Opportunity
Image shown: Age & Opportunity - Artist Residency in a Care Setting.
Age & Opportunity/ Bealtaine is expanding their Artist(s) in Residence in a Care Setting, with six residencies to take place across the country during 2019. Age & Opportunity invites care settings (day care, residential and hospice care settings) to apply for this exciting opportunity, with submissions due by 28 June 2019. This will be followed by a call out for artists in July.
These nationwide artist residencies aim to improve access to quality arts experiences for older people in care settings.
- Research shows significant social and health benefits for older people who engage with the arts
- Six nationwide artist residencies in care settings, at least one in each province
- Initiative will reach up to 250 older people who live in or visit care settings
Age & Opportunity is the national organisation that provides a range of opportunities for older people who want to get more involved in arts and culture, sport and physical activity, education and personal development.
These residencies are funded by the Creative Ireland Programme’s National Creativity Fund, HSE National Lottery Funding (CHO areas 4 & 7), and the Arts Council.
The artist residency initiative is also supported by the Waterford Healing Arts Trust (WHAT), Creative Life, Mercer’s Institute for Successful Ageing (MISA) and the Dementia Services Information and Development Centre (DSIDC) both based in MISA, St. James’s Hospital. These partner organisations will offer their expert perspective on the artist residency steering group and provide mentoring and support during the programme.
The initiative aims to make arts and creativity intrinsic to life-in-care settings for older people, particularly those who live outside major urban areas and in hard-to-reach places. Each care setting residency has approximately 30 to 50 older people so it’s estimated that the expansion of this initiative will result in increased arts participation for up to 250 older people in care settings.
Creativity and cultural participation are key contributors to wellbeing in older age. Research has shown that arts programmes have a profound influence on the quality of life of older people in residential care, with positive impacts on health, psychological wellbeing and autonomy.
The deadline for care settings to apply for this initiative is 28 June 2019. Full details on how to apply can be found here: http://bealtaine.ie/page/opportunities
The artist call out will happen in July and the deadline will be 9 August 2019.
An information workshop on the residencies and application process will take place on 8 May 2019, during the Bealtaine Festival.
For further information contact Bridget Deevy, Arts Programme Assistant Manager: bridget.deevy@ageandopportunity.ie
