PEACE
OF ART PROJECT Evaluation report
Table of Contents 1
Summary 1
2
Background 3
3
Analysis of the Peace of Art Programme
7
Projects supported under the Peace of Art Programme
9
4
5 Conclusions and Recommendations
17
Evaluation undertaken by Shauna Swords with additional contribution by Seรกn McGearty
PEACE III The Special EU Programmes Body is a North/South Implementation Body sponsored by the Department of Finance and Personnel in Northern Ireland and the Department of Finance in Ireland. It is responsible for managing two EU structural funds Programmes PEACE III and INTERREG IV designed to enhance cross-border co-operation, promote reconciliation and create a more peaceful and prosperous society.
1
Summary
The Peace of Art Project The Louth Peace and Reconciliation Partnership awarded funding of â‚Ź135,000 to Louth Meath Education Training Board (LMETB) under the PEACE III Programme run the Peace of Art project from May 2012 to December 2013. The LMETB recognised that the arts offered a unique set of tools for transforming conflict in a manner which was innovative, inclusive and safe. The Peace of Art Project aimed to increase awareness and appreciation of other communities through the medium of art. The Project strove to increase understanding of diversity, identity and conflict resolution and raise awareness of these issues within the wider community. Displaced people, political prisoners and ethnic minorities were just some of the target groups that were directly involved in these innovative projects. There were two strands to the Peace of Art Project: nn Integration programme which was mandatory nn The group project funded through the resource allocation. This pilot programme was very successful in terms of levels of artistic output achieved, the collaborative nature of engagement between the artists involved and the target group and the level of interest from the wider community and those not involved directly in the creation of the work. The project represented a real partnership between the professional arts and the minority communities in county Louth. The key elements to this project were participation, inclusion and creative engagement. What is significant is the diverse nature of the projects outputs largely due to the varied nature of the mediums used and the broad spectrum of people involved. Projects varied from working with recycled rubbish collected from Muirhevnamor to recordings of voices and testimonies from victims of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, to photography in the Chester Beatty library, Dublin. It was a challenging and rewarding project for all those involved as art practitioners more often used to working in isolation, whereas within this project, they were afforded the opportunity to collaborate and work with a target/ community groups to create something new, to investigate issues such as identity, diversity and conflict resolution and in the process re-examine aspects of their own practice.
1
Project Indicators for 2012-13 Set Project Outputs
Actual Outputs
Notes
12 community events held over period of
Achieved 15 projects took
Project exceeded targets within a reduced
programme of which 3 are cross border [11992]
place from 2012-13.
time frame for delivery
Projects were awarded resource
7 projects were funded and completed
allocations of up to
in 2012 (2 were cross border, i.e. ‘From
€5000
prisons to peace-building’ & ‘Celebration of Traditional Irish & Ulster Scots Music’.) A further 8 projects were awarded resource allocations and completed in 2013.
2
1 integration programme developed and delivered
Two integration
Project exceeded targets within a reduced
[11991]
Training sessions took
time frame for delivery
place In 2012, an Integration Training programme took place in November 2012. A second Integration Training Programme took place in early May 2013. An additional training day is scheduled to take place on 23 May 2014. 200 people participating in community events of
There have been 754
Project exceeded targets within a reduced
which 40 are from across the border and 60 are
participants recorded
time frame for delivery
from target groups of the programme [11993]
as taking part in the project, to date.
Summary of projects supported In 2012 there were 7 successful applicant groups who
In 2013 there were 8 successful applicant groups who
received funding up to the value of €5000:
recieved funding up to the value of €5000:
nn Louth Craftmark based in Muirhevnamor for ‘Art in the
nn Dundalk Youth Theatre for ‘Breaking Down Barriers’
Allotments’ nn Calipo Theatre and Picture Company, Drogheda for ‘Youth Film Project’ nn Upstate Theatre Project based in Drogheda for ‘Made Up’ nn PYXL Designers for ‘Vicious Circle’ nn Music Generation Louth for ‘Songlines’ nn Laurence McKeown for ‘From Prisons to Peace Building’ nn Zoe Conway for ‘Celebration of Traditional Irish and Ulster Scots Music’
nn Elaine Agnew for ‘I want to tell you…’ nn Calipo Theatre and Picture Company for ‘Digital Life’ nn Upstate Theatre Project for ‘The Far Side’ nn Jackie Nickerson for ‘Muslim Women’s Art Exhibition’ nn Laurence McKeown for ‘Home, Place & Identity’ nn Drogheda Samba Group for ‘Different Drums’ nn Brian McKillop for ‘Anonymous’
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Background
2.1 The Peace of Art Project Louth Meath Education Training Board (LMETB)1 successfully applied to the EU PEACE III Programme, administered by the Co. Louth Peace and Reconciliation Partnership, to deliver the Peace of Art Project under Phase 2 of the Peace 3 Programme. The Partnership awarded funding of €135,000 for the project. The LMETB recognised that the arts offered a unique set of tools for transforming conflict in a manner which was innovative, inclusive and safe. Therefore, the primary focus of the Peace of Art Project was to encourage artists and community based art groups to extend their working practices, activities and dissemination of work to include minority communities as a method of negating racism and sectarianism in the county. The Peace of Art Project aimed to increase awareness and appreciation of other communities through the medium of art. The Project strove to increase understanding of diversity, identity and conflict resolution and raise awareness of these issues within the wider community. LMETB aimed to encourage the professional and community based art sector to use their talents, skills and resources with the designated PEACE III target groups to develop a ‘Peace of Art’.
