young-people/

!!!! Blog 4 – Anna Newell, Theatre Maker for Early Years & Children with Complex Needs

And Now….?

The unforeseen adventures that were created by being forced to re-invent, re-imagine, to find ways to re-connect with our audiences at this time of distance and disconnection had a profound impact on me.

It became clear that, for some of our audience, taking shows directly to where they are, taking the flexibility of the shows to a whole new level was what really worked for them.

So this year, inspired by that adventure and that discovery, I’m making a new show called SWEET DREAMS ARE MADE OF THIS that can play anywhere. A garden, around a hospital bed, outside a school, in a hospice – wherever makes most sense of our audience. It’ll be a tiny intimate show with just two performers, a gentle magical soundtrack and two gorgeous costumes created by leading Irish fashion designer, Rebecca Marsden who works with responsive wearable tech fashion – costumes that light up with the connection we make with our audience, costumes that transform an ordinary space into an extraordinary moment. The development is funded by Wicklow Arts Office and will happen this July and September in creative consultation with St Catherine’s School, County Wicklow families and with St Catherine’s Hospice, hopefully leading to a longer tour next year to my national Network For Extraordinary Audiences.

And right now, we’re on week 3 of an 8 week tour of GROOVE – a chilled out 70’s inspired happening for children and young people with complex needs, full of immersive video and live harmony singing. In masks of course.

It’s a wonderful co-incidence that for GROOVE (conceived in 2019 so well pre-pandemic) that there’s such an overwhelming visual element – even with one side of the tent missing in order to allow sufficient ventilation – the combination of the immersive video art and the live singing to a hypnotic soundtrack is so rich and all around that it has an energy and a presence that, whilst not replacing the usual tactile offers that we might make, has a welcome viscerality.

I’ve been describing GROOVE as a happening – I remember reading the definition of a 60’s/70’s happening – in broad terms it’s about an environment being created and then what happens is totally dependent on who comes and what they bring.  That’s the space and the adventure that I wanted to create with my audience for GROOVE.

I hardly dare hope that we’ll make it through all of the 8 weeks all over the country.  I’m grateful for each day and for the incredible welcome that the schools have given and are continuing to give us in what must be the hardest year they’ve ever had.    They truly are extraordinary audiences.

Throughout these last 18 months, the power of human connection has continued to be my lodestar and it, and my audiences, keeps me putting one foot in front of the other as we move forward as best we can.

!!!! Online Arts Education Resource: MoLI in the Classroom

Museum of Literature Ireland

New online visual arts education resource for primary school students.

The Museum of Literature Ireland are launching MoLI in the Classroom: a free, interactive, virtual, 40-50 minute workshop for 3rd to 6th class primary school students from across Ireland. It takes place over Zoom and is delivered directly into classrooms around Ireland. Teachers can book online with their live calendar. Their aim is to make the workshops fun and stimulating for all children, whatever their abilities.

All students need to participate is paper, pen/pencil and some colouring pencils, crayons or markers. Students can write, draw or doodle their responses according to their learning style. Students will see and hear all about the museum and will get to watch a special behind-the-scenes TikTok video. They will be encouraged to explore their own creativity through a range of individual and group work, fun word and drama games and creative writing exercises.

Teachers will not need to cover any topics in advance. After the online workshop, teachers can continue to encourage creativity in the classroom with their engaging follow-on activities, which include an opportunity to win a writer visit to a school and an iPad.

For more information, see moli.ie/learning/moli-in-the-classroom/

!!!! Opportunity for Schools: Architects in Schools 2021/22

Irish Architecture Foundation
Deadline: 6pm, June 4 2021

The IAF are delighted to announce that applications are now open for schools to take part in the 2021/22 cycle of Architects in Schools programme. The programme is entering into its 9th cycle, and the IAF will be collaborating with the National Museum of Ireland (Museum of Country Life, Mayo) for the annual exhibition of student work in May 2022.

An architect will facilitate hands-on design workshops in your school. Dates, times and workshop duration will be arranged between the designated teacher / TY coordinator and the assigned architect. Workshops must take place between 1 September 2021 and 4 March 2022. All architects will be fully Garda Vetted and will sign our Child Protection Policy. There is no cost for schools to participate (apart from providing some art materials).

There are two options for participation:
Option A: Full Programme
30 schools can participate in the full programme
20 hours with an architect / architectural graduate, consisting of 12 hours of workshops & 8 hours of preparation time for the architect
Option B: Introductory Programme
A new strand introduced in 2020/21, up to 40 schools can avail of introductory workshops
1 x 3 hour workshop per school, with an architect / architectural graduate

Deadline: 6pm, June 4th 2021

For more information and to apply online please visit https://architecturefoundation.ie/news/architects-in-schools-call-for-schools/

!!!! Opportunity for Schools: New Arts in Education Programme with Cork County Council

Cork County Council Arts Service
Deadline: 3pm, Thursday 10th June 2021

Cork County Council’s Arts Service is inviting schools to participate in a new classroom based arts in education programme that will be facilitated by a professional artist. Four schools in County Cork will be invited to become temporary custodians of Cork’s County Art Collection.

