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Brave New World: Artists' Reflection and Discussion Event 19 Nov 2020

In our second online artists’ panel discussion event, we’ll reflect on and share more of what we’ve discovered in our continued adventures with new formats across art forms and how we are staying connected with our audiences of children.

The Ark, like so many other arts organisations, is now producing a range of new programmes to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions on face-to-face gatherings in creative ways.

In recent months, we have created our first interactive audio walk; presented online early years dance workshops; and delivered a 6-week long online music engagement project with a local school.

Join us to meet with three of the wonderful artists who were each involved in the delivery of different aspects of these programmes including events for both families and schools. Our panel artists are Andy Field (multidisciplinary artist), Anita Mahon (musician) and Monica Muñoz (dance artist).

This free event will be of interest to artists as well as producers and programmers. Each artist will present their own challenges, wins and reflections on the new formats they’ve used to continue their practice and reach audiences in this challenging time along with insights from The Ark team. There will also be time for questions from the audience so we can have a hearty discussion.

This is the 2nd in this series of artist-led panel discussion events. Each event focusses on recently delivered Ark programmes to reflect and share the learning, challenges and silver-linings of the new work we are creating to continue to deliver high quality arts experiences for children aged between 2 and 12.

As there is a limit to the number of places on a video call, we need you to register. We promise it is really quick and simple. Register here.

We will email you a link to a Zoom call prior to the meeting. Please be advised you will need to install the Zoom app in advance which can be downloaded here.

Watch this session back below

About The Panel:

Andy Field:

Andy Field is an artist, writer and curator based in London. He has created performance work on his own and with a variety of collaborators since 2007. Andy creates formally unusual projects that invite us to consider our relationships both to the spaces we inhabit and the people around us. A key strand of Andy’s practice involves making work in collaboration with young people, with the aim of enabling children to meaningfully participate in the civic discourse of the cities and towns in which they live. Alongside his artistic practice Andy has written for a number of publications and is the co-director of the artist-led project Forest Fringe. In 2012 he completed a practice-based PhD with the University of Exeter, exploring the use of public space in the New York avant-garde performance movements of 1960s and 70s. www.andytfield.co.uk

This summer, The Ark was delighted to be involved in the process of creating A Rain Walk by Andy Field and Beckie Darlington in collaboration with children from across Ireland and the UK. The result is a beautiful interactive audio walk that can be experienced any time it rains. A Rain Walk was a co-commission from The Ark, Dublin Fringe Festival, and Norfolk & Norwich Festival with commissioning support from The Place.

Anita Mahon:

Anita Mahon is a musician, vocal tutor, and musical director. Based in Wexford, Anita has worked extensively with children and adults across a wide spectrum of musical genres. Her passion for music, and in particular voice, is fired by the limitless potential of music and creative inclusivity to inspire a collective vision.

She has worked on a number of large-scale projects with children including the Big Sing with Limerick County Council involving 600 primary school children, Music Generation Carlow’s Encore primary school programme as well as on-going work in music schools and performance coaching.

Anita holds specialist training in the Estill Model of Voice Training and is a member of the Natural Voice Practitioners Network. She was also the founding musical director and conductor of the Munster Rugby Supporters Club Choir. http://www.anitamahon.com/

Anita has run many successful Continuous Professional Development (CPD) courses for teachers at The Ark and was engaged to deliver our first Summer Provision music workshops to schools online earlier this year. Evolving from this, she is now leading PlaySounds a 6-week long online music engagement project with a local school inspired by astronomy and the winter sky.

Monica Muñoz:

Monica Muñoz is a dancer, performance-maker and educator originally from Barcelona and based in Dublin since 2014. She graduated at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen/Germany and completed an MA in Dance Education at the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts. As a dancer, she worked for over 20 years throughout Europe and across the globe. In Ireland, she has collaborated frequently with CoisCéim Dance Theatre.

Monica is passionate about facilitating dance for all ages and abilities, from toddlers to elders and professionals in education and community contexts. Last year, she created Groovy Movers, a dance participation programme with young children and parents/caregivers supported by Dun Laoghaire County Council. Her dance show for young audiences, Princesses Can Be Pirates, has toured nationally to 12 venues supported by the Arts Council, and to Germany supported by Culture Ireland. Currently, she is undertaking a research period supported by the YPCE Bursary Award from the Arts Council about dance for and with children in the early years.

The Ark selected Monica to participate in an artists’ lab as part of the PUSH+ Creative Europe project for artists working with young audiences. Monica is also The Ark’s 3rd John Coolahan Early Years Artist in Residence. In response to the pandemic, she recently created and led a series of online nature themed early years dance workshops for The Ark.