3 Displaced people, political prisoners and ethnic minorities were just some of the target groups that were directly involved in these innovative projects.
There were two strands to the Peace of Art Project: nn an Integration programme which was mandatory nn the Group Project.
2.2 Project implementation In August 2012, the professional and community based arts sector in Co. Louth were invited to apply for funding for projects, which promoted inclusion and integration of minority groups, in the county. The project welcomed proposals from groups that had not been able to avail of PEACE funding to date. An advisory panel was established to access submitted proposals for a resource allocation. Projects were scored under the following criteria: nn Whether the proposal addressed the aims of the Peace of Art Project nn Whether the proposal addresses the PEACE III agenda nn Ability to deliver in time scale and achievable outputs nn Feasible budget nn Evidence of substantial artistic merit in the projects content or process. There was 7 resource allocations awarded in 2012 with an additional 8 resource allocations awarded in 2013. The maximum amount that could be awarded was €5000.
1
Formerly known as Louth VEC.
There were a number of unique aspects to the resource allocation awards. LMETB administered and managed the procurement of resources to bring the groups project ideas to fruition and thus allowing the groups to focus exclusively on their peace building project design and development. The focus was not on grants but resource allocations and LMETB handled all payments on behalf of the groups in line with SEUPB procurement rules.
2.3 Summary of projects supported In 2012 there were 7 successful applicant groups who were awarded funding up to the value of €5000: nn Louth Craftmark based in Muirhevnamor for ‘Art in the Allotments’ nn Calipo Theatre and Picture Company, Drogheda for ‘Youth Film Project’ nn Upstate Theatre Project based in Drogheda for ‘Made Up’ nn PYXL Designers for ‘Vicious Circle’ nn Music Generation Louth for ‘Songlines’
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nn Laurence McKeown for ‘From Prisons to Peace Building’ nn Zoe Conway for ‘Celebration of Traditional Irish and Ulster Scots Music’
In 2013 there were 8 successful applicants and these were: nn Dundalk Youth Theatre for ‘Breaking Down Barriers’ nn Elaine Agnew for ‘I want to tell you…’ nn Calipo Theatre and Picture Company for ‘Digital Life’ nn Upstate Theatre Project for ‘The Far Side’ nn Jackie Nickerson for ‘Muslim Women’s Art Exhibition’ nn Laurence McKeown for ‘Home, Place & Identity’ nn Drogheda Samba Group for ‘Different Drums’ nn Brian McKillop for ‘Anonymous’ The 15 projects that were awarded resources through PEACE of Art, aimed to address themes of sectarianism, racism and peace by using various mediums of art. These included a broad spectrum of arts: four music projects, four film related projects, three drama projects, a creative writing project (also featuring photography), one print, one photographic and a sculpture project. This pilot programme was very successful in terms of levels of artistic output achieved, the collaborative nature of engagement between the artists involved and the target group and the level of interest from the wider community and those not involved directly in the creation of the work. The project represented a real partnership between the professional arts and the minority communities in County Louth. The key elements to this project were participation, inclusion and creative engagement. What is significant is the diverse nature of the projects outputs largely due to the varied nature of the mediums used and the broad spectrum of people involved. Projects varied from working with recycled rubbish collected from Muirhevnamor to recordings of voices and testimonies from victims of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, to photography in the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin.
It was a challenging and rewarding project for all those involved as art practitioners more often used to working in isolation, whereas within this project, they were afforded the opportunity to collaborate and work with a target/ community groups to create something new, to investigate issues such as identity, diversity and conflict resolution and in the process re-examine aspects of their own practice.
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Project Outputs nn Outdoor sculptures for Community Garden (Louth Craftmark) nn 3 short films (Calipo and PYXL) nn 3 live drama performances (Upstate Theatre and Dundalk Youth Theatre) nn 1 live musical performance (Zoe Conway,Scott Wallace and John McIntyre) nn 1 drumming weekend (Samba Group) nn 1 large finger printed canvas with film montage (Brian McKillop) nn 1 unique sound composition (Elaine Agnew) nn 1 film festival (Dr Laurence McKeown) nn 2 Booklets (Dr Laurence McKeown and Music Generation Louth) nn 1 series of mounted photographs  
(Jackie Nickerson)
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3 Analysis of the Peace of Art Programme This section reviews the work of the Peace of Art Project against the main evaluation criteria for peace-building that have been developed by the OECD-DAC, and that are now internationally applied. Three of these criteria relate directly to the Aid for Peace Framework: the relevance of the work, the effectiveness of the work and the impact. The evaluation also looks at the issue of sustainability.
