Tuesday 22 November 2016

Wednesday 16 November 2016

Grace O'Sullivan: "The work at the Dis-ability … This Ability exhibition is beyond Ability. The level of the work is Extraordinary."


Grace O’Sullivan and Corina Duyn

Senator Grace O’Sullivan launched the Dis-ability … This Ability exhibition at the Coastguard Cultural Centre in Tramore last Saturday.


Grace started off by saying how huge an honour it was for her to launch this wonderful exhibition… “The work of Corina Duyn and all her colleagues is beyond Ability. It is Super Ability. It is all about professionalism. The level of the work is extraordinary."

Among other works on show are the nine puppets created under the guidance of Artist and Writer Corina Duyn with her fellow members of the Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA) Dungarvan Resource Centre. While looking at these “Life Outside the Box” puppets, Grace talked about the detail in the faces, the characters, the boxes, and passports: “they are Irish Nationals…! All are telling a story. A story of Ability.”

Grace commented that Dutch born Corina Duyn, who was the brains behind this exhibition, doesn’t accept her dis-ability… “You are absolutely motivated and have a strength of character, and are on everyone’s case … you are setting the bar high. We as a nation in Ireland, are a bit of ‘cap-in-hand’. You won’t settle for that. Keep pushing the barrier!”

Grace O'Sullivan talking to Stephanie
from Waterford Healing Arts Trust
O’Sullivan raised an interesting point about the need to have people with disabilities visible in the community. “Everyone in our community is the richer for it if we can live in harmony with each other … as shown here, there is no such thing as dis-ability.”


See HERE  for video of Grace O'Sullivan's Talk and some images of the puppets. 

Corina and artist Tunde Toth who facilitated the paper making also on show, and for sale, at the exhibition, told in more detail about the experience of working with this diverse group of people and their abilities. New ways of working can always be explored. The outcomes were beyond all expectations.

Duyn told passionately about the personal empowerment of her first experience of teaching, with the help of the IWA staff, after a seventeen-year gap. How, although spending a lot of her time at home, her writing and art makes her part of society. Her creative work has become a communication tool. “All of these works here today are ways of communication too. When you purchase a piece of art or a book, it creates a ‘conversation’ with the artist, the buyer and the recipient of the gift, and that is hugely empowering for all involved.”

Anna Moore, Ann O'Grady and Karen 
after finishing setting up the exhibition 
Corina thanked Artist Anna Moore, Ann O’Grady and her sister Karen for assisting in setting up the exhibition, and IWA staff and Coastguard Cultural Centre for their practical support to make this exhibition happen; and Grace O’Sullivan for her compassionate talk to launch this event. Which might be the first of many...

Grace, Corina and Tunde all stated how immensely proud they are of all the work that has been created and asked the audience to do their best to encourage others to come and see the show.  There are many stocking fillers and other gifts for Christmas: books, prints, painting, postcards, paper art, poetry, and practical stuff like the fun puppet notebooks. The raised funds will bring financial recourses to do more creative work for the group and the individual artists.

The exhibition runs until 1st December.
Corina Duyn website
See HERE  for video of Grace O'Sullivan's Talk and some images of the puppets 


Group paper art
(which is available for corporate buyer, contact Caroline if interested
)

and two of Corina Duyn’s sculptures

Puppet books and notebooks

sample pages of Into the Light - book in a box by Corina Duyn



paper art by John McGrath, Corina Duyn and Ann O’Grady and sculpture by Corina Duy

Pat Coffey paintings
Pat  Coffey and friends at the opening


view of Exhibition



John McGrath and family

Some of the comments







Tuesday 15 November 2016

Tramore Coastguard Dis-ability This Ability exhibition

Article in Waterford News & Start 8 November 2016. Marion O'Mara
Article in Waterford News and Start last week: 
"How we can be influenced by word meanings and how taking part of a word away can give a whole new meaning and perspective is what will challenge us with the opening of the Dis-ability ... This Ability exhibition at Tramore coastguard Cultural Centre...."

Sunday 6 November 2016

Exhibition Details


Links to Exhibition details:

Opening 12th November 3 pm
Running till 1st December!

