The Ark's DCU CYPA Residency Term RoundUp
That's a wrap on a bumper term of engagements with DCU as part of our CYPA Residency!
As part of the CYPA Artist-In-Residence scheme, The Ark has been selected to deliver specific opportunities and bespoke programmes for DCU students studying education throughout the current academic year. This term saw a myriad of events and opportunities for cultural and creative expression for both the student teachers and children from the local area and national schools. Take a look below to see what we got up to!
September: Voyages Exhibition and Culture Night
In September, The Voyages Exhibition welcomed many new visitors to St. Patrick's Campus to see just what happens when young minds take the wheel. Amongst the Exhibition, artist Róisín White, assisted by Kate Escolin, led visual art workshops encouraging children to make their own voyage vessels out of lots of different materials. We had flying boats, bikes and spaceships! The Groove Garden disco with DJ Donal Dineen had families boogying together until the night’s end. Overall, it was brilliant night of creativity, and community — we already can't wait until the next Culture Night!
October: The Little Prince Performance for BEd1 and Leadership in Drama Students and Drama Specialism Students talk with Marc Mac Lochlainn
In October, 4rd year students from DCU’s Drama Specialism or Leadership in Drama Education specialism module, as well as children from St. Oliver Plunkett’s in Finglas, were invited into The Ark to see Leaves, a new production from Branar. Using the performance as their starting point, students then spent the next few weeks developing ideas for pre- and post-theatre lesson plans that could be trialled with the children from St. Oliver Plunkett’s. Take a look at how they got on here.
Marc Mac Lochlainn, Branar’s Artistic Director, visited with the DCU module students twice across October to share more about Leaves and to support students in the development of their workshops, discussing the themes, emotions and design of the show.
Also in October, the BEd1 students were invited to a special performance of The Little Prince by Toby Thompson. This show was a wonderful opportunity for students to experience high end performance brought straight to them in the DCU Auditorium on St. Patricks Campus. Take a look at the video below to hear more about the value of this engagement.
November: Professional Master of Education in Primary Teaching with Helen Hall
In November, first year students enrolled in DCU's Professional Master of Education in Primary Teaching watched The Ark’s recording of The Race, a dance show by Marc Brew. Then, visual arts, drama, and music lecturers worked with dance artist Helen Hall to develop a lesson in integrated arts practice, using dance and movement to engage with themes presented in The Race, as well as the three art forms.
The result was two days of engaging workshops, where Helen provided students with practical exercises and approaches for bringing movement and dance into the classroom. Students learned simple choreography to tap into lessons of tempo and rhythm. They used their entire bodies to explore mark making and used fabrics and objects to mould themselves as living ‘art sculptures’.
Photos by Gemma Bovenizer