Cork County Council has a substantial collection of visual art. This civic collection includes works in various media including, painting, drawing, print, photography, video and small scale 3-dimensional work created by emerging and established artists, many of who are living and working in Cork County. This collection is owned by the people of Cork and as such it is the policy of Cork County Council to make this collection as widely available to the public as possible. It is in this context that they have developed a schools education programme that will enable young people to gain knowledge and engage creatively with work from the collection in a managed programme in the classroom. They will have an opportunity to create a collaborative artwork with an artist, using the artworks as a springboard for creativity.

The programme is funded by Creative Ireland and will be provided free of charge to all schools.

Deadline: 3pm, Thursday 10th June 2021

Applications should be made via email to grace.mitchell@corkcoco.ie no later than Thursday 10th June 2021 at 3pm. Queries can be made to Grace Mitchell, Creative Ireland Projects Coordinator, 021 4346210 or grace.mitchell@corkcoco.ie.

!!!! Opportunity for Artists: Per Cent for Art Commission, Limerick

St. Paul’s N.S. Dooradoyle, Limerick
Deadline: 12pm, 25 June 2021

St. Paul’s N.S. Dooradoyle, Limerick invites submissions from artists for its Per Cent for Art commission of €35,000. This commission is open to all visual artists working in all art forms including but not limited to painting, print, sculpture, digital and new media art, sound art, street art, socially engaged and participatory art.

It is hoped that the selected commission will emphasise and prioritise the current pupils and create a meaningful experience for them. This may be achieved by involving the pupils in a participatory project or in the making of an artwork, or by creating an interactive artwork or area for pupils to engage with. In addition to any participatory elements, the commissioners would like a tangible and enduring element from which future generations of pupils will also benefit. They are open to the form this may take, it could be a physical artwork, a film, involve digital technology, a book, activity area or a workshop plan.

Deadline: 12pm, Friday 25 June 2021

For more information, see visualartists.ie/advert/per-cent-for-art-commission-st-pauls-n-s-dooradoyle-limerick/

To make enquiries regarding the commission, email shelly@visualartists.ie.

!!!! Artist Opportunity: Per Cent for Art, Maynooth, Co. Kildare

Kildare County Council Arts Service and St. Mary’s Boys’ National School
Deadline: 12pm, 11 June 2021

Kildare County Council Arts Service and St. Mary’s Boys’ National School, Maynooth invites submissions for their Per Cent For Art commission of €49,000. The commission may include Artists in Residence programmes, commissioning of artwork (temporary and permanent) across all art forms including digital media, and may include collaborative work practice. Applications that consider the physical school environment (the buildings and grounds, indoor and outdoor) as well as applications that directly engage the school community are welcome.

Artists should submit their CV, expression of interest and samples of work to percentforart@maynoothbns.ie. All queries relating to the Per Cent for Art commission should be directed to Lucina Russell, Arts Officer, Tel: 045-448328; Mob: 0872399212; Email lrussell@kildarecoco.ie.

Deadline: 12pm, Friday 11th June 2021

For more information on how to apply, see: www.maynoothbns.ie/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/per_cent_for_art_2021.pdf

 

!!!! Opportunity For Artists: Offaly Youth Arts Commission 2021

Offaly County Council Arts Office
Deadline: 4pm, 2 June, 2021

Offaly County Council Arts Office invites professional artists, individual or collaboratively, to submit proposals for the delivery of a new Youth Arts Project for the cohort of 13 to 25 year olds within Offaly. The commission is open to submissions from all art disciplines including visual arts, film, animation, digital arts, performing arts, literature or sound art. The commission can concentrate on one art form or a range of art forms but must demonstrate a youth led ethos. It is vital that consideration is given to the times we are in and how engagement with young people can take place within a socially distanced world.

A fully inclusive fee of €15,000.00 to include all travel, materials, VAT will be made payable in three instalments:
1. €5000.00 on signing of contract with agreement on a submitted project outlining clear timelines, delivery and process.
2. €5000.00 mid way into the project
3. €5000.00 on completion of the project

There need not be a specific outcome, (i.e. piece of art, performance), rather the process and engagement with the Young People in Offaly should be central to the project and be inspired by their wants and needs. If there is an outcome, consideration should be given on how same could be showcased.

We would envisage the project as being easily accessible, have a wide reach and attract young people that are not necessarily involved in Arts.

Deadline: 4pm, Wednesday 2 June, 2021

For more information and to apply, see https://offalycoco.submit.com//show/92

 

!!!! Callout for Artists: Teacher-Artist Partnership (TAP) CPD 2021

Teacher-Artist Partnership (TAP) CPD 
Deadline: 5pm 21st May 2021

The Teacher Artist Partnership CPD Online Summer Course and Residency Programme, together with the Local Authority Arts Officers are inviting expressions of interest from artists (of all disciplines) who are committed to sharing their practice with children and teachers in a modern primary school environment.

