Two exhibitions by Prof Afif EL-Khuffash launch in Waterford 1 October – 31 October 2023 ‘We’re Breastfeeding Friendly Waterford’ in partnership with Réalta/Waterford Healing Arts present two exhibitions by Neonatologist and Artist, Prof Afif EL-Khuffash. The exhibitions launch in two locations across Waterford in celebration of National Breastfeeding Week 2023. For the month of October, both University Hospital Waterford and the Central Library in Waterford City will host exhibitions of Prof EL-Khuffash’s artwork. His digital art is typically vibrant and colourful in nature. Prof EL-Khuffash is a Consultant Neonatologist & Paediatrician at the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin, Ireland, and a Full Professor of Paediatrics at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. He is also a board-certified lactation consultant and a digital artist. He has over 20 years of experience in newborn care and has considerable knowledge of breast-feeding medicine and experience in providing antenatal and postnatal feeding advice and support to new mothers. Waterford Healing Arts brings arts experiences – music, visual art, creative writing and storytelling – to the bedside of patients at University Hospital Waterford (UHW) and other healthcare settings. This extensive arts and health programme is part of Réalta, the National Body for Arts + Health in Ireland.  Réalta is core funded by the Arts Council and the HSE. www.realta.ie www.afifsart.net ENDS...

Réalta, the National Body for Arts + Health in Ireland, has just announced the programme for Arts + Health: Check Up Check In 2023.  Themed Making Connections, this leading national arts and health event will have a special focus on mental health this year, and will feature a keynote address by visual artist and founder of the London-based Arts & Health Hub Daniel Regan, in addition to presentations by some of the most innovative and creative practitioners working in arts and health in Ireland today.  Check Up Check In 2023 takes place on Wednesday 25 October at the Creative Life Hub at Mercer’s Institute for Successful Ageing (MISA), St James’s Hospital, Dublin 8.  This ‘go to’ event for the arts and health sector is organised by Réalta, in partnership with Creative Life at MISA.  Réalta encompasses the national resource website artsandhealth.ie and Waterford Healing Arts, and is funded by the Arts Council and the HSE. Book tickets for Arts + Health Check Up Check In 2023 here The fee for the full day, including lunch, is €30. Check Up Check In promotes solidarity among artists, healthcare professionals and arts and health practitioners and is open to anyone interested in learning more about this exciting field.  This will be the first time since 2019 for this national gathering of the arts and health sector to be held in person, having taken place online during the pandemic, thus prompting the event theme Making Connections.  Presentations will explore mental health and wellbeing, and the challenge to practitioners of creating innovative, exciting and inspiring work within the healthcare context.  In his keynote address,...

Réalta/Waterford Healing Arts will celebrate Culture Night 2023 by bringing its Healing Sounds live music session to patients in the South East Palliative Care Centre at University Hospital Waterford (UHW) from 6pm. This special acoustic session will see Waterford Healing Arts Healing Sounds musicians Eoin O Meachair and Alan Browne engaging with patients, their families and staff through music, bringing Culture Night in to many who cannot otherwise access this wonderful celebration.  Further details are available from wha@hse.ie or 051 842664. Culture Night is a national moment, celebrating culture, creativity and the arts, and seeks to actively promote the belief that this rich and varied culture is alive, treasured and nurtured in people’s lives today and every day.  It is delivered nationwide in cities, towns, villages and rural locations, and online. https://www.traditionrolex.com/21 Claire Meaney, Director of Réalta/Waterford Healing Arts, is looking forward to Culture Night 2023: “Culture Night is a fantastic initiative, but patients and staff on duty at the South East Palliative Care Centre here at University Hospital Waterford (UHW) miss out because they can’t access all the free events on offer around Waterford and further afield.  For this reason, each year we bring Culture Night in, via our Healing Sounds programme.  Our musicians, who are all trained to work in healthcare settings, bring their beautiful music to patients, family members and staff, who tell us it helps to lift their spirits and brings a little normality to their lives.  Culture Night has become a very special event in our calendar year, so we’re really looking forward to Friday 22 September”. Waterford Healing Arts brings arts experiences –...

A vibrant depiction of Waterford City Quays by photographer Tom Quilty has been unveiled in the Theatre Department at University Hospital Waterford (UHW).  Located in the Theatre Staff Tea-Room, this captivating artwork has been set within a lightbox to enhance the kaleidoscope of colours reflected in the water. A beautiful addition to the space for the staff to enjoy. Tom Quilty is a keen amateur photographer, with an L.I.P.F. distinction from the Irish Photographic Federation.  Having worked in the print industry for many years, Tom is now the Art Installer with Waterford Healing Arts, based at UHW.  Tom is also a respected fine art printer and framer. Waterford Healing Arts brings arts experiences – music, visual art, creative writing and storytelling – to the bedside of patients at University Hospital Waterford (UHW) and other healthcare settings. This extensive arts and health programme is part of Réalta, the National Body for Arts + Health in Ireland.  Réalta is core funded by the Arts Council and the HSE.  The installation of this artwork was kindly supported by Rethink...

Arts + Health: Check Up Check In 2023 will now take place on Wednesday 25 October in Dublin, and not Thursday 26 October as previously advertised.  This will be the first time since 2019 that this national gathering of the arts and health sector will be held in person, having taken place online since the onset of COVID.  This year’s event will have a special focus on mental health, and the day will feature presentations by some of the most innovative and creative practitioners working in arts and health today. Arts + Health: Check Up Check In is open to healthcare professionals, arts practitioners and anyone interested in learning more about this exciting field.  The ‘go to’ event for the arts and health sector, Check Up Check In is organised by Réalta, the National Body for Arts + Health in Ireland, which encompasses the national resource website artsandhealth.ie and Waterford Healing Arts, and is funded by the Arts Council and the HSE.  Further details and booking information will follow in due course on www.realta.ie Picture shows artists Caroline Schofield and Jill Bouchier presenting their case study on Open Gallery, an inclusive art viewing project, at Arts and Health: Check Up Check In 2019. Photo by Keith Currams...