Unveiling of a new artwork for the new Children's Hospital!
A very special new sculpture was unveiled last week, bringing to life the ideas, creativity and perspectives of children who helped shape the artwork from its earliest stages.
Created by artist Helen O’Connell in partnership with The Ark and the Department of Children, Disability and Equality, the sculpture was commissioned to reflect the principles of the European Child Guarantee and the importance of children having opportunities to be heard, participate and have their voices taken seriously.
Over the past few months, we held child consultation workshops at The Ark and in Crumlin Children's Hospital, inviting children to to share their ideas on what artwork should be created. Their thoughts, drawings and responses became an important part of the creative process, informing Helen’s artistic decisions as she developed the final sculpture.
The finished artwork was unveiled last week where we welcomed colleagues from the Department of Children, Disability and Equality and European Child Guarantee coordinators from across the European Union, alongside members of The Ark Chair Mark Kennedy, The Ark Board, , the children who were part of the creative process and and colleagues from Children’s Health Ireland.
The unveiling also offered an opportunity to reflect on why child participation is such an important part of The Ark’s work. From the beginning, children have been at the heart of our work, but over the past decade we have developed a more formal child rights-based approach to participation.
When The Ark’s Children’s Council was established in 2016, it created a new way for children and young people to have a meaningful role in decision-making at The Ark. Since then, more than 300 children and young people have taken part, contributing to the development of commissions, exhibitions, performances, workshops and other aspects of our work. This sculpture is another example of what can happen when children’s ideas are given space to shape a creative process.
The sculpture will find its home in Ireland’s new Children’s Hospital, where it will continue to represent the creativity, ideas and lived experiences of the children and young people who helped create it. #artsforEVERYchild
