Virtually There, our national exhibition and event tour of work made by artists, children and teachers, will be at The Dock Arts Centre in Carrick on Shannon from 5 December 2014 – 24 January 2015.

What happens when an artist in their studio collaborates online with children in the classroom? Virtually There explores a unique model of arts in education which has been running in Northern Irish schools since 2007 and is now piloting at Scoil Mhuire NS in Leitrim and primary schools in Tralee. Demonstrating the use of virtual technology to connect studio and classroom, the exhibition showcases work created by children and teachers in collaboration with artists Ann Donnelly, Julie Forrester, Ann Henderson, Sharon Kelly and Andrew Livingstone.

Learn about the 50 ways to dismantle a cherry tomato, contemplate the effects of change and duration as a clay head dissolves in water, follow children’s drawing recipes to create your own artwork … the world of Virtually There will defy your expectations of what can be achieved when children and artists work virtually together.

‘The Dock is delighted to partner with Kids Own in exhibiting Virtually There. This unique and exciting exhibition reflects many of the aspects of The Dock’s ongoing learning and participation strategy which facilitates the opportunity for the public to interact in a meaningful and practical way with the centre’s broad artistic programme. We feel it is very important that the arts are made relevant to the communities in which they exist and this exhibition, in the way it examines artists, teachers and children engaging together through technology marks, we feel, just the beginning of a really exciting arts adventure. One of our studio artists, Naomi Draper, will be part of this adventure working with Scoile Mhuire during the exhibition both in her studio and virtually, using the available technology, and we are all looking forward to seeing the results.’ – Laura Mahon, Visual Arts and Education Officer at The Dock

Virtually There will have a public launch at 6 pm on Friday 5 December as part of The Dock’s 2014 “Open Season” exhibition. For further information and for opening times visit http://www.thedock.ie/

The exhibition will tour to six national venues until April 2015. Venues, tour dates and related events can be accessed here.

The  Virtually There exhibition and event tour (2014–15) is funded by the Arts Council’s Touring and Dissemination of Work Award – in partnership with the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.