News
News | 20 November 2024
Creative Residencies in Sports and Recreation Centres
Welcome to Justine, Mark, Sharon and Siobhán, our four artists in Residence, working in Sport and Recreation centres across Dublin.
We are delighted to announce that we have appointed four artists in Residence to work in Sport and Recreation centres across Dublin.
Through the residency, each artist will work with one Sports and Recreation centre for a period of 11 months. The selected artists are all experienced facilitators, and are keen to explore how both art and sport brings people together, connect us to one another and reflect shared experiences.
The four participating centres are:
- Ballybough Community, Youth and Sports Centre, Dublin 3: a multi-functional facility serving the social, educational and recreational life of communities within the Ballybough area.
- Bluebell Community and Recreation Centre, Dublin 12: a multi-functional place for the community.
- Irishtown Sports & Fitness Centre, Dublin 4: a multi-purpose sports facility in the heart of Ringsend.
- Poppintree Community Sports Centre, Dublin 11: a multi-functional facility serving the social and recreational life of communities in Poppintree and the surrounding areas.
Our programme, the Creative Residency in Sport and Recreation Centres, is a partnership between Dublin City Council Culture Company and Dublin City Council Sports Section. The residency is an opportunity to try out ideas, develop and share new ways of working, and facilitate the introduction of new audiences to Dublin’s sports and cultural offer.
The artists will work closely with the centre managers and teams, people who use the centre, and members of the local community, leading a process of engagement that can respond to local needs through creativity, culture and conversation.
Mark Joyce
Mark Joyce, a visual artist and educator, will be based in Poppintree Community Sports Centre, Dublin 11. Mark would like to use this new opportunity to do more in Poppintree, expanding visual arts collaborative activities with many of the groups involved across the broader Poppintree Sports Centre facilities.
Sharon Kelly
Sharon Kelly, a visual and video-based artist, will be based in Irishtown Sports & Fitness Centre, Dublin 4. Through personal participation, Sharon has experienced how sport can aid mental well-being, especially in difficult times and provide an important network for friendship and community.
Siobhán O'Callaghan
Siobhán O’Callaghan, a visual artist, will be based in Ballybough Community, Youth & Fitness Centre, Dublin 3. Siobhan hopes to further her practice of working creatively with groups, to examine clubs and recreational centres as places of gathering and inclusion, and to look at the rich culture of sports in Ireland.
Work so far
The first phase of the project has focused on listening. The artists have spent time in the centres meeting groups and individuals to find out about their needs and interests. They have also worked closely with our Engagement team, who have facilitated conversations with local communities through Tea & Chats, our programme of listening and learning about what matters most to people who call Dublin home.
So far we have met with 40 groups, including sports clubs, youth groups, men’s sheds, and much more. This listening phase will soon develop into ‘try it out’ workshops with the artists, to see what kind of creative work communities and participants may be interested in making.