arts council ie initiative

An Arts Council Initiative

Exhibition: 14 - 21 October; Conference: 15 October


Vital Signs is a programme of arts and health events taking place in Dublin in October 2009. It includes a one-day conference in the Royal College of Physicians on October 15, a national exhibition in five venues in Dublin 8 from October 14 - 21, and a series of opinion pieces about arts and health practice. Vital Signs is an Arts Council initiative, developed and delivered in association with Create, the national development agency for collaborative arts.

Please see www.vitalsigns.artscouncil.ie for full details of the Vital Signs programme. You can also email Mathilde Veldt at vitalsigns@artscouncil.ie or telephone 01 6180250.

Conference: 15 October

The purpose of the Vital Signs conference is to bring artists, project managers, healthcare staff, service users, researchers and policy makers together to explore the opportunities and challenges of arts and health practice in Ireland today, and to identify effective ways forward in terms of policy, strategy and partnership.

The conference will be chaired by poet, playwright and RTÉ radio presenter Vincent Woods and will focus on the areas of arts participation, architecture, medical humanities and public art practices in healthcare contexts. It will also explore: the opportunities and challenges for artists working in healthcare settings; the value of arts and health practice; the immediate needs of the sector and the way forward. There is no cost for attendance. Places are limited.

Please see www.vitalsigns.artscouncil.ie for full details of conference programme.

Exhibition: 14 - 21 October

The Vital Signs exhibition is curated by Michelle Browne and is the first national exhibition of its kind. Vital Signs features fourteen artists from around the country and includes: Dominic Thorpe, Helene Hugel, Marie Brett, Charlotte Donovan, Jennie Moran, Seamus McGuiness, Denis Roche, Danny McCarthy, Paul Maye, Cathy Henderson, Mark Roper, Ger Wolfe, Paul Gregg and John Tunney. The exhibition takes place from October 14 - 21 at the National College of Art and Design Gallery, Foley’s Pharmacy on Thomas Street, St. James’s Hospital, St Patrick’s University Hospital and Dr. Steevens’ Hospital. The exhibition trail takes approximately one hour to complete.