Artist Mimi Seery and historian Gearoid O'Brien invite the local community to take part in an Art and Heritage workshop at Abbey Road Studios, Athlone. In the workshop, participants will be guided through the history of the former Workhouse building. We will be showing foodstuffs typical of the diets of the inmates, their workday, stories of the inmates and of kindly people. We will be decorating and creating individual cairns as both a response to what has been learned and to honor those that occupied the building.
This immersive workshop is centered around aknowledging the past through stories, group discussion, and finally art making. Connecting with our ancestors is difficult because they have now passed. However, by practicing traditional culture in the form placing stones on cairns to honor the dead we can find a way to share a thought, a prayer or a blessing appropriate to past traditions and beliefs.
Art materials, snacks and refresments provided. Booking is essential as spaces are limited.
Artworks created at this event will form part of an exhibition of the project at Athlone Library from 13th - 20th May
This project is supported by Westmeath County Council and Creative Ireland.
