Draíocht News Update - 17 February 2021

We hope you enjoy our 2020 Review.

We would like to express our gratitude to our funders Fingal County Council and The Arts Council for their support in 2020, a year that brought many challenges.
Thanks to Draíocht’s Board and Staff, and all the artists we’ve worked with in 2020.
Thanks to our audiences and project participants who engaged with us in person and online.
Thank you most sincerely to our Friends Scheme members and to those who made donations.

Thank you for keeping in touch by phone and by email.
You kept us buoyant and sane!
We miss you all and we’ll see you in 2021, when once again we will open our doors and fill our seats!

Have you been to see ‘Light Up’ yet?

Draíocht, in partnership with Fingal County Council, has launched a new project for 2021 called Light Up, which will see us commission some really exciting artists to create outdoor digital art projections for everyone to enjoy.

Our first projection is a work by artist and illustrator Alan Nolan called We Can Be Heroes a work created especially for children, to celebrate a sense of new beginnings and optimism, after a very tough 2020.

If you're within a 5km radius, come visit our outdoor Light Up projection, from dusk each evening!

And winging its way to EVERY HOUSE in D15 this week, is our new 'Superhero Activity Sheet' created with Alan Nolan, to celebrate our first 'Light Up' Projection.

Superhero Workshop with Alan Nolan
Fluffy the Wonder Cat

You can also join Alan in his Superhero Video Workshop, and create your own superhero pet and matching costume. Maybe you can even wear a costume when you visit our projections!
Enjoy!

Share your pics with us!
#5kmfromhome #DraiochtProjections #LightUp

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Create Dance & D15 Youth Theatre

Although we are still closed to the public, our online classes and workshops continue for our Create Dance and D15 Youth Theatre Members, with live Zoom Classes weekly on Saturdays and Tuesdays.

We will continue to work in fun and exciting ways exploring all things dance and theatre, through improvised games, group work and the on-going explorations of themes of interest, just in a social distancing kind of way, until we can all be in the one space again later this year.

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HOMEGROUND: Art, People, Place, Identity
Research and Development Mentoring Awards (2020-2021)

In December 2020, Fingal Arts Office and Draíocht were delighted to announce the selected recipients for HOMEGROUND: Art, People, Place, Identity 2020/2021, a new Research and Development (with mentoring) Award, for artists working in socially engaged and collaborative practice and/or artists working with children and young people.

The 4 artists, Michelle Hall (Visual Artist), Thomas Johnston (Musician/Theatre Maker), Monica Munoz (Choreographer/Dancer) and Jijo Sebastian Palatty (Film Maker), have started on their mentoring journey, with mentors Marie Brett, Annabelle Comyn, Christine Devaney, Joe Lee and Fearghus O’Conchuir.

The artists also participate in monthly group meetings which allow for year planning, reflection, networking and peer support opportunities. For now, we are meeting online until we can return to Draíocht.

HOMEGROUND was conceived both out of Draíocht’s 5 year Strategy ‘A Space for the Arts’ where providing support and expertise to develop artist’s practice is one of our stated goals and out of a body of collaborative and children/young people’s practice that we have engaged in over our 20 years of operation.

Draíocht is delighted to be working with this group of artists and mentors, under the guidance of Draíocht’s curator, Sharon Murphy, in a considered and curated programme that will support the development of their work and practice.

HOMEGROUND is a partnership initiative between Draíocht and Fingal County Council’s Arts Office.

Making Art Printing - Virtual Tour with Curator Sharon Murphy

With time standing still for much of our 2020 'Making Art Printing' exhibition, we know it was difficult for visitors to make it into our Gallery spaces to experience it in person. So, we are thrilled to bring you a virtual tour of the exhibition to enjoy instead, with Curator Sharon Murphy guiding us through the spaces and artworks.

We look forward to welcoming you back to our Gallery spaces as soon as possible in 2021.

In the meantime, why not check out our Gallery Instagram to see some amazing exhibitions from our 20 year history?

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News From Our Friends


The Boy Who Talked to Dogs
Slingsby & Bryan Burroughs

BIG SHOUT OUT to actor Bryan Burroughs and all our friends in Slingsby Theatre Company, Adelaide, Australia, as they prepare to take to the stage next week!

Beautifully adapted by Irish playwright Amy Conroy, 'The Boy Who Talked to Dogs' is a magical and mischievous tale of transformation, redemption, and what happens when the underdog finds his pack.

It tells the true story of Martin McKenna, growing up in Garryowen, Limerick in the 1970's, who eventually makes his way to Byron Bay, Australia, where he now lives as a best selling author and radio personality - celebrated as the 'Dog Man'.

Draíocht was delighted to have supported their latest project with a week long development period in our Studio in 2019 and we look forward to programming this show at a future date.

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#IrelandReads - 25 February 2021
A new national day to celebrate reading

Ireland Reads is a public libraries initiative, in partnership with publishers, booksellers, authors and others under the Government’s ‘Keep Well’ campaign. Pop over to the website now and take the Pledge to squeeze in a read on Thursday 25 February.

https://www.irelandreads.ie/

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Fingal Friday Forum for Artists

Fingal County Council Arts Office is delighted to present the Fingal Friday Forum, an informal monthly get-together exclusively for Fingal artists.

Curator, Advisor and Mentor Eamonn Maxwell will facilitate the sessions. Guest speakers will be invited to cover a range of specific topics aimed at supporting, guiding and addressing what is required to build resilience and aid recovery within this important and specialist sector post Covid-19 times and beyond.

Sessions will be delivered via Zoom from 9.30am-11.00am on the first Friday of each month, until Friday 3rd December.

The Fingal Friday Forum is free and open to artists working across all art forms. To register please email denise.reddy@fingal.ie

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