3.1 Relevance
3.2 Effectiveness
This criterion assesses the extent to which the objectives and
According to the OECD-DAC* ‘effectiveness is used to evaluate
activities of the intervention respond to the peace-building
whether an intervention has reached its intended objectives, with
needs in the area.
respect to its immediate peacebuilding environment, in a timely fashion’.
The overall objectives and purpose of the Peace of Art project are relevant to the current context in Louth. The project
The objective of the Peace of Arts project was to encourage
sought to engage artists and community based arts groups in
artists and community based art groups to engage with minority
projects which promoted diversity and reduced sectarianism
communities and to use their talents, skills and resources to
and racism. Work to build bridges and engage the different
develop a ‘Peace of Art’. It aimed to increase awareness and
minority groups and to involve them in community activities
appreciation of other communities and to increase understanding
is particularly important given the changing profile of
of diversity, identity and conflict resolution within the wider
communities in Louth. It is recognised that new communities
community.
tend to be isolated from the indigenous community and that this can lead to misunderstandings, fear and even conflict
The project has been effective in engaging artist and community
if not addressed in a constructive manner. The arts are
Arts groups in a number of innovative projects across the county.
recognised as particularly useful tools in this regard as they
This is demonstrated by the range of activities carried out and
are universal and can create links across cultures, languages
the diversity of work which has been completed. A total of 15
and religions.
different projects were supported including four music projects, four film related projects, three drama projects, one creative
The Peace of Art project was designed to increase awareness
writing project (also featuring photography), one print, one
and appreciation of other communities, to build relationships
photography and one sculpture project.
between different groups and to facilitate dialogue through the medium of arts. This type of innovative work is highly
This project achieved a high level of artistic output with good
relevant to the overall objectives of the Peace III programme
collaboration between the artists involved and the target group
and the vision of Louth Peace Partnership.
and resulted in a rich and diverse group of projects using a variety of mediums. Projects varied from working with recycled
The two integration days which were mandatory for all
rubbish collected from Muirhevnamor to recordings of voices
awarded projects, provided a context to the project. All
and testimonies from victims of the Troubles in Northern Ireland,
successful projects were informed about the PEACE III
to photography in the Chester Beatty library, Dublin. The project
Programme, the overall aims and objectives of the Peace of
outputs include outdoor sculptures, the production of 3 short
Art Programme and were provided with practical examples
films and running a film festival, live music productions, as well as
of art projects which focused on Peace building namely: Prof.
the production of booklets and photographs.
Bill Rolston and the Murals of Northern Ireland and Paula McFetridge of Kabosh Theatre.
It is clear that the artistic community in Louth actively engaged with this project and used their creativity to develop a diverse and innovative cluster of arts projects.
*OECD - DAC The Organisation for Economic Corporate & Development: Development Assistance Committee
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The project was effective in engaging with local young people including disadvantaged young people in Louth. A
3.3 Impact
number of the projects provided opportunities for these
Impact refers to the more long-term effects produced by an
young people to learn new skills in film making etc and
intervention (positive or negative, intended or unintended)
to address key issues in their community such as bullying,
The Peace of Art initiative was made up of 15 separate arts
difference, identity and suicide. This included the Calipo’s
projects across the county and most of these were short term
‘Youth Film Project’ and Pyxl Designers’ ‘Vicious Circle’
in nature. Therefore it is difficult to identify real and lasting
project.
impacts. However there are a number of areas where the initiative has made a positive and significant contribution.
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A number of the projects directly addressed issues related to
The project was aimed at creating awareness and opening up
the conflict particularly the ‘From Prisons to Peace Building’
opportunities for people to think about the arts as a vehicle
Project which looked at the role of former political prisoners
for peacebuilding and integration. In this regard the project
and the challenges and successes of dealing with the past.
has been very successful as it encouraged people all over
The Aftermath project also examined issues related to the
the county to take up the challenge and to develop new
past by proving the opportunity for people who have been
and innovative ways of addressing old issues and challenges.
directly affected by trauma and conflict to tell their story
The 15 project supported represented the full spectrum
through exhibitions, photography, text, drama, film and
of the arts and all attempted to address issues related to
music.
peacebuilding and cultural diversity. The project has engaged young people from different backgrounds and develops their
A number of the projects used music to build links between
skills and capacities. It has enabled them to engage with
the two communities in Ireland including the project ‘A
difficult issues that are relevant to their lives and encouraged
celebration of Ulster Scots and Traditional Irish music’.
them to use their creative talents. Many of these people would not normally be able to avail of these opportunities.
Other projects used music to explore cultural differences and to develop and strengthen links with new communities including ‘Different Drums’ (Drogheda samba Group) and ‘Songlines’ (Music Generation Louth).
The Peace of Art project was implemented by LMETB and highlights the important role that the LMETB plays in wider community education. In a changing environment there is a need for new ways of working
It is clear from the varied nature and the level of engagement
and new approaches to education. By engaging with the
within these projects that overall, the Peace of Art Project
artistic community – both individuals and community arts
has proven to be a very safe innovative method of addressing
groups - the LMETB has developed new relationships and
difficult issues.
demonstrated what can be achieved through collaboration and partnership. Through this initiative the LMETB has been able to reach out to a number of new communities groups as a means of peacebuilding at local level in the county. This is a good model and should be further developed in the years ahead.