The programme includes a specialist week-long online training on 1st – 7th July 2021 with a training allowance of €150 per day over the initial 5-day training week (€750 in total); and a guarantee of a paid, in-school-residency with a local primary school (Fee €900, plus €100 travel) to carry out a 20-hour project (14 contact hours plus 6 preparation hours) in partnership with your teacher partner throughout the 2021/2022 academic year.

Artists can apply to be part of the scheme via expressions of interest to Thérése Gamble, Director, Drumcondra Education Centre at director@ecdrumcondra.ie. Expressions of interest should be in the form of a letter of max 600 words, accompanied by a CV or short bio with links to images or samples of relevant work.

Deadline: 5pm 21st May 2021

For more information view the poster below

TAP Poster 2021

Callout for Artists: Teacher-Artist Partnership (TAP) CPD 2021

 

 

 

!!!! First Cut Youth Film Festival 2021

First Cut! Youth Film Festival
Dates: 17 April – 9 May 2021

First Cut! Youth Film Festival returns for its 12th year showcasing new films by young filmmakers. Running from 17 April – 9 May 2021, offers an imaginative, thought-provoking and entertaining programme for young people aged 12-24yrs. Audiences from all over Ireland, and from abroad, are invited to join them virtually for a completely free programme of events including: Open call short film and feature film screenings, workshops, panel discussions with some of the leading filmmakers in Ireland, a host of special guest appearances and more.

Workshops include: Puppetry for Film and Television Workshop, Stormtroopers SFX Workshop and more.

Dates: 17 April – 9 May 2021

To see the full programme, see: https://firstcutfilmfestival.com/

!!!! Natural Creators Early Years Sound Workshops

The Glucksman 
Date: Saturday May 22nd, 10:30-11:30am or 12-1pm

The Glucksman presents Natural Creators: Exploring and Creating Soundscapes with composer Karen Power. These free, interactive workshops focus on early years listening, composing and improvising sound. Using found sounds from our natural and constructed environment, these workshops encourage children’s natural openness and curiosity through a series of guided composing, improving, listening and play activities.

Natural Creators workshops are built on slowly integrating sound into children’s everyday lives. This program is designed in an open and improvised manner facilitating every child to engage in the process with their own unique approach to creating sound.

Date: Saturday May 22nd, 10:30-11:30 or 12-1pm

For more information or to book, see karenpower.ie/natural-creators.html

!!!! Opportunity Deadline Extended: Creative Schools 2021 Applications Open for Schools and Centres

Creative Schools
Deadline: 17:30, Thursday 10 June 2021

Scoileanna Ildánacha/Creative Schools are delighted to announce an exciting opportunity for schools/centres to apply to participate in the initiative. Schools/centres may apply from 6 April and the deadline is 17:30, Thursday 10 June 2021.

The Creative Schools initiative supports schools/centres to put the arts and creativity at the heart of children’s and young people’s lives. This initiative provides opportunities for children and young people to build their artistic and creative skills; to communicate, collaborate, stimulate their imaginations, be inventive, and to harness their curiosity. It will empower children and young people to develop, implement and evaluate arts and creative activity throughout their schools/centres and stimulate additional ways of working that reinforce the impact of creativity on children and young people’s learning, development and well-being.

Participating schools/centres will be provided with a package of supports that includes working with a Creative Associate, training and networking to support them to create their Creative School Plan, as well as seed funding to begin to implement their Plan.

Creative Associates will respond to each school/centre’s development priorities and needs in order to support them to deepen the arts and creative opportunities for children and young people. They will use their practical experience, to develop partnerships and mechanisms that enable sustained relationships between schools/centres and the arts and cultural sectors.

All Department of Education and Skills-recognised primary and post-primary schools and Youthreach centres who have not already participated in a previous round of Creative Schools are eligible to apply.

Deadline: 17:30, Thursday 10 June 2021

Further information on the Creative Schools application process will be available online shortly. Applications must be submitted online and schools are encouraged to register well in advance of the deadline: https://onlineservices.artscouncil.ie/Register.aspx

 

!!!! Online Arts Education Resource: TULCA Education Programme

TULCA

New online visual arts education resource for primary and secondary school students.

TULCA is a festival celebrating contemporary visual art, that takes place annually in November across Galway City and County with a programme of multi-venue exhibitions and events. TULCA Education Programme is a unique programme that focuses on looking at and responding to visual art. It is about reaching out and engaging with schools and the wider community to create an increased awareness and a shared understanding of the Visual Arts. The programme engages a process of slow looking, reflection and response.

TULCA’s Education Programme is designed to continue this process of critical thinking by creating a space for dialogue and learning exchange. It draws on individual personal experience and acknowledges that we all have our own set of visual codes, value systems, likes and dislikes.

