Connections Arts Centre

We had a great evening at the launch of an exhibition for one of our amazing #ConnectingArtistsCollective artists David Singleton at the offices at Avolon. Thank you to Avolon for giving David the opportunity to showcase his work and thank you also to Patrick Murphy, Director at the Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts, who chose the pieces.

A huge thank you to Ciaran Roche and Citi Dublin Disability and Neurodiversity Network for hosting us. It was great to have the opportunity to share more about our organisation and showcase artwork from the talented artists in the Connecting Artist Collective. It was a great experience for artists Joe Hallam and Michael Hade to share their artwork with the Citi Team over the two day exhibition. #Citi #ConnectinArtistsCollective Denise Rapley

We are excited to announce that applications are open for the 2025 Connecting Artists Programme. The Connecting Artists Programme is a national programme designed for adult visual artists, who want to take the next step to develop their creative practice, exhibit, and sell their work. Our mission through the Connecting Artists Programme is to specifically support adult artists who face challenges or barriers in accessing formal and informal art education and supports. Each year, we select 10 talented artists from across Ireland. They are partnered with a volunteer mentor to participate in a 10-week online programme, aimed at enriching their artistic journey and preparing them for a national exhibition in the RCSI. The national application open call is available to artists who identify as neurodivergent or living with an intellectual disability. The programme is open to artists from all 32 counties of Ireland, including both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Programme is currently open for 2D artwork (like painting, drawing, and collage). Click the link below to find out more about the programme or to apply. Or to find out more about becoming a mentor. https://lnkd.in/gKXNZw7p

We were delighted to be part of #LegacyDublin24 with Common Purpose Ireland. We had the privilege of presenting a workshop on accessible communication to Dublin's next generation of leaders and hearing from the Lord Mayor of Dublin, James Geoghegan. It was fantastic to see CA Collective artist Jason Grace participating in the programme and contributing his unique perspective. Looking forward to seeing how these inspiring young leaders shape an inclusive future for Dublin. If you’d like to learn more about our Accessible Communication Training, we’d love to hear from you, or you can check out our website here, https://lnkd.in/ecUR5eim #InclusiveIreland #LegacyDublin24 #ConnectionsArtsCentre @jason_grace_artwork_

We have a busy day today preparing to participate in #ArtSourceDublin this weekend! Our #CACollective Artists will be exhibiting their work from the opening on Thursday through the whole weekend. Come visit us at Stall L38, general admission runs from Friday 15th- Sunday 17th November.   For more information and how to book your ticket, visit the offical Art Source website: https://lnkd.in/enDz5vpH   #ArtSourceDublin #RDS #ConnectionsArtsCentre #ConnectingArtistsCollective #ArtistsInIreland #VisualArtists #ArtistsWithDisabilities #ArtEvent

We are proud to announce we have been awarded the #OakfieldTrustAward, a grant funding scheme for social enterprises focused on making a social impact in the community. We’re incredibly grateful to Oakfield Trust for their generous support, which has been transformative for Connections Arts Centre.   With funding directed towards scaling our organisation, we established a dedicated accounts/finance function, moving from a spreadsheet-based system to a robust, paperless setup using QuickBooks software. This transition has empowered us to streamline daily financial management, enhance grant reporting, support audits, and strengthen overall governance and accountability. Transparency is essential to our mission as a social enterprise, and thanks to Oakfield Trust, we now have the capacity to implement financial systems to better achieve it. Thank you, Oakfield Trust, for believing in our mission and empowering us to grow and serve our community better! #ConnectionsArtsCentre #OakfieldTrust #SocialEnterprise #FinancialManagement #Governance #Transparency #ImpactfulFunding #NonProfitDevelopment

Delighted to say that the shortlist for the Business Post Leadership Excellence Awards is now live. Looking forward to meeting our nominees and celebrating their successes at the awards ceremony on November 7th!

Thank you so much to the National Disability Authority for inviting us to the #NDAConference2024 and giving us the opportunity to showcase our Connecting Artists Collective. It was so great to see the promotion of accessibility in the arts in such a prominent way, and to meet inspiring people such as Anne Rabbitte TD Minister for Disability!

Thank you to HIQA - Health Information and Quality Authority for hosting our Creative TY Connections programme in their Dublin office and for their ongoing support! It was fantastic to see participants from The Kings Hospital School, St. Paul’s School, and Stewarts Care come together, building interpersonal, digital, and life skills over the five-week course. A special thank you to Barry Lowry, Martin Mc Cormack, Peter Davitt, and Len Sutton for taking the time to meet our participants and learn more about the programme. #ConnectionsArtsCentre #CreativeTYConnections #HIQA #SocialInclusion #DigitalSkills #CommunityBuilding

Such a productive day concluded at the National Disability Authority Conference in the #AvivaStadium, where we showcased the work of our #CAcollective artists. Attendees showed great interest our exhibition of artworks, and hearing from the artists directly. #NDAconference2024. This NDA Conference had a special focus on inclusion and accessibility in the arts, which is why it was amazing to see so many organisations today, and to meet so many amazing spearheads in the accessibility sector such as David James McKay from the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU), Sinéad Flynn from Down Syndrome Ireland, Joe Geraghty from Vision Sports Ireland, and Anne Rabbitte TD Minister for Disability. We look forward to what comes next for Connections Arts Centre, and for accessibility in the Irish arts as a whole.