4 Details of the projects supported under the Peace of Art Programme 4.1 Louth Craftmark, ‘Art in the Allotments’ Louth Craftmark is a not-for-profit company established to promote creative industries, including craft, art and design businesses and practitioners, in County Louth. Its main administrative office is situated in their own new facility called Creative Spark, Louth Creative Community Hub, which is a new centre that offers workspace and training facilities for the Creative Sector in Co. Louth and also recognises the use of creative practice to promote social engagement. Louth Craftmark’s Art in the Allotments was an art and gardening project devised for young adults between 13 to 18 years with a view to creating large pieces of art using recycled and salvaged materials for installation in the Community Gardens in Muirhevnamor based on the theme of ‘peace building’. Three facilitators, led by Louth Crafttmark’s Sophie Coyle, worked with the group to help them establish and understand what peace
building meant and how to represent this concept in a creative way. Activities completed during the project included litter collection and separating, recycling awareness, sculpture garden design and investigating what the garden means to other cultures and to the participants themselves. A greater appreciation for the resourcefulness of other cultures was gained by looking at how other countries recycle materials in creative ways, how the need for creativity emerges in different cultures and in the participants individually planning and making the sculpture garden. Art in the Allotments provided an opportunity for the young people to create a beautiful space for their area, to showcase their own work locally, while projecting a positive image of their active involvement in life in Muirhevnamor. With guidance, the group learned how to transform salvaged litter into art for the sculpture garden. They explored the full extent of their imaginations, learned many skills in the creative process, and enhanced their team building skills through project work which also resulted in increased confidence and selfesteem. An exhibition of their work was held on 18 December 2012 and was well attended by project
participants and their schoolmates.
4.2 Calipo, ‘Youth Film Project’ Calipo is a Drogheda based arts organisation that operates on three levels, as a theatre company, a picture production company and as an outreach facilitator. The company has a local, national and international profile. It produces plays, films and outreach programmes in Drogheda, across Ireland and abroad. Calipo’s proposal was to set up a Youth Film Club for teenagers in Drogheda specifically targeting both nationals and non-nationals, with the aim that ten teenagers, five national, and five non-nationals would come together and learn no budget/ low budget film making, through the production of a short/viral film which focused on issues of racism and sectarianism in a creative and innovative way. This project ran from January 2013 and the final filming took place in early March 2013. Seventeen teenagers including six from immigrant communities were recruited from local schools, youth organisations, multi-cultural groups and churches. The programme was facilitated by writer/director Darren Thornton, who worked with the teenagers for 10 weeks, culminating in a “production weekend”, where the young people shot their short film in Drogheda.
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4.3 PXYL Designers, ‘Vicious Circle’ PYXL’s proposal focused on the young people from Cox’s Demesne Youth and Community project. The project involved holding a series of film workshops as a means of training young people in the practical process of film making which centred on themes of diversity, identity and conflict resolution. The project participants were at risk young people, many of them had dropped out of school or were endeavouring to cope with extreme life challenges including family bereavements. Pyxl facilitated a number of workshops. As a result, a number of themes emerged such as bullying, suicide and drugs-issues which the group wanted to focus on. For example, it was decided that the concept of bullying be explored through the process of role playing. Norma Cooney the Youth Leader said, “They don’t see bullying as bullying but more like normal behaviour. When you live on an estate like this, this is how you survive the estate.” Pyxl’s process allowed the young participants complete ownership of the project. The young people were free to develop scripts, scout for locations, and shoot the film themselves. They learned a range of filming skills and techniques through the process of
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taking on roles of actor, director and set manager. Project participants gained experience of working in groups, to a deadline, and in specified roles. Some also discovered a personal interest in and aptitude for working with new media & technology. As a result of their involvement with this project, participants showed marked improvements not just in hard skills, but also in soft skills such as self-confidence, ability to work with others, responsibility to group members, empathy, and attendance.
4.4 Upstate, ‘Made Up’ Upstate Theatre project is an independent performing arts organisation located in Drogheda, Co. Louth. Upstate seeks to attain the highest standards of excellence in theatrical performance and presentation, breaking new ground in its innovative relationships with community organisations, its educational and training programmes and its links with artists and communities in Northern Ireland and overseas. The Upstate project involved weekly workshops with drama facilitator Stephen Murray and young people aged 16-20 from across the community spectrum with a view to creating, scripting and devising a performance for presentation. The Project sought to create a new type of performance that reflects youth culture using technology, music, visuals and live performance in off-site locations as a means of engaging with audiences in an interactive experience. For example, Upstate used their Facebook Page as a successful means of recruiting participants to the project. In terms of religious diversity, the majority of participants were from a Catholic background but with a significant representation of 22% from those of a non-Catholic background. Weekly workshops were held with 12 participants and the final production took place on 11 December in No. 8 Fair Street Drogheda. The performance was durational in nature and ran from 5 p.m. till 9 p.m. Audiences arrived throughout the 4 hours on 15 minute intervals. It is estimated 50 people attended. The project succeeded in translating complex ideas of identity and tolerance into dramatic form. Exploration of issues around identity, conflict and peace building through the medium of drama helped promote trust and tolerance. The performance garnered favourable responses and provoked much discussion. The main success for the project was in the process undertaken by the participants. The friendship and camaraderie, the collaborative nature of the work and its collective implementation was the major strength of the work.