The online arts education resource caters for primary and secondary school students and uses a mixture of creative activities and videos to explore contemporary visual art.

For further information, see https://www.tulca.ie/news/2021/03/24

!!!! For Schools: Art @ Home Activity Pack for Primary Schools

Pallas Projects

Pallas Projects have produced an online resource ‘Art @ Home’ for teachers and primary school students.

This year to coincide with Pallas Projects Online Periodical Review X Exhibition, they have teamed up with artist and education curator Liliane Puthod to create an activity pack for students to do at home or in school. Each of the four activities are relevant to all ages, and relate to a work in their online exhibition.

Pallas Projects/Studios is a not-for-profit artist-run organisation dedicated to the facilitation of artistic production and discourse, via the provision of affordable artists studios in Dublin’s city centre, and curated exhibitions. Pallas Projects is dedicated to the making and showing of visual art to our peers as well as a wide and diverse audience: via exhibitions, talks and tours.

For more information and to download the activity resource, see here: pallasprojects.org/news/art-home-activity-pack-pallas-projects-resources-for-schools

!!!! The Everyman & Graffiti Theatre Company Present: This Girl Laughs, This Girl Cries, This Girl Does Nothing

The Everyman & Graffiti Theatre Company

Dates: 1 – 31 May On Demand

On demand audio stream theatre for young audiences 8+ for families or schools.

This Girl Laughs, This Girl Cries, This Girl Does Nothing by Finegan Kruckemeyer, is presented by The Everyman and Graffiti Theatre Company as part of Play It by Ear, a programme of shows performed on The Everyman stage, and available as an audio stream.

Triplet sisters are left in the forest by their woodcutter father. From this fairytale beginning, three resolutions are made – one sister will walk one way, one the other, and the third will stay right where she is. Twenty years later, having circumnavigated the globe, and fought Vikings, and crossed oceans, and tamed wilds, and achieved greatness, the three meet again, as women.

Fun and accessible resources will be available on Graffiti’s website for teachers and parents to support children’s enjoyment of the episodes.  These resources – which will be available for the audio stream live date – will include creative prompts and activities to give children a deeper engagement with the piece.

Price: On Demand Audio Stream Family €12 | Schools €65

Age recommendation: 8+, recommended for young audiences and their families

Running Time: 5 X 10mins

For further details go to everymancork.com/events/this-girl-laughs-this-girl-cries-this-girl-does-nothing/

!!!! Opportunity for Young People: Source Arts Centre Online Workshops

Source Arts Centre
Date: 24 April

The Source Arts Centre is hosting a series of online workshops until June as part of their ‘Y’ Arts Programme. The ‘Y’ Arts Programme encourages young people aged between 13 and 18 to create new works of art using a task and challenge based approach. The programme aims to encourage an understanding of contemporary art and avant-garde art.

Workshop : Dream Like Maya Deren
12pm-1pm, 24th April 2021

Maya Deren was a Ukrainian-born American experimental filmmaker  in the 1940s and 1950s. In this workshop, participants will look at her most famous film ‘Meshes Of The Afternoon’ and examine how dream states or the subconscious are depicted in art.

For more information, see here: www.thesourceartscentre.ie/events/info/dream-like-maya-deren-workshop

!!!! Opportunity: Music Generation Development Officer (Fingal)

Music Generation 
Deadline: 23 April 2021

Dublin and Dun Laoghaire Education and Training Board (DDLETB) invites applications for the position of Music Generation Development Officer (Fingal). They will be responsible for managing a programme of performance music education on behalf of Fingal Local Music Education Partnership. This is a five-year fixed term contract.

The successful candidate will have a broad understanding of the diversity of effective, contemporary approaches across the diversity of performance music education – and will have the skills and experience to develop a programme that responds to the specific needs of young people in disadvantaged communities.

Music Generation is Ireland’s National Music Education Programme that gives children and young people access to high-quality, subsidised performance music education. Initiated by Music Network, Music Generation is co-funded by U2, The Ireland Funds, the Department of Education and Local Music Education Partnerships.

Deadline: 4pm Friday 23rd April 2021

For more information on how to apply, see: www.musicgeneration.ie/news/job-opportunity-music-generation-development-officer-fingal

 

!!!! Opportunity: Music Generation Callout for Musicians

Music Generation 
Deadline: 30 April 2021

Music Generation invites individual or groups of professional musicians to tender to lead and develop distinct Communities of Practice with musicians that deliver Music Generation programmes; and to lead, develop and create new work for children and young people with musicians involved in Music Generation Communities of Practice.

Music Generation is Ireland’s National Music Education Programme that gives children and young people access to high-quality, subsidised performance music education. Initiated by Music Network, Music Generation is co-funded by U2, The Ireland Funds, the Department of Education and Local Music Education Partnerships.

