ARTISTS CELEBRATE FIRST FORTNIGHT
LOCAL artists gathered in Creative Spark recently to take part in an event held as part of the First Fortnight Mental Health initiative.
The ‘Inside Out’ day was organised in conjunction with Inspire Well, which opened its first service in Republic of Ireland in July 2016 in Creative Spark, having been established in Northern Ireland since 1959. Inspire Wellbeing is a registered charity which supports individuals with intellectual disabilities, autism and those in need of mental health services.
A number of local artists, including several based in Creative Spark, attended the Inside Out event which was devised to encourage art practitioners to get out of their studios.
There were several exhibitions, activities, and talks throughout the day, such as our ‘selfie wall’ where everyone was invited to paint their own selfie and then share it on social media.
Another activity which drew a lot of attention was the ‘Perpetual Drawing’ - a collaborative artwork by Bernhard Gaul.
Sarah Daly of Creative Spark welcomed everyone to the day, and speakers included Dee Brannigan of Inspire, and Heather Cassidy, also of Creative Spark. Artist Rachel Burke coordinated an Inside Out treasure hunt to get people moving around and talking to each other about their art.
Other contributers were Bar- ry Finnegan (Thinking Cap), and Úna Curley (The Emotional Artist).
Liam Quigley, Director of Inspire Wellbeing gave an overview of the services they provide. A group of artists and performers from Belfast provided the activities for the afternoon, including photographer Billy Smallwood, writer Natalie Smyth, poets David Davies, Tracy Chan, Janice Pollock, Rosie Moore, and Robert Sozi.
‘It was wonderful to hear presentations from all of the artists/performers – people were so open and willing to share their stories, it made it a very meaningful event for all,’ says Sarah Daly of Creative Spark.