Posted Sep 30, 2025
Applications have opened for Experience 2025: An Introduction to Arts, Health and the Older Person. This half-day learning programme for artists and arts practitioners of all disciplines takes place online this year, on Thursday 4 December, from 2pm-5.30pm Experience 2025 will aim to outline the essential elements involved in working with older people in an arts and health context, and will feature presentations by some of the most experienced and inspiring practitioners working in this specialised field of practice, including Keynote Speaker Dr Anne Basting. Experience 2025 is presented by Age & Opportunity, the national organisation working to enhance wellbeing for older people, and Réalta, the national resource organisation dedicated to developing arts + health in Ireland. Further details below. Places are limited to 30 and cost €10.00 each and will be allocated to suitably qualified/ experienced individuals on a first come, first served basis. Experience 2025 is funded by the Arts Council and the HSE. This is the fifth year of Experience, which was devised in 2021 in response to the need for more training and practical orientation for artists and arts practitioners of all disciplines who already have experience of participatory work in a health context, and who are interested in developing their practice to include working with older people. Participants over the last four years have described the programme as “tangible, well-paced, relevant”; “profoundly encouraging and inspiring”, “refreshing and far-reaching”; “calm and inclusive”; “full of great advice and ideas”; and “so well put together, beyond what I imagined,” with people highlighting the expertise and passion of the speakers, and the opportunity to interact with fellow artists. In...
Posted Oct 23, 2024
Réalta is excited to announce our 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 practice 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 rooms. Checking In 2024 will conclude at 1pm. Checking In 2024...
Posted Aug 1, 2024
Save the Date: Experience 2024, An Introduction to Arts, Health & the Older Person takes place on Thursday 5 December at Limerick City Gallery of Art. Designed for arts practitioners interested in this area, over the course of the day, Experience 2024 will outline the essential elements involved in working with older people in an arts and health context, and will feature presentations by some of the most experienced and inspiring practitioners working in this specialised field of practice. Experience 2024 is presented by Age & Opportunity, the national organisation working to enable the best quality of life for us all as we age, and Réalta, the national resource organisation dedicated to developing arts + health in Ireland. Expressions of interest may be registered by email to arts@ageandopportunity.ie The full programme and booking information will be published at the end of September on www.ageandopportunity.ie and www.realta.ie Experience 2024: An Introduction to Arts, Health and the Older Person is funded by the Arts Council and the HSE, and supported by Limerick City and County Council. Image Credit: Participant Kitty McGarry and artist Eilis O’Toole at a Réalta/Waterford Healing Arts Art at the Kitchen Table Studio in Dungarvan, County Waterford, during the Well Festival of Arts and Wellbeing 2024. Photo by DGM Photographic....