A quarter of a century ago, Baboró was founded to fly the flag for brilliant child-focused arts experiences. At the heart of its foundation is a vision of access to the arts for all children, inspired by the UN Convention on the Rights of The Child.
For our 25th festival, Baboró will be celebrating the rights of the child with a strand of events and performances dedicated to giving children a platform for their voice to be heard, a space for expression and, of course, a festival experience to be enjoyed with family and friends.
Two Baboró commissions, a co-commission and a touring exhibition, will be central to these celebrations and part of our festival programme in October.
We look forward to welcoming you to our 25th festival from October 4th - 17th. The full programme and box office will be announced at the end of August.
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Flying the Flag
'Flying the Flag' is a celebration of children's right to arts. Under the theme of Freedom, inspired by the flight of birds, three artists have embarked on an adventure by collaborating with six schools in Galway city & county where the children have become both the designers and performers of the project.
Baboró has commissioned artists Judith Higgins, Miquel Barceló and Orla Clogher to create this celebratory performance by children which will be presented during the festival in October.
Kindly supported by the Ombudsman for Children.
Our City Walls
'Our City Walls' is a street art project commissioned by the TRACKS Network: Baboró, Dublin Fringe Festival, Cork Midsummer Festival.
Inspired by the thoughts of Galway children, street artist Emmalene Blake will create a large-scale mural in Galway city centre for Baboró, shining a light on the right of the child to enjoy and participate in culture.
Kindly supported by Aerogen.
Don't Forget to Wash Your Hands
An entertaining and thought-provoking audio documentary from Baboró Artist-in-Residence Maisie Lee, a director of theatre and radio. Maisie has captured the thoughts, feelings and experiences of over 100 children in Galway City and County during the Covid-19 Pandemic.
The piece makes for poignant listening, capturing both the highs and lows of an unprecedented period in these children’s lives. A bittersweet testimony but not without its lighter moments. Original music and sound design by Anna Mullarkey.
Kindly supported by RTE Comic Relief.
Viewpoints
'Viewpoints' is a pioneering exhibition that explores the potent realm of art as a place for young people to understand their rights. Seven world-renowned Irish picture book artists were commissioned by The Glucksman to respond to different themes in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The touring exhibition will visit schools in Galway County and features work by artists Fatti Burke, Peter Donnelly, Chris Judge, Roisin Hahessy, Chris Haughton, Mary Murphy and Niamh Sharkey.
Funders and Supporters
To ensure equality of access to the arts for schools and children, the cost of participating in the festival is subsidised by Baboró with funding from the Arts Council of Ireland, Galway City Council, Galway County Council and supporters such as Medtronic - exclusive sponsor of Baboró’s Creative Connections strand and 25th anniversary.
