Creative Freedom- Saoirse Cruthaitheach
Ireland's first inclusive, interactive art exhibition by children
‘Creative Freedom : Saoirse Cruthaitheach’
The pupils of Straide National School, are launching an interactive, inclusive art exhibition, entitled ‘Creative Freedom: Saoirse Cruthaitheach’ on the theme of social justice. This will take place in The Linenhall Arts Centre, on Thursday 19th October 2023 at 11.40 am.
The Michael Davitt Museum, Straide, developed an outreach programme in collaboration with Straide National School to honour the work of Michael Davitt. The first ever Social Justice Flag was launched in June this year.
The exhibition includes four key areas to develop a sense of empathy, creativity, inclusion and diversity. It also endeavours to create opportunities to break barriers.
Empathy – The Michael Davitt Museum staff worked very closely with the children of Straide N.S. to develop a sense of what life was like for Michael Davitt, a boy from their locality, who was evicted at the age of four and a half, disabled at the age of eleven, and went on to be the most influential Irish man of the 19th century. The aim is to increase awareness and acts of empathy for each individual and how it relates to their everyday experiences in society.
Creativity: Three artists worked with the children on the theme of social justice to create a fully inclusive art exhibition. The four mediums of art are video, ink, installation, and clay. There has also been input from Disability Services Ireland and AS I AM to raise awareness of inclusion.
Inclusion and diversity: The children will develop an awareness of the needs of others and how to create an accessible, inclusive environment. We explored the themes of being unique but having similarities through self-identity. For the exhibition, there will be large text; QR code scans with video and audio, and low light events.
Breaking barriers: Workshops between Straide National School and Rehins National School have been rolled out to the children, funded by Mayo North East SICAP. Children from different cultures were brought together to engage in a Breath Workshop hosted by Derval Dunford ( Mindfulness Matters).
Four pieces of art will be on display in the The Linenhall Arts Centre, to celebrate inclusion and social justice. We hope you can join us for the exhibition and experience the creativity through the eyes of the children with our fully interactive exhibition.
