Waterford Healing Arts has issued an Open Call to artists of all art forms, including visual artists, musicians, writers and dance artists, to apply to join its Artist Panel.  Artists will be engaged to deliver key Waterford Healing Arts programmes at University Hospital Waterford (UHW) and other healthcare settings in Waterford.  Further information, including an application form, are available from Waterford Healing Arts wha@hse.ie 051 842664 or by clicking here  (See also below for Word and PDF formats) The deadline for receipt of applications is Friday 28 July at 12 noon.  Shortlisted candidates will be invited to interview / audition, as appropriate. Information & Application Form – PDF format Information & Application form- Word format Waterford Healing Arts (WHA) is Ireland’s leading arts and health programme, providing opportunities for patients, family members and staff to engage in high quality arts experiences at UHW and other healthcare settings.  The role of the artist is to deliver inspiring and uplifting arts experiences which are responsive to the needs of patients/ health service users, family members and healthcare staff. Artists selected for the Waterford Healing Arts Artist Panel will be engaged on a freelance basis for a period of two years to deliver key programmes, including, but not limited to: – Arts Programme in Renal Dialysis (artists, musicians, writers, dance artists) – Healing Sounds live music programme (musicians) – Iontas Arts and Mental Health Programme (artists, musicians, writers, dance artists) – Open Gallery inclusive art viewing programme (visual artists) Artists, musicians, writers and dance artists interested in applying should have: – previous experience in delivering participatory/ collaborative arts experiences – excellent interpersonal...

A beautiful mural by visual artist Kayde has been completed on the garden wall at the South East Palliative Care Centre (SEPCC) located on the grounds of University Hospital Waterford. The mural aims to enhance the space by being calming, therapeutic and lifting spirits. With wonderful project support from The Waterford Walls Project and with special thanks to Waterford Hospice and Rethink Ireland who generously funded this work. Thank you also to the nursing team at the SEPCC who championed this project every step of the way. Our work is supported by the HSE and The Arts Council of Ireland. 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 promotes creativity, connection and discovery and seeks to reduce isolation, anxiety and stress for patients, family members and staff, and is delivered by professional artists in partnership with healthcare professionals.  In addition, as part of Réalta, Waterford Healing Arts offers its programmes and systems as examples of good practice, it pilots new ideas and initiatives, and this invaluable experience and insight informs Réalta’s...

Arts + Health Bursaries 2023: Documentation Bursary and Emerging Artist Bursary The national arts and health website is offering two bursaries in 2023, funded by the Arts Council and the HSE. Applications are now open with a closing date of Friday 9 June 2023. artsandhealth.ie documentation bursary 2023 Are you involved in an arts and health project? Would you like to showcase your work to a larger audience? The national arts and health website invites applications for a €4000 bursary to produce a short film, audio documentary or publication about an arts and health project.  Applications are invited from artists working in healthcare settings, healthcare professionals, arts and health organisations/partnerships and others working in the field of arts and health. The documentation bursary aims to: Showcase arts and health practice to national audiences Raise awareness around the impact of arts and health practice Inspire artists, healthcare staff and health service users involved in arts and health projects. This bursary is applicable to the documentation of arts and health projects across all artforms and arts practice areas (participatory arts, performance arts, environmental enhancement initiatives) in the Republic of Ireland. artsandhealth.ie emerging artist bursary 2023 Professional artists with an emerging arts and health practice are invited to apply for the artsandhealth.ie artist bursary 2023 to reflect on their practice. Early-career artists working in healthcare contexts are not always afforded the same opportunities to reflect on and interrogate their practice as their more experienced peers. This bursary is purposely designed to provide early-career artists with the headspace for reflective enquiry as they develop and shape their arts and health practice.  The bursary is open...

Eilis O’Toole is a visual artist with a practice in fine art painting, who works with Waterford Healing Arts (WHA). She has exhibited widely throughout Ireland, but this is her first exhibition on the Staff Art Wall. Eilis is a familiar face on the Paediatric Ward at UHW, where she brings the Art Kart to young patients, offering them the opportunity to make art during their hospital stay. This can relieve the children of some of the worry they may be experiencing, by offering them a chance to explore, be creative and have some fun.  Eilis also delivers the Art at the Kitchen Table programme in West Waterford, supporting older people to make art in their own homes or in a studio setting. The Art Kart and Art at the Kitchen Table are programmes managed by Waterford Healing Arts. In A Landscape is an evolving series of works that provides a space for reflection and contemplation. Eilis pays attention to seemingly ordinary or insignificant moments that can disappear as easily as they appear, before you have  a chance to fully grasp them.  She explores the essence of these moments, which allows for a spontaneous drift of thought. Eilis’s process begins with walking and spending time in her local landscape. Therefore, even though these landscapes are inspired by real places, they are personal interpretations, visually influenced by particular moments, feelings or thoughts. The Staff Art Wall is an initiative of Waterford Healing Arts which aims to celebrate the creativity of staff working at UHW by providing an opportunity to display their work at the hospital. The exhibition will be on...

Memories of Old Ireland /Seanchuimhní na h-Éireann is a poignant collection of photographs by Dymphna O’Herlihy. The images give the viewer a brief look into a time long since past. The exhibition runs until 30 May 2023. Dymphna O’Herlihy is a Healthcare Assistant at University Hospital Waterford. She works on the Oncology Day Ward and at the Breast Clinic. Dymphna has a keen interest in painting and photography, and has exhibited many times on the Staff Art Wall. Dymphna says, ‘My purpose for taking these photographs is to offer a glimpse of a bygone age. It is important to remember the past and these photographs give us an idea of the lives and lifestyles of Irish people.  The photos are a good way of keeping memories alive.’ The Staff Art Wall is an initiative of Waterford Healing Arts, which aims to celebrate the creativity of staff working at UHW by providing an opportunity for staff to display their work at the hospital.  Any staff member of UHW interested in displaying their art on the Staff Art Wall is welcome to submit a proposal by contacting Waterford Healing Arts at WHA@hse.ie...