Deadline: 5pm Friday 30th April 2021

For more information on how to apply, see: www.musicgeneration.ie/news/request-for-tenders-professional-musicians-provision-of-services

 

 

!!!! Opportunity: Creative Schools Regional Co-Ordination Panel

Creative Schools
Deadline: 2 April, 2021

Creative Schools is forming a panel of Creative Associate Regional Coordinators across the country. It is envisaged that the Arts Council will engage the services of 8 Regional Coordinators. Both individuals and organisations (who nominate a particular representative) may apply to provide these services.

The main tasks of the Creative Associate regional coordinators are:

– Work closely with the Arts Council’s Creative Schools’ team to support and assist in coordinating the work of the Creative Associates at a regional level.

– Liaise with and support up to twenty Creative Associates and their assigned schools across each region.

– Be required to carry out services for around seventy days per annum, with a minimum of one day per week between the months of September to June.

Deadline for applications: Friday 2nd April, 2021

For more information, see www.etenders.gov.ie/ (select Arts Council in ‘authority’ field of an advanced search on etenders).

!!!! NMI Invites Schools to Learn and Engage with Culture in the Classroom

The National Museum of Ireland (NMI)

The National Museum of Ireland (NMI) has launched its spring/summer 2021 programme of online workshops, activities and resources for schools.

The Museum is inviting schools all over Ireland to enjoy, engage and learn with culture in the classroom this spring and beyond.

From the Crazy Life of Crows to pop-up talks on the Easter Rising, the spring/summer programme explores a diverse range of topics and themes, all inspired by the National Collections across four Museum sites in Dublin and Mayo.

The NMI usually welcomes some 90,000 primary and post primary students on classroom visits each year. Due to COVID-19 public health advice, the Museum has now moved its schools programme online with imaginative workshops, virtual tours and classroom activities, delivering meaningful learning experiences for students.

Some highlights from the spring/summer programme include a family tree workshop with the NMI – Country Life; a virtual tour about the 1916 Rising from the NMI – Decorative Arts & History; an Ogham Code challenge from the NMI – Archaeology; and special virtual classroom sessions exploring extinction with the NMI – Natural History.

All events are offered free of charge.

For further infromation go to –  www.museum.ie/en-IE/News/National-Museum-of-Ireland-invites-schools-to-lear

!!!! Lismore Castle Arts Launches Artifice Online Exhibition

Lismore Castle Arts
Online exhibition

Artifice is an annual exhibition by Lismore Castle Arts which presents works of art created by transition year students from across County Waterford. This year’s theme is “Land Art”, based on Lismore Castle Arts’ main exhibition for 2021 “Light and Language” centred around the work of Nancy Holt, a significant figure in the Land Art movement. Students were invited to explore their relationship with the environment  and to express their experience of the lockdown, environmentalism and personal identity.

Over 130 students took part in Artifice 2021, creating new artworks using a variety of media including photography, film, sculpture and painting. The five schools participating in Artifice 2021 are Meánscoil San Nioclás (An Rinn), Ard Scoil na nDéise (Dungarvan), Ardscoil na Mara (Tramore), St. Augustine’s College (Dungarvan) and Blackwater Community School (Lismore).

View the exhibition here: www.lismorecastlearts.ie/education/

!!!! Baboró’s RISE Project: Children Co-Create Events with Irish & International Artists

Baboró International Arts Festival for Children
Event Date: 23 April 2021

Baboró are delighted to present their Galway 2020 European Capital of Culture project, RISE.

Children in Galway are dancing, leaping and learning with local and international artists this spring, thanks to the RISE programme from Baboró International Arts Festival for Children in partnership with Galway 2020 European Capital of Culture. This March children aged 8 to 13 years are taking on starring roles in two “RISE” projects, combining parkour, circus skills, performance art, sport and more. Making the most of digital opportunities to connect across the globe, the young people are participating at school and at home.

Projects include:

St. Pats Lockdown Olympics: A whacky series of four weekly videos, accompanied by props delivered to students’ homes, to guide them through the creation of their own spectacularly zany sports.

The Streets Are Ours: A collaborative project to create a promenade performance by Galway children combining parkour, contemporary dance and circus skills. The dance performance will be recorded in April and shared with the public as soon as safely possible.

The Veiled Ones: The final element of the RISE programme will be The Veiled Ones, a new dance theatre production highlighting the powerful relationship between grandparents and grandchildren, created by renowned Irish company Junk Ensemble.

This immersive work, currently in development.

In Conversation with Junk Ensemble & kabinet k

On April 23, Baboró will host the digital event, ‘In Conversation with Junk Ensemble & kabinet k’, exploring both companies’ development processes in making work with and for children, and the challenges to creating dance in a global pandemic.

For more information, www.baboro.ie/galway-2020.

!!!! Opportunity for Schools: Ennis Book Club Festival Workshops for Schools

Ennis Book Club Festival
Dates: 2 – 5 March

Ennis Book Club Festival invites post-primary school students and teachers in County Clare to a series of online workshops scheduled as part of their wider book club festival taking place from 2 – 7 March.