Books at the Dis-ability ... This Ability Exhibition

At the exhibition there will be a selection of books, notebooks, bookmarks, poetry and postcards, prints and sculptures available. Also some paper art, see here


The Puppet- Project book "Life Outside the Box
Framed Poetry by Amy Fitzgerald
author of Freedom to Fly 


Covers of the ten blank notebooks!

Books by Corina Duyn
 including Into the Light,
which has been shortlisted for a CAP Independent Author award 2016 
Art Postcards by Corina Duyn
Also Prints from Into the Light

Also Postcards by Ann O'Grady and Paintings by Pat Coffey, of which one is also on the cover of one of the notebooks (second from left - bottom row), and bookmarks from the Puppet books and Into the Light, and a few sculptures.

So something for everybody!


If you can't make it to the exhibition, a lot of the books and cards are available here.





Paper-making with Tunde Toth

After we finished our puppet project we were thinking about what project we can do next.
Paper making with Tunde Toth!!

It proved to be a wonderful experience in which all IWA members were able to partake.
A very tactile form of art.

About ten of the finished pieces will be on show - and for sale- at our upcoming Dis-ability ... This Ability Art exhibition.

See here for exhibition details.



Photographs © Tunde Toth

Tunde Toth's website

Tuesday 1 November 2016

Opening the Lid of the Disability Box

Dis-ability … This - Ability exhibition opens at Tramore Coastguard Cultural Centre on Saturday 12th of November, at 3 pm. Senator Grace O’Sullivan and Artist and Writer Corina Duyn will introduce the works and story behind the Puppets, Poetry, Paintings, Postcards and Books. All are welcome.
The exhibition runs until the 1st December.

Members of the Irish Wheelchair Association’s (IWA) Dungarvan Resource Centre will be sharing their creative work during a three week long exhibition at the Tramore Coastguard Cultural Centre. Although they all live with disability or chronic illness, they would like to bring the focus away from ‘dis, and focus on their ‘Ability’. This - Ability.
At times society’s image of a person with a disability is someone who does not have much of a role to play in the world. They are labeled dis-abled (dis = taking something away) and are put into the ‘Disability Box’. The lid firmly closed…
With this exhibition, and talk on the opening day, they hope to challenge this view a little.

Aerial © Corina Duyn 2014
This sculpture led to the
puppet project
 About ten people of various abilities attend the Resource Centre on a twice-weekly basis. Two years ago Artist and writer Corina Duyn joined the group, where IWA staff assisted her with the making of her sculptures. These whimsical creatures emerging from air-drying clay got the interest of fellow members and staff alike. In early 2015 she was asked if, by any chance, she could teach this art. This was the start of what is now fondly known as the Life Outside the Box Puppet Project.

With financial support from Create – Artist in the Community Scheme, the group created nine puppets from scratch and a scrapbook chronicling the process. The workshops were filled with laughter as the puppets took on their ultimate personality. At the end of the eight-month project, the puppets were filmed as they ventured out of Society’s Disability Box.

These puppets and their travel boxes, passports and suitcases will be on show during the exhibition, but are not for sale. However they (and their makers) are available to visit schools or other groups to talk about the experience of life with disability.
What is for sale however is the wonderful Life Outside the Box book/DVD, blank notebooks with fun images of the puppets out in the world, and bookmarks. Proceeds from these will fund further Puppet adventures or art projects.

one of the covers of the ten blank notebooks
 on sale at the exhibition
Since this project the group embarked on a papermaking workshop with Artist Tunde Toth. A selection of these Paper Art pieces is for sale.
Other works included in the exhibition are by individual members: Locally themed paintings by Westtown-Tramore born Pat Coffey, and beautiful beaded and embroidered greeting cards by Kill resident Ann O’Grady. Corina Duyn will showcase her art, prints, postcards and books, including Into the Light, which was recently shortlisted for CAP Independent Publishing Award. Stradbally’s Amy Fitzgerald, author of The Freedom To Fly, will share her powerful poems/verses with positivity and motivational themes as framed pieces, and Christmas themed poems for friends and family. Also some unusual Christmas Cards available, so there is something for everybody!

Please join in the celebration of the Abilities of this diverse group of people.

The exhibition runs until the 1st December.

See more here about the exhibition or explore this blog about the puppet project!

Location of Cultural Centre see here 

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