We would like to share with you information about a very special project happening in Carrick-on-Suir for the Bealtaine Festival, May 2022. Bealtaine is Ireland’s national festival which celebrates the arts and creativity as we age. The festival is run by Age & Opportunity, the leading national development organisation improving the quality of life of people aged 50 – 100+. This year, the Tudor Artisan Hub Arts Collective and Writing Changes Lives Writers’ Collective have teamed up to deliver another very special Community project, TOSÚ ARÍS, which means ‘starting over’.
In collaboration with Community Partners, Tosú Arís aims to collate the experiences of a particular group of people from Carrick-on-Suir and the surrounding area; those who were bereaved at any point during the months before the pandemic to more recent months. We mean specifically those who lost their life partner or spouse and who consider that their living situation changed utterly due to their bereavement. This was, of course, further compounded during the isolation of the pandemic. Now that things are getting 'back to normal' for many of us as restrictions ease, we need to recognise and understand that it must be more difficult to adjust to post-lockdown life after loss.
The project, Tosú Arís, will use the transformative and healing power of the arts (both visual and words) in experimental, innovative ways to capture the unique experiences of the participants and to learn about the needs of individuals who find themselves in such circumstances. This will ultimately provide a valuable resource that will show us how we as a community and a society can learn how we might better respond in the future.
The Tosú Arís creative team have put together a wonderful blended programme that encompasses healing arts, reflective journaling, tribute poetry, visual arts, film and animation. The workshops will be conducted in the Carrick-on- Suir Library in a safe, comfortable and confidential manner during the months of March and April. The output of the project will be showcased to the Public, using visuals and words in a tactile exhibition during the week 16 - 20 May as part of the Bealtaine Festival celebrations. All individual inputs will be treated confidentially. We trust our gentle and caring interactions during the Tosú Arís programme will offer participants a meaningful, healing experience.
We are holding an information evening about Tosú Arís on Friday March 4th at 7pm in the Nano Nagle Community Resource Centre, all are welcome to attend. Our goal is to have 12 participants, ages 50+ take this journey of discovery with us. Participants can sign up at the information session. If you, or someone you know, may be interested in finding out more about this project, please contact Linda Fahy at the Tudor Artisan Hub, by phone 051 640921, email: tudorartisanhub@gmail.com or pop into the Hub Tues-Sat 10am-6pm. This Bealtaine Festival project is supported by the Tipperary County Council Arts Office.
