Baboró is inviting those with an interest in early years arts (0 to 6 years) to join artists Deirdre Rogers and Órla Kelly (Director of Early Childhood Creativity) as mentees for the week of the Baboró Festival in the Creative Lab at NUI Galway.
About the Mentorship Programme
Two chosen applicants will shadow our experienced artists as they work with early years children, parents and educators in a variety of settings in and around Galway City. Experience will be gained in a variety of ways from lectures to planning and to creating and engaging in creative performance sessions through the visual arts. It is expected that applicants will have either an artistic or early childhood education background but this is not a prerequisite.
The mentorship programme is envisioned as an intensive crash course in early years arts, offering contemporary theory, sharing creative ideas and personal research and a working insight into the arts for very young children. The mentorship programme will be designed to provide mentees with an adventure into arts for early years, ideally so that each mentee would develop their own practice in this area. Please note that there is no fee for this mentorship programme, however any out of pocket expenses will be reimbursed. The mentees can also attend other festival shows and events. It is designed to share knowledge so that artists and educators may promote and develop the arts for early years in Ireland.
How to Apply:
1. It is expected that applicants will have either an artistic or early childhood education background but this is not a prerequisite.
2. Applicants must be available throughout the festival from Sunday 16th to Sunday 23rd October
3. Application is via statement of practice (500 words max) and reasons why the mentorship would be useful to applicant’s current practice (300 words max). Please submit a current CV (max two pages)
4. Please send applications to Jennifer Ahern at producer[@]baboro.ie.
Please Note: The closing date is 12pm, Monday October 3rd
Baboró’s Creative Lab at NUI Galway is an amazing place to invent, design, explore, build and create with a huge wealth of unusual materials gleaned from Recreate’s Warehouse of Wonders. Specifically designed for Baboró to complement the festival programme, visual artists Órla Kelly and Deirdre Rogers, inspired by the themes of voyages and adventures have created a space that will delight and inspire both young and old to venture into the beautiful world of the arts and make their own adventure.
Baboró Creative Lab Artists:
Deirdre Rogers is an artist, designer and educator. Her involvement in teaching programmes over the last 15 years has strengthened her interest in integrating creativity in all learning environments and assisting parents and teachers in developing the skills and confidence to engage in artistically rich experiences with their children. Working collaboratively with other artists and for organisations such as the Design Crafts Council of Ireland and currently as Arts Coordinator for ReCreate Ireland, Deirdre is instrumental in facilitating quality creative projects with schools, early years and community groups nationwide. Having completed a Certificate in the Principals of Art Therapy she has a greater understanding of the healing capabilities of creative art practice, encouraging engagement of all ages and capabilities through the visual arts and creative reuse of materials.
Órla Kelly is the co-founder and director of Early Childhood Creativity, an initiative that aims to stimulate creative thinking and activity in early years children and their parents, and to support artists and educationalists to develop specific and creative ways of working with early years children (0-6 years). Órla is a visual artist, creative educationalist and an arts manager. She has worked with children for over fifteen years creating work in Ireland and Europe. Órla is currently working in partnership with Fingal County Council and Scoil Bhride Cailini in Blanchardstown, as artist-in-residence in Room 13. Room 13 is a unique arts-in-education programme that aims to establish art studios and encourage intellectual diversity and creativity in primary schools. Her own education includes a Diploma in Psychology from Maynooth, a Degree in Fine Art from Limerick College of Art and Design and a Masters in Arts Management from Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge.