The workshops include:

For more information on how to book, see https://www.ennisbookclubfestival.com/ebcf-2021-events

!!!! Opportunity: The Practice of Looking, Visual Thinking Strategies Course

The LAB Gallery, Dublin City Arts Office
Dates: Wednesdays 4-6pm, 3, 10, 24 March & 14, 21, 28 April

The Practice of Looking is a six-week, online course to learn about Visual Thinking Strategies and its use in Dublin, and to practice its facilitation. It was born out of the growing interest in the adoption of Visual Thinking Strategies at the LAB Gallery and in the partnerships and networks that have evolved around it. The LAB Gallery, Dublin City Arts Office, The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) and VTS Neighbourhood Schools are partnering to host an online course that offers the opportunity to learn from trained VTS coaches in the existing network. The course will have a strong focus on facilitation practice and reflection. You will receive a certificate of attendance after completion of the course.

Please note that to participate to the course, you need to:

For more information and to register, please see here: http://www.dublincityartsoffice.ie/the-lab/vts-projects/the-practice-of-looking

 

 

!!!! New Architecture Learning Resource for Schools: IAF DIY Studio

Irish Architecture Foundation

The IAF have produced an online resource ‘DIYStudio’ for teachers and secondary school students.

DIYStudio introduces you to architecture and is perfect for secondary schools students who might be curious about the process of design. Follow the five stages – Explore, Research, Design, Present, Reflect to design your own architectural space, learning and experimenting along the way. All you need to get started is internet access, paper and a pencil.

Students can start and finish anytime, DIYStudio is an ongoing project.

For further information go to architecturefoundation.ie/event/diystudio/

If you have any questions please email learning@architecturefoundation.ie

!!!! Opportunity: Teachers’ CPD: Creativity in the Online Classroom Made Easy

The Ark
Date: 25 February 2021

The Ark invites you to ‘Creativity in the Online Classroom Made Easy’ CPD workshop for teachers, where you will learn a range of easy, accessible skills to help you bring creativity into your online teaching. Find out how easy it can be to breathe imagination into an online class, inspiring both your students and yourself. The ideas shared will be useful for both teaching online and when you are back in the classroom.

Perhaps you are overwhelmed with the technical aspects of moving your teaching online, or feeling frustrated with the limitations and struggling to make your online lessons creative and engaging. Or perhaps you are simply looking for some fresh inspiration for ideas that can work well in the online space. Join the Ark for this morning of inspiration and art-making to help you address these challenges, led by artist Duffy Mooney-Sheppard who has been leading online classes for children for the past year.

During this session you will gain valuable time to explore various tools available on Zoom to develop, hone and gain confidence in digital art lessons. Ideas shared will be adaptable and transferrable to other online platforms you may be using also. The possibilities in virtual learning spaces are wide and we are all learning! We will ask questions, share challenges, try things out and build our knowledge as a group.

This is a free CPD event for teachers, but advance booking is essential. For more details please go to: https://ark.ie/events/view/cpd-creativity-online-classroom

!!!! Opportunity for Artists: Managing Online Content Webinars

Children’s Books Ireland & Poetry Ireland
Dates: 23 & 24 February, 2, 3, 10 March

Children’s Books Ireland and Poetry Ireland are working in partnership to host a series of capacity-building webinars for artists who are delivering online programmes to children and young people. The webinars are free to attend and places are limited. Children’s Books Ireland and Poetry Ireland are committed to supporting artists in the development of their practice and their working conditions.

For more information or to register for these workshops, see https://www.eventbrite.ie/o/childrens-books-ireland-11806877628

!!!! Blog 1 – Anna Newell, Theatre Maker for Early Years & Children with Complex Needs

What. How. Why.

I remember really vividly where I was on 12th March 2020. I was visiting the cast at the end of their 3rd week of a 10 week tour of my show for babies ‘I AM BABA’ and our tiny gorgeous tent was set up in a rather grand hotel ballroom in Trim. We came out of the third show to the news of the announcement of lockdown. We threw the set and costumes back in my storage facility without masses of care – as we knew it was only going to be a couple of weeks.

I know.

For the next 2 months, I was lost, desperately trying to think what to do and how to do it.

And then I worked out that it wasn’t about the what or the how but rather about the why.

When creating ‘BLISS’, the first show I made specifically for audiences of children with complex needs, I was doing some creative consultation in a classroom and over the course of these few days these children revealed to me what I think theatre is – one human being connecting with another. That’s it. And that my job is to create the optimum conditions for that connection.

And for my audiences, the optimum conditions overwhelmingly are that it’s a live experience.

The work has always had at its very heart the live responsive connection and an inherent and crucial ability to nuance and change from moment to moment.  And I realised what I had to do was to take this built-in flexibility to a whole new level…

Thanks to the incredible support of funders, venues, audiences and artists and more than a little bit of luck, I managed to tour work live for 8 weeks in the summer, autumn and winter of 2020.

