Creative Places: Edenderry

An ambitious project putting people, place, and participation at the centre of cultural life in Edenderry

Creative Places: Edenderry builds on previous work Creative Lives delivered in the area, which brought people together to imagine what a more creative and cultural town would look like, and what steps could be taken to make those ideas a reality.

We work with people of all ages and backgrounds to create a richer, more inclusive, and more cohesive creative community in the town and surrounding areas. Over the first four years of the project (2021-2025), we’ve provided creative opportunities for professional artists, non-professional artists, community groups, and individuals. The project is being developed collaboratively by the people of Edenderry, with community ownership and sustainability at the heart of what we do together.

In numbers so far . . .

• 4 full years of activities, events, projects, meetings, and training sessions, attended by 8,379 adults and 2,518 children, with 116 artists and facilitators
• 538 Community Workshops
• 12 large-scale events
• 6 Creative Grants, 13 Seed Funding Grants, 11 Artist Commissions
• 20 Community Training Sessions and 14 information sessions
• 28 Community Consultations, information and network sessions
• 9 Steering Group Meetings
• 15 Governance Team Meetings
• 20 Community Forum Meetings
• 6 Artist Collective Meetings

Our first four years were themed Connect, Cultivate, Celebrate, and Empower and Embed. Our theme for year 5 is Movement and Momentum, and we will harness and consolidate all the work thus far, securing a solid future for the project. Our programme for years 5 and 6 will focus on:

• Developing collaborative networks
• Increasing the skills of local creative leaders
• Engaging people at risk of chronic loneliness
• And addressing concerns with the local infrastructure and regulatory environment

Our focus for years 5 & 6 will also be to work with people in the community who have not yet engaged with the project. We will do this by asking questions such as:

• What creative activities would you like to see in Edenderry?
• Do you have a creative or cultural idea you would like to explore?
• Would you like to collaborate with Creative Lives to open up alternative spaces/venues in the town?

All Creative Places: Edenderry projects are firmly rooted in Socially Engaged Art and Community Development Principles. Our aim is to be more ‘up front’ about these themes and explore them in a wide range of ways with the community, ensuring that they have a firm grasp on these principles moving forward into the next phase of the project and beyond.

Creative Places: Edenderry is supported by The Arts Council / An Comhairle Ealaíon (as part of their national Creative Places programme) in partnership with a governance team of local stakeholders, including Offaly Arts Office, Edenderry Municipal District Council, Offaly County Council Library Services, Offaly Local Development Company, and Community Forum.

You can find out more on the Creative Places: Edenderry website, or follow the project on Facebook and Instagram.

For more information, please contact [email protected]

And to read more about our work in Edenderry, click on the boxes below . . .