News
My Place, an exhibition by 30 artists from The Iris Learning Centre and the Kilcornan Arts Group of the Brothers of Charity Services Kilcornan, Clarinbridge opens this week at the Foyer and Arts Corridor in University Hospital, Galway. The exhibition will be officially launched by Tom Kenny on Monday 8 April 2013 at 3.00 pm and all are welcome. Special guests performing on the day will be Sean Keane and Ruth Dillon.
My Place is a body of work created by the artists over the past two years with subject matter ranging from memories to instances of everyday life. The art room has created a non-judgmental space which allows freedom of expression and emotion resulting in a collection which reflects the artists’ creativity and imagination.
The classes are facilitated by Sally McMahon who states: ‘Over the past seven years I have seen art enrich the lives of these wonderful people in so many ways; it has provided them with an outlet to be creative, express themselves, interact with each other and the broader community; it has also provided them with the opportunity to show off their talents and wonderful abilities to the communities they live in. I can only hope that you enjoy our exhibition as much as we enjoyed the process of creating it.’
The Brothers of Charity support people with intellectual disabilities to be valued citizens in their local community, to have ordinary life experiences and to be closely connected to family and friends. They are committed to supporting people to make choices about their lives and to the provision of quality services that meet people’s needs. Kilcornan services continue to reduce the numbers of people living on the campus in Kilcornan as people move to the community.
The Iris Learning Centre is funded by the Brothers of Charity together with VEC teachers teaching art, crafts, music, computers, cookery, movement and drama. The service is open to all service users who have moved from Kilcornan and now live in Clarinbridge and the wider community. Their main aim is to discover new talents and interests and share them with the community.
Margaret Flannery, Arts Director at Galway University Hospitals, said: ‘Galway University Hospitals supports community art groups on an ongoing basis and gives them an opportunity to bring their work to a wider audience with exhibitions and displays in their local hospital. We are delighted to invite the artists from the Iris Learning Centre and The Kilcornan Art Group here to celebrate their achievements.‘
The exhibition runs daily until 24 April 2013.
For more information, please contact Margaret Flannery, Arts Director at 091 544979 or guhartstrust@hse.ie.