And in my next couple of blogs, I’ll tell you the how and the what.

 

!!!! Opportunity for Schools: VISUAL Carlow Online Workshops

VISUAL Carlow 

Dates: Throughout February & March

Would you and your class like to participate in an online workshop with VISUAL Carlow’s Curator of Learning, Clare Breen?

Clare will bring your class on a virtual walk through this season’s exhibitions, broadcast live from inside their closed gallery. After the tour she will lead an art activity that can be completed with simple materials children can find at home or in school.

These workshops are suitable for primary school groups from 1st to 6th class. Book your place for an online workshop in February and March, workshops are free but places are limited!

For further information or to book your place, email learning@visualcarlow.ie.

!!!! Roundup: A Selection of Arts in Education Online Programmes

A selection of some of the fantastic digital arts in education activities and programmes available for children and young people which support learning at home.

The Ark @ Home for Teachers

To support teachers delivering arts-based learning to children remotely while they are home due to the COVID-19 restrictions, The Ark have a variety of classroom and at-home activity packs relating to different areas of the curriculum, as well as a selection of recorded shows available to stream for your class privately.

For more information: ark.ie/projects/details/ark-home-teachers

The Glucksman: Creativity at Home

Join The Glucksman online for on daily live art sessions and creative activities you can do at home. A team of facilitators delivers daily art classes and discover a range of art making skills and techniques. These free online sessions will keep children engaged as they learn about drawing, painting, constructing and printmaking using basic art and household materials.

For more information: www.glucksman.org/exhibitions/creativity-at-home

IMMA: Explorer at Home

With your family, you can explore specially selected artworks from the IMMA Collection online and their temporary Exhibition Programme, as well as suggested starting points for creative activities related to those artworks. These free online resources cover themes such as abstract painting, collage, land art and more.

For more information: imma.ie/whats-on/explorer-at-home-abstract-painting/

National Gallery of Ireland at Home

Stay connected with the National Gallery of Ireland online, with lots of different ways to engage with their collection – virtual tours, videos, podcasts, downloadable resources, activities for children, online workshops, blogposts, and much more.

For more information: www.nationalgallery.ie/national-gallery-ireland-at-home

 

 

!!!! New Video Resource For Schools: ‘Speaking of Which’ Artist Interview Series

The Dock Arts Centre and The Lab Gallery

Eleven Irish artists reveal what inspires them and how they make their art in a free video series designed for use in the classroom.

The Dock Arts Centre in Carrick on Shannon and The Lab Gallery in Dublin have worked together to produce an online resource for teachers and arts educators. This resource is ideal for use in a classroom or online educational setting and features artists speaking directly about themselves and the art making process. View the online resource here: https://vimeo.com/showcase/8094850

As well as connecting young people with some of the rich ideas that inform our visual culture and offering them a unique insight into the arts practices, methods and motivations of practicing artists the series also affords the artists a unique opportunity to speak directly to and connect with young audiences.

In the interviews the artists reveal their reasons for making art, describe the methods they use to make their work but most importantly reveal what is means to them to be an artist and how they transform their desire to create and communicate into the work they produce. The diversity of their individual backgrounds and experiences is reflected in the work each artist makes. They draw inspiration from many sources; the books they read as children, the films they have watched, conversations they have had, the environments that they have lived in and places they have visited.

The artists are Sinéad Ní Mhaonaigh, Eve O’ Callaghan, Jamie Cross, Ellen Duffy, Kate Murphy, Atoosa Pour Hosseini, Gemma Browne, Anna Maria Healy, Austin Ivers, Louise Manifold and Jackie McKenna.

The video series is a starting point to mediate conversations with young people about their own creativity, ideas and inspirations, the videos may also be used as an inspiration for teachers and educators to devise workshop and other practical activities for their classes.

Access this free resource here: https://vimeo.com/showcase/8094850

For further information go to www.thedock. ie/learning-projects/speaking- of-which.

 

!!!! Embracing Cultural Diversity in the Classroom: Report on Building an Intercultural Museum Programme for Schools

Chester Beatty Library

Chester Beatty launched an Intercultural museum programme for primary and post-primary schools offering students and their teachers the opportunity to explore world cultures in an Irish museum.  Participants are encouraged to engage with Chester Beatty’s Islamic, East Asian and European collections through a variety of activities including guided tours, self-guided visits, online learning resources and access to the extensive image gallery.

Intercultural dialogue and learning plays a key role in the museum’s mission and fosters dialogue with the communities represented in Chester Beatty’s unique collections.  These collections offer wonderful learning opportunities and support a number of key curricular areas from art history to world faiths. A range of free teaching resources are available to support self-guided visits and inspire activities back at school.

The research for developing the programme was carried out in co-operation with Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, Maynooth University, the Intercultural Education Service (Education Authority of Northern Ireland) and the UK Heritec Education Consultancy.  A key component of the development programme was the training of guides and facilitators in visual thinking strategies and object-based learning to reflect the school curriculum.

