Minister RABBITTE officially launched the annual Embrace Arts Disability and Visual Impairments Performance Event at Glór Ennis on Wednesday 8th May, 2023.

ABOUT EMBRACE

Minister RABBITTE launches EMBRACE at Glór Theatre 1
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Established in 2001 the Embrace programme is a person centred, participation focused initiative, the primary goal of which is to provide access to high quality art experiences based on meaningful engagement between participant artists and professional artists.

Minister RABBITTE launches EMBRACE at Glór Theatre 3
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They believe that everyone, regardless of background, age, gender or ability should have access to a creative world – as student, participants, artists or audiences.

They have built strong partnerships with local organisations such as the HSE, Enable Ireland,

Minister RABBITTE launches EMBRACE at Glór Theatre 5
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The Dulick Centre, West Clare Mental Health and the Brothers of Charity to provide and develop an ongoing successful Arts & Disability Programme for adults and children who have an interest in pursuing and enjoying the arts.

Minister RABBITTE launches EMBRACE at Glór Theatre 7
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Their programme, it’s policies and aim are guided by and informed through our engagement with leading Arts and Disability organisations and agencies such as Artists Disability Ireland, KCAT and the Arts and Disability Policy and Strategy 2012-2016.

Through this programme Embrace also offer training and professional development opportunities as well as access to seminars, conferences in the field of Arts and Disability

In 2018 the Embrace Programme hosted Drawing from the Well, a two day Arts and Disability seminar that featured key speakers and live performances from Rachel Parry’s,  Speckled Egg Dance Ensemble, KCAT Studios, Equinox with Medb Lambert, Linda Fearon & Croí Glan, Blue Teapots, That’s Life with Director Claude Madec and many more.

Embrace Residency Award Programme

Each year Embrace invite organisations and artist’s who are on their Embrace Artist’s panel to submit proposals through our Embrace Residency Award Programme.

Embrace Curatorial Programme

Embrace have initiated and delivered award winning Arts and Disability participatory projects, commissions that aim to challenge ideas of integration and participation in the field of Arts and Disability. Recent commissions include.

Embrace Associate Artists 2022: Clare Arts Office, Embrace Arts and Disabilities programme is delighted to announce Fionnathan Productions, Fionn and Jonathan Angus as Associate Artists for 2022.

As part of their role as associate artists Fionnathan will deliver a series of presentations and workshops for mental health & disability organisations, their clients  and for artists who facilitate creative projects within this field in Clare.

They will receive support from the Embrace programme in developing their artistic professional practice and will also have the opportunity to work with the dramaturge Miquel Barceló to develop and deliver a new multi-disciplinary theatre piece which will be showcased in 2023.

The Vision Symphony  ( 2019) with composer Dave Flynn and the Irish Memory Orchestra along with partners, 3L, NCBI and glór theatre commissioned by the Arts Council Invitation to Collaboration Scheme.

Boga Boga (2019 ) is integrated dance project that was developed and delivered with Tara Brandel of renowned Croí Glan Dance Company , the project engaged with members of Brothers of Charity and members of the public.

In – House residency  was awarded to visual artist Shona MacGillivray and St Anne’s Special School in Ennis, the first artist’s residency of its kind in Ireland.

MacGillivray presented her project as part of the Arts in Education National Conference Day.

Other significant spotlights of their programme include  An Image in my Head, a visual art exhibition featuring artists Ronan Murphy and Andrew Pike (KCAT) curated by Dominic Thorpe in collaboration with the Courthouse Gallery, Ennistymon.

Independent  Studio Arts Practise Initiative for artists delivered by Will O Kane & Patrick Looney in collaboration with Brothers of Charity, commissioned by Creative Ireland in partnership with the Clare Arts Office & EASI Studios.

Research

EMBRACE are partnering with Mayo County Council and Galway City Council to commission research in the area of Mapping Arts and Disability provision in Mayo, Clare & Galway City.

For full details  https://www.mayo.ie/arts/MappingArtsDisabilityProvision.

Ceara Conway is the curator and coordinator for the Embrace Arts and Disability Programme.

Artists who have recently received awards through the Embrace Residency Programme 2021/2022 include Tatjana Simakov  ( Visual Art),  Tommy Baker ( One to One Residency), Zara Starr (Drama) and Maria Svennson ( Dance).