An art exhibition by the national arts and health charity Helium Arts is opening on 7th December at the city-centre venue St Peter’s Cork, showcasing works created by young people living with lifelong physical health conditions.
The ‘Helium Arts Youth Showcase’ will spotlight the benefits of art for teenagers with lifelong physical health conditions from Cork and across the region, who have been participating in a programme of Saturday meetups and art camps throughout 2023, organised by Helium Arts, including at its Cork creative hub.
During their meet-ups, the young people visited the Lord Mayor’s Pavilion to see Catarina Araújo’s ‘Cocoon’ and Seiko Hayase’s ‘Sprouting Hands’ exhibitions. They also participated in creative workshops in Mayfield Arts Centre.
The Helium Arts exhibition will explore expression as identity through artworks that will include large doodle drawings, smaller individual works and postcards.
An accompanying ‘Sharing Day’ for family and friends is taking place on Saturday, 16th December, 2.30-4.30pm.
Helium Arts works to improve the wellbeing of children and teenagers living with lifelong physical health conditions. It achieves this by facilitating specially designed artist- and youth-led art workshops, including those held at its Cork creative hub.
Families, young people and children travel to Cork from other counties and from across the region to take part in the Helium Arts creative programme, which aims to inspire creativity, provide social opportunities, offer new experiences, foster friendships, and improve mental health and wellbeing.
All of Helium Arts’ workshops are supported by professional artists, volunteers and on-site medical care.
The Cork Creative Health Hub receives funding from The Tomar Trust and takes place in partnership with Cork University Hospital’s Arts, Health and Wellbeing Programme, Cork Kerry Community Healthcare and community venue partner Mayfield Arts Centre.
The young people at its Cork hub have been working collaboratively with professional artist Ashleigh Ross, from Innishannon, who facilitates the programme, to curate the presentation of their work, playing with themes and titles for their exhibition, and ways to present their work.
Ruth Cotter (14) from Fermoy lives with spina bifida hydrocephalus and scoliosis. Ruth is a participant of the Helium Arts programme for teenagers and will have her work featured in the showcase. Commenting on the experience and benefits for her of the creative opportunities opened up to her by Helium Arts, Ruth said: “Helium Arts has been an amazing space for me. I get to be social with other teenagers with similar experiences and interests to me while being in a creative space. I am excited to have our showcase so that others can see our work.”
The ‘Helium Arts Youth Showcase’ Cork exhibition, and associated events, are open to the public and are free of charge. It runs in St Peter’s Cork until 22nd December.
For more information about the work of Helium Arts, see www.helium.ie.
