Blueprints 2017
Inspired by the flora and fauna in the lower grounds of UCC, children from Direct Provision centres in County Cork are collaborating with Scouting Ireland for an art project that explores identity and diversity in Nature.
Building on the experience of working with children living in Direct Provision, the Glucksman evolved a new strand of integrated arts experiences in partnership with Cloghroe Scouts and Crosshaven Brownies, and funded by the Department of Justice and Equality’s Communities Integration Fund. Blueprints ran at the Glucksman during the Autumn of 2017 and invited the participating children to enjoy collaborative art activities in the museum. Through a series of creative workshops, the children explored ideas of identity and community and broadened their understanding of how people and nature interconnect.
The integrated art workshops provided an opportunity for all the participating children to learn about the differences and similarities of their lives, to develop friendships and to make connections through positive shared experiences. They were enabled in this by student volunteers from UCC’s STAR (Student Action for Refugees) Society.
Cloghroe Scouts and the children from Drishane Castle Accommodation Centre worked together to create field guides and collages inspired by the nature that could be found in the lower grounds of UCC adjacent to the River Lee and surrounded by trees. The children from Glouthaune Direct Provision Centre worked alongside Crosshaven Brownies to create maps and prints of the natural elements they discovered in close proximity to the museum.
Working under the guidance of professional artists Cat Gambel, Killian O’Dwyer and Tom Doig, the children created artworks for public exhibition at the Glucksman. The exhibition took place during the inaugural UCC Refugee week in early February 2018 and was opened by the University Deputy President Professor John O’Halloran.
Curated by Tadhg Crowley
