It gives me great pleasure to tell you that I have been awarded a seed grant fund from The Irish Hospice Foundation supported by the Creative Ireland Programme, to help kick start my touring solo exhibition, ‘Time-Lapse’.

‘‘Over the last five years while helping care for her mother who was living with Alzheimer’s, Leitrim based artist Maria has been “unwittingly working towards” her exhibition Time-Lapse. The daily tasks, complex emotions, and thoughts arising while caring for a dying parent over a long time inform all the work in this exhibition. For example, the complex extended grief of Alzheimer’s with its untethering of time and the archaeological uncovering of the entire life of a parent that arrives with their death. All this creative exploration of grief, loss and love will be reflected through her painting, poetry, and installation.’’

Funding has been awarded for 27 Seed Grant projects to support creative exploration of dying, death, and bereavement, an extraordinary reflection of the impact of the pandemic on all communities, supported by the Creative Ireland Programme.

Since the announcement of Seeds Grants availability in October, we have received 91 applications to support people and communities in their creative exploration of grief and loss. This is the second round of funding that has been made available for such projects this year.

The 27 chosen recipients, representing 11 counties in total, reflect an eclectic range of work, practice, medium, approach, abilities, and age groups. They include acute hospitals, residential care homes, nursing homes, secondary schools, community groups, migrating populations, and the marginalised. 

The themes and areas to be touched on explore all areas of death and grief from life limiting illnesses and early years bereavement to suicide and our funeral and burial customs. The memorialising and processing of grief will be reflected in the projects through use of photography, creative and documentary film making, glass fusions, story-telling, stage plays, poetry, translations, audio recordings, memorabilia, music, poetry, and the more traditional arts, such as painting, quilting and knitting.  

Arts and Cultural Engagement Officer at IHF Dominic Campbell says:

“As the long-term impact of COVID continues, the creative resilience of individuals and communities becomes more profound. Each initiative is extraordinary. A demonstration of care and empathy. A public health service and an emotional marriage of culture and care.”

Projects will develop from December 2021 until April 2022 in Dublin (10), Cavan (1), Galway (2), Leitrim (1), Louth (1), Mayo (2), Offaly (1), Sligo (1), Tipperary (4), Waterford (1), Heir Island, West Cork (1), Wexford (1), Wicklow (1).

2022 recipients