This report includes the background to the intercultural school’s project and includes definitions on intercultural dialogue and relevant policies, strategies and projects in both the formal education, arts and cultural sectors; the development of the intercultural school’s programme; analysis of current practices and methodologies; programme development including the training of volunteer guides, Continuous Professional Development of teachers; and pilot tours and evaluation.

Schools have full access to Chester Beatty’s remarkable treasures through the website www.chesterbeatty.ie thus allowing students and teachers to experience the Chester Beatty from the school desk or from home.  In addition, the CB’s new Digital Museum Guide app offers audio tours in 13 languages, virtual 3D walkthroughs of the museum, online browsing of the Chester Beatty’s world-renowned treasures, and a news section to highlight our extensive programme of events and activities.

View and Download the ‘Embracing cultural diversity in the classroom – Research and Development Report’ here.

For more details about the Chester Beatty Learning and Education Department please contact educationservices@cbl.ie

 

 

!!!! Opportunity for Artists: ‘You, Fin and the Play Between’ Playwriting Programme for Young Audiences

Baboró International Arts Festival, Graffiti Theatre and TYA Ireland

Deadline: Monday 8 February 2021

Callout for a 6-month playwriting programme led by Finegan Kruckemeyer for established and emerging playwrights based in Ireland who are interested in writing for young audiences.

Baboró International Arts Festival for Children, Graffiti Theatre and TYA Ireland are excited to collaborate with International TYA Playwright Finegan Kruckemeyer to host a new playwriting programme for writers and theatre makers in Ireland who are interested in writing plays for young audiences.

At a time when the world and its distances are both larger and smaller than ever before, a collaboration will occur, spanning half a globe, and half a year, and driven by that most exciting of provocations – to forge something from nothing.

Beginning with a blank page, eight Irish authors will respond to writing aids and impositions both as they explore theatre for young audiences – what makes a TYA play, and what TYA play they wish to make.

But more important than the audience, shall be the idea. And in writing work solemn and silly, foreign and known, as vast as an ocean and as small as a boat which may rock upon it, eight individual voices shall be celebrated, and their plays play out to their ends.

Who is this for?
This opportunity is open to both established and emerging playwrights, residing in Ireland, interested in writing plays for young audiences. Applications are encouraged from artists with a disability, those from minority ethnic communities and those who feel their voices are not commonly represented. There are eight places available on the programme.

Irish language writers are welcome to participate in this project through the medium of Irish.  Support and translation will be provided to facilitate a bilingual writing journey with Fin. Samples of writing in Irish can be included in the application.

Cuirimid fáilte roimh scríbhneoirí le Gaeilge páirt a ghlacadh sa togra seo as Gaeilge. Cuirfear tacaíocht agus aistriúcháin ar fáil chun an turas scríbhneoireachta dátheangach le Fin a éascú. Is féidir samplaí Gaeilge a bheith mar chuid den iarratas.

Deadline for Applications is Monday 8 February 2021

For further information and application details go to https://www.baboro.ie/news-events/you-fin-and-the-play-between

!!!! This Is Art! Online Art Competition with RTÉ & Creative Ireland

RTÉ and Creative Ireland Programme

Deadline extended to Sunday 31 Jan 2021

RTÉ and Creative Ireland Programme have come together in partnership to create This Is Art! – a celebration of visual art through the creation of an exciting new online art competition aimed at young people across the island of Ireland.

The competition aims to promote artistic practice among young people and encourage and support creativity, originality and self-expression. Applicants can enter individually or they can enter as part of a group and all visual art disciplines are welcomed. The competition is open for anyone 18yrs and under.

All of the artwork will be included in a digital gallery and considered for the This Is Art! 2021 Grand Prix Award.

Deadline extended to Sunday 31 Jan 2021

For further information go to: https://www.thisisart.ie/

!!!! Opportunity for Schools: Your Gallery at School with the National Gallery of Ireland

The National Gallery of Ireland

Deadline: Friday 5 February 2021

The National Gallery of Ireland invites schools to apply to participate in Your Gallery at School, a new holistic outreach programme that brings the National Gallery of Ireland directly to schools.

Over the course of 2021, The National Gallery of Ireland will work with six primary schools that wouldn’t usually be able to visit the Gallery, to create a tailored programme of activities for their students.

Participating schools will be selected via an open application process. Selected schools will not have visited the Gallery in the past three years and will be from one or more of three key groups:

  • DEIS schools to address socio-economic barriers to accessing culture.
  • Boys’ schools to address the gender barrier to accessing culture.
  • Schools geographically far away (over 2 hours away from Dublin) to address the geographic barrier to accessing culture.

The closing date: Friday 5 February 2021

Your Gallery at School aims to break down the barriers that prevent engagement with the arts through holistic programming that ensures children transition to adulthood equipped with the life-changing benefits of art.

For more details please go to: https://www.nationalgallery.ie/explore-and-learn/your-gallery-school