mosphere of the project was a great setting for young people from
discussions which took place on 2 consecutive Saturdays in December 2012. The film festival examined the role of former political prisoners and looked at the challenges of dealing with the past in a post conflict society. Speakers included political ex-prisoners from Loyalist and Republican backgrounds, a former RUC/PSNI officer, and representatives of victims groups, academics, artists and community and youth workers.
Sophie Coyle, Community and Good Relations Officer
The film festival included screenings of: nn Blanketmen - a documentary written and directed by Paddy Curran which focused on the morale on Irish Republican prisoners during the period of the1976-1981 H Block prison protest. nn When the Summit is Shrouded in Mist, a short film written and directed by Dr. Laurence McKeown which explored the difficulties of dealing with the past. nn A Day of Reflection written and directed by Laurence McKeown for Healing through Remembering. nn Five Minutes to Heaven an award winning production starring Liam Neeson and James Nesbitt tells the story of a media managed meeting between Catholic man Joe Griffin and the Protestant man who had killed his older brother Jim some 33 years prior. nn Life as an Interface told the story of communities at the interface, once at war with one another, who are now working together.
“
PYXL are confident that the project will create a lasting legacy for peace and conflict resolution through the development of hard and soft skills for underprivileged young people, improved work and life chances of our participants and through the film itself Ciaran O Meachair, PYXL
“
The project involved a two day film festival followed by
“
The fun and relaxed atmosphere of the project was a great setting for young people from different areas of Dundalk to meet each other, learn new skills and talk about continuing peace for Ireland.
“
4.5 Dr Laurence McKeown ‘From Prisons to Peace Building: the role of former political prisoners and the challenges and successes of dealing with the past’
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4.6 Music Generation Louth, ‘Songlines’ Songlines aimed to celebrate the cultural diversity within Louth through song. The project intention was to make a collection of indigenous songs representing all sections of society, including minority groups and those displaced by the troubles. The project involved Music Generation Louth,
photo by
Alannagh
Brennan
working with Culture Connect Drogheda in order to research and gather songs with the aim of building a unique and culturally diverse collection of world songs for Louth. Music Generation Louth is a new music service for County Louth that aims to help children and young people up to 18 years of age access vocal and instrumental tuition in their local
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4.7 Zoe Conway, ‘A Celebration of Ulster Scots and Traditional Irish Music’
area. Culture Connect is an intercultural organisation that is geared towards promotion of integration.
This project involved local Dundalk Irish traditional musicians Zoe Conway and John MacIntyre performing with world class
Songlines worked directly with the groups in researching
Ulster Scots piper Scott Wallace from Banbridge in a unique
and gathering songs. Children and young people asked their
concert, which took place at Creggan Church of Ireland, County
parents to teach them a folk or indigenous song from their
Armagh. The project entailed rehearsals, joint workshops in Bush
country or culture. These songs were then performed at a
Post Primary School, Co. Louth (Catholic), St. Nicholas’ Primary
facilitated session and recorded in a booklet acknowledging
School, Dundalk,(Church of Ireland) Newtownhamilton Primary
the country of origin, the native language and the person
School, Co. Down(Protestant and Catholic), culminating in the
who introduced the song.
performance.
Songlines is a new form of working for Music Generation
The school workshops focused on the commonalities and
Louth, allowing it to engage with minority groups, addressing differences inherent in Irish traditional music and Ulster Scots issues of peace building, sectarianism and racism in its work. Traditional Music. Students were encouraged to ask questions The project has now created a collection of songs that will
and discuss aspects regarding the instruments, musicians, music
serve as a celebration of the rich cultural diversity within
and differences in style. Through the workshops, children from
Louth. This project represented a real partnership between
different backgrounds were able to learn about the commonalities
professional arts and the minority communities in Co. Louth.
and differences inherent in Traditional Irish music and Ulster Scots Traditional Music.
Through Songlines, Music Generation Louth helped to build relations at a local level in particular with minority groups.
The concert took place on Friday 16th of November 2012 at 8pm
The groups themselves felt their confidence was increased
and was open to members of all sections of the community.
through the engagement with others in the project’s activities. Additionally, it was noted, that as a result of the
The performance took place in Creggan Church, Crossmaglen.
minority groups’ involvement in this project, a greater sense
Creggan Church is a Church of Ireland church in a predominantly
of community and cohesion has been created.
republican area of South Armagh. The Church of Ireland community in South Armagh is relatively small so this was a big step for them i.e. it was the first performance to have taken place in the church and the fact that it linked the two cultures through music was significant as the music found a common ground with the audience with the inclusion of Irish Reels and Scots airs.
