News
Luci Kershaw
The national arts and health website is delighted to announce that Luci Kershaw has been awarded this year’s Emerging Artist Bursary, funded by the Arts Council and the HSE. The bursary affords time and space for an emerging artist in the field of arts and health to reflect on their practice.
Luci Kershaw is a multi-disciplinary artist based in Galway who works primarily in social and participatory arts contexts. Her practice explores health themes, using a research-informed approach and documenting outcomes through video and sound installations.
Luci’s interest in arts and health began during her studies (BA Contemporary Art Practices from GMIT / ATU and MA Social Practice and the Creative Environment from LSAD / TUS) and her practice is now focused on arts participation within this area. In 2023, she was accepted onto Saolta Arts’ Participatory Artist Panel to facilitate projects in Galway University Hospitals.
Postcards by Luci Kershaw (2020)
Mentorship from visual artist Marie Brett, an experienced arts and health practitioner, led Luci to re-examine her previous artworks and the testimonies of healthcare users and carers that have informed this work. This in turn shaped the making of the short documentary Zebra (2023), which follows the 10-year journey of Oisín and his mother Gemma as they navigate his diagnosis with an inoperable brain tumour. The film explores the role of art in Oisín’s life and how he lives ‘in this moment, for the moment and every moment.’
The making of the documentary has spurred Luci to consider how she can bring her documentation practice into healthcare environments and provide space for people not only to share stories but to participate in the filmmaking process. In this way, she sees documentation acting as an avenue of creative exploration for participants.
Video still from Zebra by Luci Kershaw (2023)
Luci intends to use the time afforded by the bursary to converse with healthcare professionals and arts and health practitioners on how her artistic practice and documentation processes might be shaped to support the work of caring environments. She also intends to connect with health service users to find out how they would like to participate in arts experiences in healthcare.
Luci has a particular interest in palliative and end of life care settings, having previously created On Dying (2022), a short film exploring death and the fear of dying, told through personal testimonies. She will spend time reflecting on ethical considerations when working within arts and health, and examining best practices in how processes and outcomes are documented.
On Dying by Luci Kershaw, Linenhall Arts Centre, 2022
Luci hopes that her findings will enable her to develop and mould a practice that is appropriate, positive, productive and meaningful in healthcare environments.
Further information on Luci’s practice can be found on her website: www.lucikershaw.com
