Perspectives
This section presents opinion on aspects of arts and health practice from a range of perspectives including health service users, artists, healthcare professionals and researchers.
HESITANT LIGHT
Joe Vaněk reflects on the aftermath of his stroke, which curtailed a career designing for theatre, opera and dance that has spanned four decades. An opportunity to write about his experiences for the Irish Heart Foundation marked his tentative return to the artistic fold. Here, he discusses the rekindling of the creative spirit as a writer and artist in a post-stroke world.
13 November, 2023
‘In life the song is a very important thing’ Museum of Song: Ireland and Ukraine
The Museum of Song is a song collecting project, co-created by artists Tess Leak and Sharon Whooley. New members of the West Cork community from Ukraine were invited to take part in 2022. Tetyana Karpenko and Olha Baglaenko of the Chervona Kalyna choir, supported by interpreter and choir member Ivan Humenuik, reflect on their experiences of sharing culture and kinship through song.
1 September, 2023
Memento Vivere
Navin Hyder reflects on her three-year artist residency at the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital in Dublin, where she created a large body of work in the hospital’s operating theatres. Hyder details the evolving nature of the residency, new terrain for both artist and hospital staff, and how personal connections with families impacted by cancer shaped its outcomes.
6 June, 2023
Nothing for us without us: Pavee Point’s creative approach to Traveller men’s health
Patrick Reilly and Michael Collins from Pavee Point Traveller & Roma Centre discuss the health inequalities that Travellers face, the work of the Men’s Health Team, and the Traveller-led creative initiatives that are giving visibility to Traveller men’s experiences.
1 March, 2023
Wellbeing and the Museum: Inclusive art programming in a changing world
Providing inclusive art experiences for older people within and outside of the museum walls is integral to the Irish Museum of Modern Art’s Engagement & Learning Programme. Helen O’Donoghue and Bairbre-Ann Harkin reflect on the development of remotely accessible art programmes for older audiences during the pandemic and spearheading initiatives that speak to people’s needs in a changing world.
21 June, 2022
OURSELVES: A Nurse Poet Bears Witness
Most of the poems from my first collection of poetry, OURSELVES, come from vivid memories of my first years in nurse training: the shock and drama of illness; the strengths and weaknesses of those I worked alongside, and bearing witness to the vulnerabilities and suffering of patients.
1 March, 2022
A view from within: An Arts in Health project for hospital staff during Covid-19
Claire Flahavan works as an art therapist in St Louise’s Unit at Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) Crumlin. Claire reflects on her experience of Sidestep, an Arts in Health project for staff within the Unit at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
1 September, 2021
Teen Spirit: Music adventures in the lockdown era
Davina Flaherty is a singer-songwriter and musician from Galway. A member of CanTeen Ireland, the national young people’s cancer support group, Davina has been taking part in an online music project since summer 2020 led by musicians Seán Carpio and Ríona Sally Hartman.
8 July, 2021
Time to Unite and Take Action: Managing an Arts and Health Programme during COVID-19
Diary entry 20th March 2020: ‘So much change around the world – every day, every minute’.
2 March, 2021
My Art and M.E.: The Demands of a Creative Mind
Artist and puppet designer Corina Duyn has been exploring the internal landscape of illness in her work since she was diagnosed with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (M.E.) in 1998. Corina reflects on how her art making has evolved and new avenues of discovery have opened up as she challenges the limitations of the body with the demands of a creative mind.
1 December, 2020
Your Collection: The Arts Council Collection in Healthcare Settings
There are more than 180 artworks from the Arts Council Collection currently on display in 14 healthcare settings across the Republic of Ireland. Ben Mulligan and Ann O'Connor from the Arts Council provide insights into the lending and selection process, and the impact this artwork can have on healthcare communities.
3 November, 2020
Asylum Archive: An Archive of Asylum and Direct Provision
‘Memory, for migrants, is almost always the memory of loss.'
1 March, 2020
