"CONNECTING THROUGH CREATIVITY" BALLYJAMESDUFF X BLOOM | THE ART PROJECT

Thanks to all the hard work and commitment from Teach Solais, a very admirable community development project in Ballyjamesduff, we were invited to facilitate a workshop for any and all members of the local community who fancied popping down.

Once we read the brief for the “Connecting Through Creativity” project, which involved one community workshop and a collaborative mural, we were extremely excited . It really reflected what we want all our community based workshops to represent; an opportunity for members of the community to connect through art in a safe space; to celebrate the cultural diversity of everyone within the community; to provide a space for people to reconnect after months of isolation; to be inclusive and engaging for all involved and reignite a sense of pride in the community.

It was a temperate Wednesday evening when we landed at Ballyjamesduff. A marquee steadily kept the September breeze at bay. In drips and drabs we welcomed members of the community to the circle. Young and old, long standing members of the community and fresh faces alike had popped down to enjoy the workshop.

Through a mixture of some warm up games, funny stories channelling “Reeling in the Years” and a visit from a fairy godmother we managed to muster a strong sense of what Ballyjamesduff meant to everyone there. Each participant shared an insight, memory or reflection at some stage of the evening and there was a real sense of comradery, collective fondness and hope for the town.

We really enjoyed getting to meet everyone and listening to what they had to say. As we let everyone know at the start of the workshop, we would be using their voices and insights to inspire our design for the collaborative mural that would be taking place the following week. Safe to say we left inspired and excited for the following stage of the project!