Six Irish Culture and Health Grants Awarded

Six grant recipients have been selected as part of the EU-funded project Culture and Health Platform. The aim of the grant is to give individual artists or cultural practitioners the opportunity to develop new knowledge within the cross-sectoral field of culture and health, with a basis in their own artistic practices.

Dr. Catherine Bourne, Celia Richard, Eve Li, Gerard Reilly, Liza Cauldwell and Maria Ward

Dr Catherine Bourne

Bio

Directing the Bristol Biennial (UK) in 2012, as General Manager of Cork Community Art Link (IE), and as a Board member of ISACS (IE). Her multidisciplinary socially engaged practice is concerned with communication, place, and identity with an emphasis on the Irish Border. She has undertaken various residencies and art projects in Ireland, Australia, the UK, Scandinavia, The Netherlands and China. Catherine currently lectures in the history and theory of digital art at UCC, Cork, and is developing the Arts and Culture in Education Research Repository for the Department of Education.

Catherine will collaborate with Northwest Educators across six days of interdisciplinary workshops for 12 neurodivergent teens and those with disabilities/long-term health conditions. Blending eco-materials with digital innovation, participants will explore wild clay 3D pottery, laser-engraved reclaimed wood, plant-dyed local wool weaving, and eco-lino printmaking—transforming these into masks/props for a collective performance

Eve Li

Bio

Eve Li is originally from London and currently living in the Donegal Gaeltacht. Eve has a BA (Hons) degree in Film Studies & Theatre Studies and studied an MA in Performance at Queen Mary, University of London. She has a Certificate in Community Work from Maynooth University. Further qualifications in Intercultural Studies, Community Addiction Studies and Community Work. Eve is also a qualified Narrative4 Story Exchange facilitator.

Eve’s project will use Cultural/story exchanges, storytelling, writing, art, theatre and performance as powerful tools for promoting the health and wellbeing of women from ethnic minority backgrounds including IPAS residents and refugees especially those in remote areas (Donegal) supporting them to explore their own identities, connect with their cultural heritage, fostering a sense of belonging when they have come here displaced from their homeland. Local Irish women will also participate. It aims for social connection, promote healing, offer a safe space for expression for those who participate. Each workshop has a theme and starts with a cultural/story exchange.

Maria Ward

Bio

Maria Ward is a creative practitioner & community facilitator with a strong background in connection-focused work and community engagement. Through their experience as a Social Prescribing Link Worker & Recovery Education Facilitator, they have developed valuable skills in creating person-centred spaces that support social connection, participation & trust within groups. Maria has a background in Music Therapy, Teaching & Community Music which has provided them with a practical understanding of how best to support individuals. Maria spent a year at Barretstown Gang Camp which included intensive engagement & implementation of the model of Therapeutic Recreation.

Through facilitated reflective & arts participation-based sessions, participants can explore their personal musical histories, build future-focused music playlists to support emotional and neurological wellbeing, aiming to positively impact realistic health issues such as dementia, stroke recovery & depression. The project also aims to promote information sharing with the wider community to encourage awareness of the benefit & option of using participatory arts processes to support wellbeing & realistic health challenges.

Liza Cauldwell

Bio

Liza is a Dublin based visual artist working through photography, and has exhibited in group and solo shows in Ireland, Europe and the U.S.A. Interested in personal narrative and collective narratives, in relation to lived experience of illness, the hospital environment and the experience of those who occupy it; be they visitors, workers, patients, inpatients and/or those waiting for an appointment.

Liza will work with the art department of St. Lukes hospital to host 10 – 12 photography workshops, open to patients and healthcare workers. Artists will continue making their own work (parallel to the workshops) over the months of the project. The resulting images will culminate in an installation of the work exhibited in the hospital. The aim of the project is to allow participants to experience and explore the link between photography and the natural environment.

Collaboration: Gerard Reilly and Jess Kavanagh

Gerard Reilly

Bio

Gerard is an interdisciplinary artist and highly experienced educator whose work and pedagogy explore the intersection of art and science. A course coordinator with O’Fiaich Institute of Further Education, his artistic practice is rooted in historical and cultural inquiry. His earlier works often incorporated objects and motifs derived from Wedgewood pottery and Waterford Crystal, using them as a thread of connection between history, materiality and scientific advancement. Previously received the prestigious Hilla von Rebay stipend to participate in the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum's renowned internship programme. Previous recipient of Tommy McLoughlin Award in Cavan.

Jess Kavanagh

Bio

Jess is a highly creative and community-focused textile artist with a unique blend of business acumen and artistic expertise. She holds a Postgraduate Certification in Innovation and Enterprise Development from Trinity College Dublin and a Bachelor of Fashion Design from Limerick School of Art and Design. Jess successfully founded and scaled up Olann Mills from a small dye house into a fully operational woollen mill leading a team of 10 people. Featured in The Irish Times Top 30 Entrepreneurs Under 30 among other awards.

Gerard and Jess will work with Gaelscoil Bhreifne over a 9-week period, hosting a range of workshops aimed at creating mixed media works, using print, collage, and embroidery. These mediums are chosen for their therapeutic qualities, reducing anxiety and enhancing focus. The aim of the project is to reduce participant anxiety, improve well-being, and develop presentation and communication skills. Students will actively learn and experiment with diverse printmaking, collage, and embroidery methods

Celia Richard

Bio

Celia is a qualified artist in healthcare settings, previously providing services to Saint Patrick Mental Health Services Dublin, and Lucan Rehabcare Ireland. Visual art and yoga tutor with CMETB, with experience as a volunteer artist at Cavan General Daycare Centre, Oncology at Tallaght Hospital (AMNCH), along with work at Crocus care Monaghan, Monaghan Integrated Development and more. Celia’s practice currently focuses on Assemblage (found object sculpture), mixed media, bookbinding & calligraphy, painting and drawing, mindful visual journaling. Recurring themes include living with neurodivergence, healing from trauma, geopolitical events, personal history and family destinies, finding narrative value in the discarded and forgotten.

Celia will partner with Le Cheile Cootehill to develop, support and expand the practice of Mindful Visual Journaling and a range of visual art techniques for wellbeing starting in Cootehill. The aim of the project is to train women in community groups to use a wide range of mixed media, bookbinding, calligraphy and printing techniques for self-expression. Arrange travelling exhibitions and talks with different community actors. Engage community groups long term through creative sessions focused on health topics. Develop a sustainable support structure through sharing journal pages and facilitating collective journaling session.

About the Culture and Health Platform 

Fifteen countries in Europe are participating in a four-year project funded by the European Commission, aimed at encouraging and spreading knowledge within the field of culture and health. As part of the project, each year, six scholarships will be awarded in Ireland. 

The office for Culture and Health at Cavan Arts Office, Cavan County Council, is the Irish partner in the four-year EU-funded collaborative project Culture and Health Platform (November 2024 – November 2028).

The Culture and Health Platform is funded by the European Union (grant nr: 101176227). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the granting authority EACEA. Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for information on this website.