4.8 Elaine Agnew, ‘I want to tell you…’ ‘I want to tell you…’ involved writing a new musical composition using voices and testimonies from the PEACE III funded ‘Aftermath’ Project. It was a joint project focusing on the victims/survivors of the Northern Ireland conflict and people displaced by conflict who are currently resident in Louth. It was premiered in The Spirit Store, July 2013. The Aftermath Project afforded the opportunity for people directly affected by trauma and conflict to tell their story and have their story told to others through exhibitions, photography, text, drama, film and music. The Aftermath project is based on the premise that the acknowledgment gained from the telling and hearing of different stories will lead to recognition of the commonality we all share. The project was designed to develop tolerance, a recognition of hurt, an understanding, a working relationship between those who were on opposing sides (and in some instances intra-community) and thus lead to improved/good relations and ultimately reconciliation. The Aftermath project used a broad spectrum of the arts (film, photography, sound) to engage with the stories collected from the participants and this proposal for a unique music composition utilizing voices from the participants which added another important dimension to the outputs from the project. Aftermath Director Laurence McKeown, along with commissioned artist Anthony Haughey, worked closely with victims/survivors of the Northern conflict, asylum seekers, refugees and people displaced by conflict situations worldwide.
4.9 Dr Laurence McKeown, ‘Home, Place & Identity - A Woman’s Perspective’ ‘Home, Place & Identity - A Woman’s Perspective’ involved working with a number of women over the age of 50 to produce a printed publication containing their creative writing, prose or poetry accompanied by photographic images relating to or inspired by their written work. Some of the women involved in the project were displaced by conflict (political or personal), some were victims/survivors of conflict or violence and some simply had an interest in expressing in an artistic form about how they view their lives and the world around them. The programme consisted of six half day workshops with ten (female) participants. The aim of the programme was to encourage the participants to artistically express their thoughts, views, and observations on the main themes of home, place and identity. The first three workshops focused on creative writing (poetry and prose) with the participants using a range of exercises to explore the themes. The latter three workshops centred on the use of digital photography to capture images that reflected the themes that they had written about.
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4.10 Upstate, ‘The Far Side’ Upstate’s Project entailed a public screening of ‘The Far Side’ video/performance. The video/performance was made by local Drogheda based people. Following the screening, a PEACE III facilitator Kathy Walsh, led a discussion on identity, place and difference. The Project originated over a two year period. Artist Feidlim Cannon conducted a series of writing workshops with seven people from Drogheda. He urged them to speak candidly and openly about their experiences and memories of growing up in Drogheda. In the performance, these stories are played while a video background displayed the stories visually. The performance had a number of key elements, the video display and an actor who engaged with the video to explore the stories of the three men and four women under a number of core themes such as what shapes us as individuals i.e. the people, places and events and how these concepts contribute to our sense of belonging and identity. An overriding theme was what do we understand by the concept of other/what is the far side?
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The Project highlighted the universality of the human condition (regardless of gender, age and background) and the role of place in creating a sense of community and well being. It also provided an opportunity for people to reflect on what it might be like to be a stranger, to have to negotiate a new locality and establish a sense of place. Ultimately it provided an innovative mechanism to promote an increased level of understanding of identity and diversity.
4.11 Drogheda Samba Group, ‘Different Drums’ Drogheda Samba Groups’ ‘Peace of Art’ proposal involved holding two percussion workshops in St. Peter’s Church of Ireland Drogheda as part of the Drogheda Arts Festival. The purpose of the workshops was to explore through a workshop format, different drums, their historical origins and their current use and also different forms of percussion now in use. The workshops were free and open to all as a means of bringing diverse groups together to explore common symbols that have been used in the past in different political contexts. Drums involved included the Bodhran and the Lambeg drum which are referred to by the Ulster Scot’s Agency as “world famous war drums”. Also included were Samantra’s which are pieces of wood used by the Eastern Orthodox Church as a call to prayer but are now also used in contemporary music. The intention was to show, as wide as possible, how objects can be used as percussive instruments. The purpose of the workshops was to explore the historical context of the two world famous ‘war’ drums of Ireland - the Lambeg drum and the Bodhran, their current use and also different forms of percussion now in use. Additional workshops involving cross border groups were held at the Samba festival in June 2013. The objective being to use samba drumming as a personal and community development tool to promote confidence, achievement and unity. Samba drumming has the potential to change the perception of drumming. For many drumming is used in a military style and a threatening manner on the streets. Samba drumming is a fun activity that crosses boundaries that other forms of drumming seek to reinforce. The whole group were enthusiastic and positive about the opportunity to discuss issues and participate in the workshop. They saw the benefit in meeting each other and interacting over the festival weekend but thought there should be other opportunities to come together that would reinforce their understanding and attitude to each other.
