Arts Ability
What is Arts Ability?
Arts Ability is an initiative, which focuses on celebrating the artistic and creative imagination of people who experience mental health problems and/or disabilities.
The project aims to extend opportunities to promote access to and participation in the arts among people with disabilities. Participants in the project are recognised as artists in their own right.
What does the project involve?
Arts Ability involves a team of professional artists working collaboratively with people of all ages from the following venues:
- Occupational Therapy Unit, St. Senan's Hospital, Enniscorthy
- Kilagoley Training & Activation Centre, Enniscorthy
- Co. Wexford Community Workshop, New Ross
- Wexford Intellectual Disability Services
The project is currently facilitated by a team of 3 artists:
- Declan Kennedy, Visual Artist
- Sylvia Cullen, Writer
- Kathleen Delaney, Visual Artist
The artists plan creative projects for the participants in relation to their specific needs, interests, opinions and preferences. Arts Ability is not Art Therapy focused. Nonetheless, the process of the creative experience can be therapeutic in itself. Arts Ability provides a space for participants to use the creative arts as a medium for emotional expression.
Arts Ability is also a creative energy source and a catalyst for promoting Social Inclusion. Arts Ability is meaningfully contributing to Social Inclusion by removing the barriers to arts participation. The whole area of disability brings with it the problem of exclusion from 'ordinary life'. Arts Ability promotes an inclusive structure that favours a working inclusive social model.
Access to the arts in particular for those who suffer mental health problems / disabilities is often hampered by the perception that the arts is elitist and a misunderstanding of the relevant central role of the arts in social regeneration. At the kernel of the Arts Ability process is the nurturing of the participants' personal growth through creative experiences.
Why did Arts Ability start?
The project was initiated by the Arts Department of Wexford County Council during 2003 following a review of the county Arts Programme. This review highlighted a gap in the programming of arts activities for people with disabilities/mental health problems throughout the county. Based on the success of the projects' pilot phase from September - December 2003, partnership funding from the South Eastern Health Board and Wexford County Council and the Arts Council was awarded to ensure the future development of the project during 2004.
- Creation of wider access to and participation in the arts
- Decrease in social isolation
- Increase in participant's general well being, personal growth, self confidence and self esteem
- Enjoyable creative experiences for participants in a fun, relaxed and non-critical environment
- Creation of a new dimension to the promotion of positive mental health
- Increased career opportunities for artists who wish to work in disability/mental health context
- Creation of partnerships between funding agencies to realise common aims and objectives
How is the development of the project monitored and evaluated?
Since its establishment, Arts Ability has implemented an extensive evaluation process, which aims
- To assess whether or not Arts Ability has achieved what it has set out to do
- To provide a detailed documented account of Arts Ability from the artists, participants and staffs perspectives
- To inform the future planning and development of Arts Ability
- To demonstrate the benefits of such work beyond descriptive value judgments and focus on what the work delivers
- To collate qualitative evidence from participants affirming the felt experience through art as a counter to the circumstances and symptoms of mental health problem/disability
What do the future plans for Arts Ability include?
For the future, Arts Ability aims to continue to create a sustainable infrastructure, which will deliver long term access access to creative arts experiences for people who suffer from mental health problems and / or disabilities.
