Published 23.03.2026
by Kids’ Own
by Kids’ Own
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Four Sligo-based artists Lorna Watkins, Karen Webster, Brenda Kearney, and Anna Spearman have been selected to take part in a new Arts in Early Years residency programme as part of Sligo Arts Service’s Arts in Education programme in collaboration with Kids’ Own.
The residency forms part of the “Wonder Programme”, a new pilot initiative funded by Sligo Arts Service in partnership with The Arts Council of Ireland that explores how artists and early years educators can work together with very young children through creative, process-led practice.
The programme builds on Kids’ Own’s current Early Years project, which is taking place in two Sligo-based Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) settings with support from the Arts Council’s Arts in Early Years Scheme. The new residency will expand this work while also supporting Sligo artists who are interested in developing their practice in early childhood contexts. The Wonder Programme is
The selected artists will work in pairs across two ECCE settings in Sligo. Over a six-week period in late spring 2026, the artists will collaborate with young children and ECCE practitioners, exploring creative processes that centre curiosity, experimentation, and shared discovery.
The residency will also provide opportunities for the artists to exchange ideas and insights as part of a small cohort exploring this specialised area of practice.
Artist Biographies
Lorna Watkins
Lorna Watkins is a multidisciplinary visual artist based in Sligo. She holds a degree in Printed Textiles from NCAD and is a Ballinglen Fellow. In 2024 she received the John Richardson French Residency Award and previously completed a JOYA Artist in Residence programme in Spain. Watkins has received several awards including the Arts Council Agility Award, the ADI Training Award, and the Thomas Dammann Travel Bursary. Her work is held in public and private collections, including the Ulster Hospital and the Ballinglen Arts Foundation. She has extensive experience working with schools across Sligo through the TAP+ and BLAST residency schemes.
Karen Webster
Karen Webster is a Sligo based visual artist and educator working in the field of art and ecology. With a background in ceramics, she is currently working with oils, print and alternative photography techniques. Her practice is generally site specific, a combination of research, observation and time spent in nature. She has many years’ experience devising and delivering arts-based ecology education projects with children and adults to help raise awareness and inspire a love of the living world through creative practice.
Breda Kearney
Breda Kearney is a multidisciplinary artist based in the North-West and a studio artist at The Model in Sligo. Her studio practice includes ceramics, drawing, and textiles, and she often draws on these materials in community-based projects. Her work frequently brings people together through shared activities such as community feasts, seed swaps, collaborative publications, and handmade ceramics. With a background in anthropology, her practice explores tradition, knowledge, and different ways of valuing things, guided by a strong care for people, nature, and the wider environment.
Anna Spearman
Anna Spearman is a visual artist based in Sligo. She holds a BA in History of Art from Trinity College Dublin, a BA in Fine Art from IT Sligo, and an MA in Fine Art: Contemporary Practice from University College Falmouth. Her studio work explores materiality and the playful language found in object-making and painting. Alongside this, she maintains a socially engaged and collaborative practice informed by her background in community development and her interest in education. Her recent residencies include The Dock (2024–25), Leitrim Sculpture Centre (2025), and Wilton Place/RHA Studios (2023). Recent exhibitions include Invited Guests at The Dock, Carrick-on-Shannon (2024), #WIP at Roscommon Arts Centre (2023), and her solo exhibition Loose Parts at Roscommon Arts Centre (2021).
Kids’ Own and Sligo Arts Service look forward to the residency beginning later this spring and to seeing how the artists, educators, and young children respond to the process together. We look forward to sharing updates as the programme unfolds and to offering further insights into the creative experiences emerging from this new initiative.
Read more about our Early Years work here: https://kidsown.ie/projects/arts-council-early-years-project/