4.12 Brian McKillop, ‘Anonymous’ The ‘Anonymous’ Project was a unique integrative arts project which aimed to recognize identity while celebrating difference. ‘Anonymous’ aimed to be a celebration of our collective creative potential. “It is an art of the people, by the people, for the people.” The project involved the installation of a large open air canvas in the heart of Market Square Dundalk from 10am to 4pm on Saturday 20 July 2013. Over the course of the day people from all walks of life were invited to come and dip their fingers and thumbs in paint and offer their personal contribution to an original painting. The work on completion took the form of a black and white profile portrait of an ‘anonymous’ subject and was produced by the combination of collected fingerprints. To further compliment the project an audio/visual montage that celebrated the twin themes of ‘Peace’ and ‘Art’ was screened at regular intervals in the run up to the day and attracted a lot of attention. The main goal of ‘Anonymous’ is to use art to increase participation and mutual interaction among all members of the community in Dundalk. Over the course of a few hours the canvas was filled with a multitude of fingerprints in a variety of shapes and sizes, pressures and tones, orientations and directions mirroring the diverse nature of all involved.
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4.13 Dundalk Youth Theatre, ‘Breaking Down Barriers’ The aim of Dundalk Youth Theatre (DYT) Project is to break
Trestle Theatre Company UK facilitated a two day mask
down the barriers within Co. Louth’s diverse and multiple
workshop for the sixth class of St Joseph’s National School
Youth Groups by developing new approaches to drama in an
in Muirhevnamor, a school that is attended by children from
environment where work can be shared and developed by
many varied backgrounds. Pupils had the opportunity to
young people from different backgrounds.
experiment with different drama techniques and learn new skills in acting and storytelling. Feedback from the school and
Dundalk Youth Theatre provides a forum for young people
the pupils was so positive that DYT looked for ways to share
from the Dundalk area, who may not have had previous
the project with the wider community.
opportunity to get involved in drama. This includes minority and ethnic groups.
The ‘Breaking down Barriers’ project was an exciting new initiative, dedicated to producing new approaches to theatre
For this project, Dundalk Youth Theatre conducted initial
in an environment where work was shared and developed
research into the possible barriers that exist within the diverse
by the participants from different ethnic and cultural
and multiple youth groups within Louth. The results suggest
backgrounds. The drama workshops were innovative in
that the primary causes are language and cultural differences. their approach as they nurtured new and original work and Dundalk Youth Theatre examined what form of art would
provided participants with the opportunity to experiment
be appropriate to bridge these gaps and opted for drama.
with dramatic techniques.
The decision was to develop a project using the art of masks which would additionally bring a new art skill to Louth. The
The participants encountered new and exciting skills, in
group collaborated with Trestle Theatre Company in the
acting and voice training, in a safe and creative environment.
UK; who are mask specialists and whose work is focused on
The participants produced an innovative theatrical production
international influences and cross cultural projects.
on completion of the project which also provides a legacy to the Peace of Art Project and of Peace III.
4.14 Calipo Theatre And Picture Company, ‘Digital Life’ Calipo is a Drogheda based arts organisation that operates
of what it means to be a teenager in a small town in Ireland,
on three different levels - as a Theatre Company, a film and
what are the things that we all have in common and what
TV Production Company, and also a Community Outreach
are the things that make us different.
facilitator. Calipo Theatre and Picture Company’s 2013 project focused on young people exploring the theme of
The project culminated in a presentation of filmed work. This
social acceptance and what it means to belong.
time the young people themselves were the directors, camera operators and editors of their creative pieces. The young
The young people looked at issues around acceptance and
people shared stories and experiences of sectarianism and
understanding of different ideas and cultures, thus promoting belonging. They examined creatively how this is relevant to trust and tolerance of other cultures. The project also
their lives as teenagers in a small town. They were exposed
gave the participants the opportunity to learn about digital
to different cultures and backgrounds, thus promoting
technology and to harness it in order to tell their own stories.
trust, understanding, tolerance and respect for different communities. The project presented a positive image of
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The project ran for eight weeks for three hours per week.
young people from different nationalities working together
The objective with ‘Digital life’ was to prepare the group for
creatively and cohesively.
filming a ‘real life’ moment on the final week of the project. They wanted to produce a short film that explored the idea
4.15 Jackie Nickerson, ‘Muslim Women’s Art Exhibition’ This project involved the curation of an Islamic art exhibition chosen by the Muslim women in Drogheda. The focus of the exhibition was Islamic art works from the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin. The Chester Beatty Library holds the largest Islamic art collection in Ireland. This project was an important one for the PEACE of Art project as it brought learning about Islam’s relation to art, the cultural differences therein and the role that art and images play in the Islamic Faith. The women visited the library on a number of occasions, consulted the catalogues and discussed reasons for including works in their exhibition. The project culminated with an exhibition and display of the materials at the Islamic Foundation Drogheda’s Intercultural Day in June 2013. The exhibition was well attended. The participating women provided an informative and interesting dialogue on the art works chosen.
