Kids’ Own in partnership with North Tipperary and Galway County Council’s are piloting two linked Artist-in-Residence projects in 2008/09. This programme places a professional artist with a school within each of the two counties to explore and create work over the period of one year. The designated schools are SN Muire Gan Small, Ballycrissane, Ballinasloe, County Galway and Flannáin Naofa N.S, Rathcabin, North Tipperary. Both schools are Over the Border from each other. The two artists include Triona Ryan and Ruby Wallis. Triona Ryan is working in SN Muire Gan Small and Ruby Wallis is working in Flannáin Naofa N.S. Both artists are working with children from 3rd class upwards.

The theme for each residency has been devised through discussion between the schools and the artist. The residencies will evolve over one school year from September 2008 to June 2009 and will involve forty-eight residency days in total. Divided over two eight week blocks, these days will include; one contact day, one process day and one day dedicated to the artists’ own practice. A further four creative exchange / professional development days are involved to ensure that the artists meet together and develop their practice. Throughout the programme the artists and students share and promote the ongoing work in each region through a specific website http://journal.kidsown.ie/crossbridge

To date each artist has completed the first eight week block. The artists have met with an artist mentor weekly to discuss the progress of the programme, the artistic direction and any day to day concerns or issues. Both artists meet up regulary to discuss progress and possibilities for collaboration. Throughout the first 8 weeks both the children and teachers from both schools have worked together and met each other off site and in each others schools. Strong links are being forged between the teachers, students and artists.

In terms of their individual practice both artists are finding that their own work is merging with the children. They are finding it difficult to separate one endeavour from the other. A true collaboration is emerging between the children and the artists, while both artists have very different approaches and ways of working, a careful and considered approach and dialogue has been at the heart of both residencies.

The emphasis for the first phase was on developing relationships and trust between the teachers, the children, the artists and the wider community. Below I have included thoughts from the mentor, Ann Henderson and extracts from the artist’s journal which highlight the approaches, concerns and investigations throughout the first 8 weeks. In the next block of residences we will focus on gathering more of the childrens’ experiences and reflections.

Both schools are set in rural communities so it was important to build relationships and to create work that was truly meaningful for all involved.