Posted 15th Jan 2025
Open Call: Sunshine: sharing writings to brighten our souls… Well Festival of Arts and Wellbeing 2025 invites readers to share their favourite feel-good poetry and prose Do you reach for a poem to be inspired? Does a good book lift your spirits? If yes, then the Well Festival of Arts and Wellbeing 2025 would love to hear from you! The festival is calling on literature lovers to submit their favourite piece of writing (not self-written) for consideration for Sunshine: sharing writings to brighten our souls*… the ever-popular event to celebrate the joy of reading, taking place at The Book Centre, Waterford on Friday 21 February. Submissions should be emailed to info@realta.ie by Tuesday 04 February with “Sunshine” in the subject line. Successful applicants will be invited to share their selections with the public at this uplifting evening of readings and music. Click here for further details about the Well Festival. The 2025 festival programme will be available from the end of January. The Well Festival of Arts and Wellbeing champions and celebrates how the arts help us to feel good. Taking place from 17-22 February 2025, the festival features an exciting line-up of fun, free, inventive and sociable arts events for all ages, with musicians, artists, poets, storytellers and dancers, in addition to a programme of Wellies, the festival’s events for younger audiences. Announcing details of this year’s Sunshine: sharing writings to brighten our souls.., Claire Meaney, Director of Réalta/Waterford Healing Arts, said “We’re so excited to present ‘Sunshine’ again this year in The Book Centre, Waterford. This lovely event is inspired by AA Milne’s ‘Winnie the Pooh’, when Eeyore...
Posted 28th Nov 2024
University Hospital Waterford, in partnership with Réalta/Waterford Healing Arts, is just one of the many Irish hospitals involved in the powerful Menu of Poems project. Poetry will be distributed this November throughout a number of Irish hospital wards, waiting rooms and other healthcare settings for patients, visitors and staff to enjoy. The poetry, circulated on trays during mealtimes, aims to provide comfort, inspiration, and a moment of reflection for patients in particular. Organisers expect over 10,000 people to engage with the specially curated poetry for this year’s programme, which includes four poems by renowned Irish and international poets, Joy Harjo, Eva Bourke, Jane Clarke and Linda McGrory. This year’s selection was curated by poet, Jane Clarke. Launched in 2008, the Menu of Poems has positively impacted the lives of both patients and healthcare professionals across Ireland. It is produced by Saolta Arts on behalf of Arts and Health Coordinators Ireland, with support from Poetry Ireland and HSE Health Promotion and Improvement. Arts and Health as a practice provides enriching art experiences for patients and individuals in healthcare settings. These experiences enhance patient journeys by reducing stress, fostering connections, and brightening up people’s journeys in healthcare environments. Claire Meaney, Director of Réalta/Waterford Healing Arts, said, “The Menu of Poems is not just about sharing poetry; it’s about creating moments of joy and reflection in the midst of challenging times. We have delivered this initiative many times and the feedback is always incredible. We know that art has the power to provide solace and support, and we are excited to bring this initiative to patients, staff, and visitors in many hospitals...
Posted 15th Nov 2024
Burano, a series of photographs, by Tom Quilty, has opened on the Staff Art Wall at University Hospital Waterford (UHW) and is on show until 14 January 2025. This vibrant collection of digital photographic prints by Tom Quilty depicts Burano, a small island located at the northern end of the Venetian Lagoon, near where the city of Venice is situated. Burano is famous for its colourful terraced houses and traditional lace. Legend has it that the wives of Burano painted their houses in bright colours so that their husbands, when they were at sea, could recognise their small island from afar. Tom Quilty has worked as the Art Installer with Réalta/Waterford Healing Arts, here at University Hospital Waterford, for the last two years. A keen amateur photographer, with an L.I.P.F. distinction from the Irish Photographic Federation, Tom is also a respected fine art printer and framer. This is his second exhibition on the Staff Art Wall. 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. If you work at UHW and would like to exhibit your art on the Staff Art Wall, please contact: (051) 842664 or...
Posted 6th Nov 2024
Earthly Delights, a stunning new exhibition by artist Paul McCloskey, has just opened at University Hospital Waterford (UHW). Vibrant and full of colour, this collection of paintings is already lifting spirits and bringing a smile to the faces of patients, staff and visitors to the hospital. On view on the corridor leading to the Outpatients Department at UHW, the exhibition runs until 5th January 2025. The exhibition programme at UHW is part of the Waterford Healing Arts programme, which is managed by Réalta, the national resource organisation for arts + health in Ireland. Artworks are for sale, to enquire please use the contact details at the end of this text. Drawing on the artist’s surroundings, spiritual beliefs, imagination, memory and emotion, the vivid paintings in the Earthly Delights collection are also deeply influenced by the unique Irish landscape. As Paul McCloskey explains, “the varied and stunning Irish landscape, coupled with our unsettled weather and often fleeting and mottled light, inspire me greatly.” The collection is also enriched by the artist’s process of artistic creation, which allows him to remain in the moment as he paints, offering a cathartic pause from the day-to-day realities of life. Based in County Wexford, Paul McCloskey is originally from Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan. Involved in visual art education for over 30 years, Paul attended the National College of Art and Design, Dublin and De Montfort University in the UK, where he received his Master’s Degree in Fine Art in 2010. In 2021/22 he completed the Turps London Correspondence Course, which offers painters a fresh perspective on their work within the context of current painting discourse. ...
Posted 23rd Oct 2024
Réalta the national organisation dedicated to developing arts + health in Ireland, is excited to announce its upcoming virtual event Checking In 2024. This online gathering of the arts and health community in Ireland, will take place on Tuesday 12 November from 11am – 1pm. Supported by the Arts Council and the HSE, Checking In is designed to showcase examples of some of the most creative and innovative work devised by leading arts and health practitioners in the post-pandemic era. Open to healthcare professionals, arts practitioners and anyone interested in learning more about the exciting field of arts and health, Checking In is free but advance registration is essential. Further details here EVENT OUTLINE 11am-12pm Part 1: Musical Warm-up with Sandra Collins, Healing Sounds musician with Réalta/Waterford Healing Arts, followed by leading examples of current arts + health practice, including: – Dandelion Clocks: Public Art at Children’s Health Ireland, with Mary Grehan, Public Art Curator. – Hearth: Visual artist and musician Breda Mayock presents a project bringing art into the homes of isolated older adults in County Mayo – The Power of Drama: Theatre and film maker Gillian Grattan shares her practise on the Iontas Arts + Mental Health Programme in Waterford – What’s going on? Alex Cothren and Tully Barnett from Flinder’s University, South Australia spotlight the latest arts + health projects from around the world 12pm-1pm Part 2: – Following a short break, all attendees who wish to do so will have the opportunity to Meet the Presenters to continue the conversation with a speaker of their choice, and to network with their peers, in virtual break-out...
