What we did in 2004
The needs of ARTISTS working in a COMMUNITY CONTEXT were addressed by the establishment of the ACCREDITED course CERTIFICATE IN COMMUNITY ARTS FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT in partnership with the ADULT and COMMUNITY EDUCATION DEPARTMENT, NUI, MAYNOOTH. This part-time course attracted 35 artists, arts facilitators and community workers from all over Ireland. The course will be fully supported by the library service by the provision of dedicated study facilities and course materials. MONITORING and EVALUATION of the course will be carried out throughout the course by a Masters Degree student in the Adult and Community Education Department.
Following on from the success of the Level 1 course in 2002/2003, the LABAN GUILD COMMUNITY DANCE LEADERS COURSE LEVEL 2 was established. This is the first course of this level in the Republic of Ireland. The course attracted dancers, and artists who work in a community context and health care workers. This project was developed in association with Riverbank Arts Centre. This course, which is facilitated by internationally renowned dance facilitators ANNA CARLISLE and CATHY O'KENNEDY, focuses on CHOREOGRAPHY and is intended to support the professional DEVELOPMENT OF ARTISTS. It also supports the Arts Service Commitment to develop STATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS, in this case, the LABAN GUILD.
SPELLBOUND was a commissioned play for primary school children by CROOKED HOUSE THEATRE COMPANY. The play was devised in Spring, and performed in Kildare Libraries and toured across the country in the Summer term. The play and follow-on wokshops in Summer and Autumn focused on themes raised in the play i.e. literacy and difficulties faced by junior learners, books as tools of the imagination and the ineffectiveness of bullying behaviour. Workshops included:- integration games, storytelling techniques, and journeying through the imagination.
2004 saw the further development of the ARTSFEST IN LIBRARIES PROGRAMME for children with year long residencies including:- 1. HEAR NO WORDS, SEE NO WORDS, SPEAK NO WORDS, a dance development project with Laban Guild graduates LUCY BELL and VIJAYA BATESON. 2. STORY MAKING THROUGH FILM AND PERFORMANCE Sound Artist AILEEN LAMBERT and performance artist MICHAEL FORTUNE explored story making, story telling, creative writing, characterisation, voice and sound. Sessions were based around the development of stories, orally, written and visual. 3. TAKE A SEAT ' Visual artist SARAH BROWNE has a particular interest in the 'Ideal Home', and what that concept means to different people in different situations. Her work-shops were a funky approach to DIY. Other programmes included MUSICAL TOTS, IRISH HISTORY LIVE
2004 marked the third year of the MUSIC OUTREACH PROGRAMME development programme, having a number of key elements -
1. The MASTER CLASS PROGRAMME further developed with performances introducing PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS from AROUND THE WORLD and MEET THE COMPOSERS. This programme visited fourteen primary schools in Kildare. 2. The MUSIC TUITION PROGRAMME continued with weekly instrumental tuition in 19 schools in TRADITIONAL, CLASSICAL, PERCUSSION, KINDER MUSIC. Supports offered by the Arts Service were:- ADVICE, INSTRUMENT BANK, subsidy on TUTORS FEES. 3. The third TZIPORA CHILDRENS MUSIC FESTIVAL took place in Goffs in May. The festival showcased the work that took place in schools on the MUSIC TUITION PROGRAMME over the year and provided a platform for invited schools to PERFORM in a QUALITY VENUE, while also participating as AUDIENCE.
The Arts Service engaged arts consultant JESSICA FULLER to carry out a comprehensive EVALUATION of the MUSIC OUTREACH PROGRAMME over the three-year period. The consultation extended to arts service staff, participating teachers, and music tutors. The findings of the consultation will inform the development of the music programme over the next five years.
The pocket size ARTYFACTS NEWSLETTER and RIVERBANK PROGRAMME has a circulation of 6000 in the wider Kildare area. The quarterly publication is also available on www.kildare.ie/arts ' has significantly increased its circulation. The publication is key for the PROMOTION of the ARTS SERVICE, acts as a POINT OF INFORMATION and supports AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT
Kildare Library and Arts Service presented a series of lectures on art appreciation, which were of general interest, but particularly of interest to LOCAL VISUAL ARTS GROUPS Leaving Certificate Art students.
MAEBH O'REGAN, Ph D., lecturer in art history in the National College of Art and Design, presents a series of lectures examining CONTEMPORARY PAINTING. Lectures examined * the life and work of FRANCIS BACON (1909-1992). The recent reconstruction of the artists London studio at the Hugh Lane Gallery in Dublin has renewed interested in the artists work * the paintings of FRIDA KAHLO. The artist lived in Mexico City with her husband, the famous muralist and painter Diego Rivera * Exploration of paintings of the head by Irish artist, LOUIS LE BROQUEY.
BURSARY AWARDS were made to an artist working in DRAMA and another working in LITERTURE for a two-week residency the TYRONE GUTHERIE CENTRE @ANNAGHMAKERRIG. Two further bursary awards were made to support EMERGING ARTISTS, through their attendance at the DRAMA LEAGUE OF IRELAND SUMMER SCHOOL @ NUI, MAYNOOTH
The annual CECIL DAY LEWIS SHORT STORY AND POETRY AWARDS competition and award ceremony for adults and children took place in April. The awards are intended to highlight the link with C D Lewis and County Kildare and also to PROMOTE WRITING in POETRY, SHORT STORY and DRAMA and EXTEND THE AUDIENCE for LITERATURE.