5 Conclusions and Recommendations From a peace building and conflict resolution point of view
interaction and development of friendships among young
the projects succeeded in fulfilling the required criteria.
people from different backgrounds. Filmmaking provided
Projects like ‘Songlines’ brought together people from
an exciting opportunity for those involved to work with
different backgrounds who would normally not work
experienced facilitators and skilled technical staff. They gained
together, improving their attitude, tolerance, empathy,
experience of working in groups, completing projects to a
understanding and ability to communicate with each other
deadline and working within specified roles such as director,
through team work. The opportunity provided by the Peace
actor, editor, presenter, cameraman .Clearly a fantastic
of Art project allowed Music Generation Louth to engage
opportunity was provided to discover a personal interest in or
with minority groups in a meaningful way. For the minority
aptitude for working with new media and technology, which
groups involved, their inclusion in the project helped create a
in turn could lead to improved work and life chances. Several
greater sense of engagement in the community and lead to
of PYXL past group participants have gone on to study for
improved socialisation.
vocational qualifications. Others show marked improvement not just in hard skills, but also in soft skills such as self-
In a number of the projects the participants learned skills that
confidence, ability to work with others and responsibility,
were purposeful, creative and helped personal development.
empathy and levels of commitment.
They gained an awareness and appreciation of their own creative potential leading to increased confidence and self
Other projects operated at extremely high levels of creativity
esteem. This was especially evident in the Creative Writing
and originality. Drogheda’s Upstate Theatres performance/
and Photography Project ‘Home, Place & Identity’ and in
screening of The Far Side comes to mind where the
the ‘Art in the Allotments’ project. Both these projects were
performance used the interaction between the video and the
based in the Creative Spark in Muirhevnamor a thriving outlet actor to explore the stories and identities of the people involved for creativity in Dundalk.
thus bridging the gap between film and theatre.
Some projects worked in other ways e.g. Jackie Nickerson
Elaine Agnew’s unique music composition utilising voices from
intention was to bring awareness of the Muslim Women
victims of the Northern Ireland conflict and voices of other
of Drogheda to the wider Community to help foster
displaced peoples added another important dimension to the
understanding. Zoe Conway availed of the opportunity
output from the project. This composition toured with the
provided by the project to play live traditional Irish
AFTERMATH project ensuring that many more people will get
music in a Church of Ireland venue accompanied by
the opportunity to hear it.
an Ulster Scots Piper bridging the gap in terms of performance and culture. This was a tremendous step
Brian McKillops ‘Anonymous’ was another project with very
forward in terms of cultural integration and spirit of
clear aims and objectives: the creation of a large silhouette
openness.
image of an anonymous figure made up of fingerprint marks contributed by people from all walks of life who were prepared
Dr. Laurence McKeown’s programme of films and discussions
‘to give the thumbs up for integration’
provided an opportunity for former political prisoners republican and loyalist to show the local community in
Timing issues and short timeframe frames created problems for
Co. Louth the extent to which they are involved in peace
many of the projects especially the 2012 applicants who were
building, conflict resolution and community development in
under pressure to finish before the Christmas deadline having
their communities.
been notified of their success in gaining a funding allocation in mid-September. This really only gave them about 7 weeks to
The film making and drama projects with younger people
get their project up and running. Collaborative projects of this
project a positive image of young people working together,
nature need a longer time frame to develop and mature.
dealing with issues of racism and sectarianism and the impact it has on their communities, leading to cross community
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Future projects may work better where less resource
county. This is demonstrated by the range of activities carried
allocations are awarded but with increased budgets involved
out and the diversity of work which has been completed.
and longer time frames to allow creativity to development
A total of 15 different projects were supported including
and mature.
four music projects, four film related projects, three drama
The LMETB has long established links with the community
projects, one creative writing project (;.//////also featuring
and voluntary sector, minority groups, displaced people
photography), one print, one photography and one sculpture
and the general public in the county and these links were
project.
certainly strengthened through this project. This project achieved a high level of artistic output with good The Peace of Art Project through its varied projects,
collaboration between the artists involved and the target
facilitators, Integration Days and coordinators
group and resulted in a rich and diverse group of projects
succeeded in building better relations with minority
using a variety of mediums.
groups at a local level. In so doing the project has
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provided these groups and the individuals with the
It is clear that the artistic community in Louth actively
confidence to engage in other activities and programmes
engaged with this project and used their creativity to develop
available to them within the county. LMETB should continue
a diverse and innovative cluster of arts projects.
to maintain and nurture these links with the minority groups. The project was effective in engaging with local young The Peace of Art project was designed to increase
people including disadvantaged young people in Louth.
awareness and appreciation of other communities,
It is clear from the varied nature and the level of engagement
to build relationships between different groups and
within these projects that overall, the Peace of Art Project
to facilitate dialogue through the medium of arts.
has proven to be a very safe innovative method of addressing
This type of innovative work is highly relevant to the
difficult issues.
overall objectives of the Peace III programme and the vision of Louth Peace Partnership.
C S I : DU
The project has been effective in engaging artist and community arts groups in innovative projects across the
LEAVE YOUR MAR
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ct is supp orted by the Euro delivered pean Union by the Louth ’s PEACE Peace and III Programm Reconcilia e, managed tion Partn by the Spec ership and ial EU Prog a part of rammes Co. Louth Body, VEC’s ‘Peac e of Art’ project.