50 artists deliver portraits of the in-crowd

THE work of 50 artists who have intellectual disabilities will be exhibited at three venues in Cork City this week. Entitled Outside In: The Art of Inclusion, the exhibition is about inclusivity and is the result of a partnership between the Crawford Art Gallery, CIT Crawford College of Art & Design, Mayfield Arts Centre and Cork City Council.

A plan to mount a small exhibition of the work of artists in Ireland became more ambitious. Community arts co-ordinator at Mayfield Arts Centre, Jessica Carson, met the head of the Crawford College art therapy department, Ed Kuczha, and Crawford art lecturer, Louise Foott.

“The art therapy department is interested in developing more activity around inclusive arts practice. Mayfield Arts Centre, over the years, has developed international relationships with studio groups in Amsterdam and Brighton,” says Carson. The centre has sent adult-learning artists to Kunstwerkplaats in Amsrerdam, and to the Rocket Artists in Brighton, with European funding.