Sea & Stone
A 7 Islands Annual Newspaper for & About the West Cork Islands
Sea & Stone 2023
Creative Places West Cork Islands Year in Review 2023
Oileáin Iarthar Chorcaí Athbhreithniú ar an mBliain 2023
Sea & Stone 2024
Creative Places West Cork Islands Year in Review 2024
Oileáin Iarthar Chorcaí Athbhreithniú ar an mBliain 2024
Cruthaitheacht, Cultúr agus na hEalaíona Trasna Seacht nOileán Iarthar Chorcaí Creativity, Culture & the Arts Across Seven West Cork Islands
Creative Places West Cork Islands is an islands initiative funded by the Arts Council & Cork County Council. The project aims to build sustained arts investment and create opportunities for local arts programmes across the 7 islands of Cape Clear / Oileán Chléire, Sherkin Island / Inis Arcáin, Heir Island / Inis Uí Drisceoil, Long Island / An tOileán Fada, Whiddy island / Oileán Faoide, Bere island / An tOileán Mór, Dursey island / Oileán Bao.
Vision: A long-term engagement in the arts in the West Cork Islands where the integrity of community and place is developed and sustained by, with and for inhabitants.
Mission: to develop and sustain community-led cultural resilience across the seven inhabited West Cork Islands in a long-term, meaningful way that supports the environmental, social and economic well-being of place.
CPWCI Framework & Priorities
- Projects that strengthen the interconnectedness of the islands.
- Projects that engage social engaged art practice; communities, people, places, conversation and opportunity.
- Projects that promote the use of the Irish language in a cultural context.
- Projects that are socially engaged and positively impact islanders’ ongoing cultural participation and the preservation and promotion of unique island cultures.
- Projects that strengthen existing local contemporary and traditional art practice, which could include craft, the making of artefacts and objects, the development of practical skills, visual sensitivity, and a working knowledge of tools, materials and systems.
- Projects that create long-term community-led engagement.
- Projects that engage climate, digital archipelago, ocean and environment, tides, weather, climate change and local histories.
- Projects that support older people, activate children & young people, harness concepts around diversity and help bring communities together through cultural activation.
- Projects that work collaboratively with communities on the West Cork Islands, in areas and themes that are meaningful to participants.
- Projects that develop partnerships that are dynamic and of benefit to groups on the islands.
- Projects that spotlight and showcase the creativity and cultures of artists and groups from minority, migrant, or ethnic backgrounds, amplifying a diverse range of voices and facilitating support networks for artists to connect with their peers.
- Projects that build creative relationships with other artists, cultural workers, potential participants, and project stakeholders.
What the project is not for:
- Capital expenditure.
- Expenditure that does not align with the project’s framework and priorities.
Governance
Creative Places West Cork Islands is led by Cork County Council and includes a consortium of local arts and development agencies such as Bere Island Projects Group, Sherkin Island Development Society, Comharchumann Chléire and Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre.
Creative Places West Cork Islands Partnership. From left to right, Peter Prendergast, Project Coordinator / Judith Gilbert, Comharchumann Chléire / Maeve Mulrennan, Cork County Council / Aisling Moran, Sherkin Island Development Society / Ian McDonagh, Cork County Council / Ann Davoren, UILLINN West Cork Arts Centre. Photo, Emma Jervis emmajervis.com
Partnership
The Partnership Group is made up of representatives from local arts and development agencies
- Comharchumann Chléire Teo
- Sherkin Island Development Society (Sherkin, Long & Heir Islands),
- Bere Island Projects Group (Dursey, Whiddy & Bere Islands),
- Uillinn – West Cork Arts Centre
- Cork County Council Arts Office
Project Research & Coordination
Peter Prendergast. Photo jedniezgoda.com
Peter Prendergast is the Project Coordinator, Arts Officer for the West Cork Islands. He is responsible for the day-to-day management of the project. He works closely with the Partnership developing call-outs, managing stakeholders, and facilitating community engagement. He also leads the project’s long-term vision and evaluation and will work across the 7 islands to help develop projects in conjunction with the island communities and Partnership group. peter.prendergast(at)corkcoco.ie
What is Creative Places?
Creative Places is a programme from The Arts Council / An Comhairle Ealaíon for places around Ireland that have not had opportunities to benefit from sustained investment in the arts and creativity.
Each programme will have a coordinator or researcher who will begin local conversations to discuss and plan a range of brilliant creative and participatory projects for local people to take part in and enjoy.The approach is inclusive and diverse and rooted in socially engaged practice and community development principles. It builds on existing cultural strengths and led by community participation and ideas and supported by artists.The Arts Council / An Comhairle Ealaíon
The Creative Places National Network
You can read more about the other Creative Places around Ireland via the Arts Council website.
Press
Building connections across West Cork’s seven island communities
Exhibition is celebration of West Cork islands creativity
Creative Places: West Cork Islands Awarded Additional Support
Three acclaimed storytellers to undertake 10-month residency on west Cork islands
Get in touch with us
If you have a project in mind, are working on a proposal through the open calls or want to know more about the opportunities surrounding Creative Places WCI, get in touch.
Creative Places West Cork Islands, Skibbereen Library, North Street, Skibbereen, Co Cork. P81 PW10.
Our Partnership
