Bringing art to your home Would you like to try something new? Art at the Kitchen Table is a programme which supports older people in Waterford City and County to make art in their own homes. Our artist visits a person at home and they create art together: painting, drawing and collage/mixed media. Artist Caroline Schofield visits people in Waterford City and environs, while artist Eilis O’Toole works with people in West Waterford. No experience is required, just an interest in making art. Participation is free of charge, but places are limited so booking is required. Contact Waterford Healing Arts (051) 842664 / what@hse.ie Art at the Kitchen Table has been developed by Waterford Healing Arts, and is delivered in partnership with Waterford City and County Council. Art at the Kitchen Table was developed in 2020 to address the isolation experienced by older people who had had to cocoon at home for long periods of time during the pandemic, and to offer participants a chance to develop a new, or re-ignite a previous interest in art. The project aims to bring joy and creativity, to impact positively on wellbeing, and to support people to look forward as we emerge from COVID. Claire Meaney, Director of Waterford Healing Arts, explains: “Beginning with a conversation, the artist will guide you towards deciding what kind of art you’d like to make and will show you some simple skills and techniques to get you started. The artist will visit up to three times to see how you’re getting on and to guide you towards developing your own style and confidence so that you...

Art Kart & Storytelling at the bedside Artist Eilis O’Toole and storyteller Joe Brennan visit the Paediatric Ward of University Hospital Waterford (UHW) in the afternoons to support the hospital’s younger patients to lose themselves in art making and magical stories. “After creating her little ‘masterpiece’, compliments of the Art Kart, my daughter said it was great to have ‘an hour without pain’. Thanks so much.” The Art Kart is an inspiring initiative which sees a professional artist bringing a brightly coloured refurbished medicine trolley, packed with high quality art materials, to the bedside of young patients. A welcome sight in the corridors of the hospital, the Art Kart is invaluable as a positive diversion for children, relieving them of some of the worry they may experience in hospital, and encouraging them to explore, to be creative and to simply have some fun. Artist Eilis O’Toole brings great skill to this role, responding to the needs and interests of each individual in the most person-centred way. The children can also exhibit their work in colourful frames located at the entrance to the ward. These frames are updated regularly, giving each patient the opportunity to have their artworks displayed. Storyteller Joe Brennan brings magic and wonder to children and their families every Thursday afternoon through his captivating storytelling sessions. Joe’s sessions are warmly received by patients, family members and staff, as they offer the children the opportunity to delve into their imagination offering respite to all. See for yourself what Storytelling on the Paediatric Ward is about:...

Art viewing for the older person “You’re drawn into it. Brilliant it was. I enjoyed it so much.” – Open Gallery participant Open Gallery is an art viewing programme which invites people – and their family members/carers – to look at, discuss and enjoy paintings from the UHW Art Collection in a safe and welcoming space, supported by professional artists Caroline Schofield and Jill Bouchier. In each session, participants explore up to three paintings, making observations, describing, building connections and enjoying art together.  The paintings usually have a theme, for example, landscapes, portraits, colour etc.  Participants do not need any experience, or to know anything about art to take part in Open Gallery.  The conversations are structured, and begin gently with questions such as “What do you see? What colours can you see?” before moving on to interpreting the painting, for example “What time of year do you think it is? Why do you think that?” etc. During some Open Gallery sessions participants have the opportunity to make art in response to the paintings in the room. Each session lasts about one hour and finishes with a cup of tea and a lively discussion! Open Gallery is currently being delivered to residents of Waterford Residential Care Centre, a long-stay care facility in Waterford City, and brings great joy, creativity and discovery to the participants and staff.Open Gallery was developed by Waterford Healing Arts in 2018, and was adapted for the healthcare setting from “Meet Me at MoMA”, an internationally renowned and evaluated programme of dementia-friendly art looking workshops, devised by the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and introduced...

Providing a space for participants to tell their stories ‘Art gets to the core and heart of the artist and the observer, and is like our fingerprints. Each person is unique and different.’  – Iontas participant The Irish word for ‘wonder’ or ‘surprise’, our Iontas Arts & Mental Health programme brings arts experiences, such as music, visual art, creative writing, storytelling and drama to people experiencing mental health issues, to support their wellbeing and recovery. Iontas is delivered by a team of skilled and experienced professional artists including visual artists Jill Bouchier, Ciara Harrison and Adele Stanley, musicians Jane O’Brien Moran, Liam Merriman and George Higgs, writer Lani O’Hanlon, storyteller Joe Brennan and theatre maker Liam Meaghar. To reach a broad range of mental health service users across the community, Iontas takes place in a number of settings including the Recovery Hub, Odhran Lodge, Grangemore and Aidan’s Ward at St Otteran’s Hospital; Waterford Residential Care Centre, the Department of Psychiatry (DOP) at University Hospital Waterford (UHW) and the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). Iontas has been running since 2014, having originally started as a Music in Mental Health Settings programme in 2007, before broadening out to include other artforms. Now delivered in partnership with the Waterford Wexford Mental Health Services (WWMHS), Iontas is guided by a steering committee and is funded through a Section 39 Service Level Agreement with the HSE (Waterford Wexford Mental Health Services) and Arts Council Strategic Funding. To develop and grow the programme Waterford Healing Arts pursues additional avenues of funding e.g. National Lottery, Mental Health Ireland, Creative Waterford, Local Authority, sponsorship and...