In 2023 Christopher Bailey joined Creative Aging International and the Global Brain Health Institute for Creative Brain Week at Trinity College Dublin.
Whilst in Dublin he spoke eloquently about the power of arts for health, especially for brain health. He met and heard some of Ireland’s experts in this area along with artists, researchers, practitioners and poets. They inspired him to commit to returning to Ireland and this year and so on March 4th, 5th and 6th he will travel to Cork, Limerick, and Galway respectively to meet people and groups doing extraordinary things in local communities. He will then return to Dublin and give a presentation at Trinity on the 7th of March as part of Creative Brain Week 2024 and in the Project Arts Centre the following day.
Arts and Health work in Ireland is firmly established. Uillinn West Cork Arts Centres manages multiple Arts and health programmes, Helium Arts works with children with lifelong health conditions, the Saolta programme in University Hospital Galway, Newcastle West's Traveller Health programme and CREATE Ireland are decades old. They reflect a gentle transformation led by people quietly resilient and committed to the power of creativity for health.
This movement has been gradually spreading across the country, connecting through festivals and workshops, knitting together communities, places of education and where healthcare happens.
Christopher Bailey says of his forthcoming trip to Ireland “I am really keen to visit these projects. meet their supporters, learn how they started and understand what sustains them, particularly. Particularly in these uncertain times. As part of Creative Brain Week, I want to see what the experience of locally seeded Irish projects suggests to the rest of the world and I believe that Ireland is a world leader in this field”.
Creative Brain Week will gather some of the world’s experts in arts, creativity, neuroscience and brain health from 4th – 9th March 2024 in Dublin and online. A full week of seminars, presentations, exhibitions and lectures will continue to unlock our understanding of how brain science and creativity collide.
Christopher Baileys Itinerary:
March 4th Cork
Uillinn West Cork Arts & Health programme, Creative Carers programme, 49 North Street and others
March 5th LimerickWest Limerick Resource Centre – Travellers Health programme and Limerick Arts Office and others
March 6th Galway
Helium Arts, Saolta Arts, CREATE Ireland and others
March 7th Dublin
Creative Brain Week – Trinity and "Disrupt, Arts and Disability Festival" - Project Arts Centre
See www.creativebrainweek.com for more.
Slán go fóill.