WHAT invites artists of all arts disciplines to apply to be Artist in Residence at UHW

Waterford Healing Arts Trust (WHAT) has issued an open call to artists of all arts disciplines to apply to be Artist in Residence at University Hospital Waterford (UHW) in 2022. The deadline for submission of applications is Thursday, 26 May 2022.  A briefing session for interested artists will take place online on Tuesday 17 May at 2pm.  Admission is free, but attendees must register by Friday 13 May by emailing what@hse.ie. The Artist in Residence scheme is funded by the Arts Council.  Click here for application requirements and further details.

The WHAT Artist in Residence programme is a means of engaging the hospital community in contemporary arts practice and an opportunity for artists to develop their professional practice within an acute hospital context.  While the residency programme usually sees the successful artist collaborating with patients, the focus of the 2022 residency will be on engaging healthcare staff in collaborative/participatory arts experiences, with a view to creating new work and promoting staff morale and wellbeing. The artist(s) approach must adhere to UHW Infection Prevention and Control Guidelines.

The successful artist will be paid a fee and provided with a studio space at the WHAT Centre for Arts and Health at UHW and support from WHAT staff.  Recent Artists in Residence at WHAT/UHW include storyteller Joe Brennan, musician Catherine Sweeney Browne, the late Eric Sweeney (composer), poet Edward Denniston, and visual artists Ciara Harrison and Caroline Schofield.

Announcing details of the open call, Claire Meaney, Director of Waterford Healing Arts Trust, said “Staff at UHW have experienced many challenges over the past two years since the onset of COVID-19.  With our 2022 Artist in Residence programme, we are now particularly interested in inspiring proposals which seek to offer innovative opportunities for staff to be creative, while also promoting staff morale and wellbeing. We have very creative staff at UHW, so we’re looking forward to seeing how the 2022 Artist in Residence programme develops.”

Waterford Healing Arts Trust (WHAT) is Ireland’s leading arts and health organisation.  Established in 1993, WHAT brings arts experiences to the bedsides of patients at University Hospital Waterford (UHW) and other healthcare settings.  WHAT believes that the arts contribute to the wellbeing and vitality of society and that engaging with the arts stimulates the participant’s sense of identity and creativity.  Core funded by the Arts Council, WHAT also supports the development of arts and health in Ireland and manages the national website www.artsandhealth.ie