“EACH artwork reflects the voices, stories, and creativity of both students and residents, highlighting their shared connection to the local community,” explains Ms Aisling Flood of Ballyfermot-based St Seton’s Secondary School.
‘Together in Colour’, the upcoming art exhibition the school has done in collaboration with Maryfield Nursing Home, brings together a series of collaborative artworks, including mosaic tiles, print-based accordion booklets, and a large-scale needle-felted piece.
The exhibition celebrates intergenerational collaboration and the power art has to bring people together through expression, storytelling, and creativity.
It was inspired by a desire to build meaningful connections between students and residents through creative practice.
Using the theme of community, participants explored personal memories, local landscapes, and shared experiences.
The idea of ‘Together in Colour’ reflects both the visual vibrancy of the artworks and the sense of unity that developed throughout the project.
It is rooted in the importance of intergenerational learning, where younger people have the opportunity to listen and learn from the experiences, stories, and history of older generations within their local community.
The project also highlights what students bring to the residents, including companionship, creativity, energy, and the sharing of new artistic skills and ideas, while also learning from the residents’ knowledge and life experience in return.
In addition, the exhibition aims to bridge the gap within the local community by challenging the stigma sometimes associated with nursing homes.
Through meaningful engagement and partnership, it helps build a more unified community and a stronger sense of belonging for everyone involved.
One of the biggest highlights for Ms Flood has been seeing the relationships grow between students and residents.
Watching participants gain confidence, share stories, and take pride in their work has been “incredibly rewarding”.
Another highlight has been seeing individual pieces come together as a collective body of work, clearly showing the strength of collaboration.
The empathy and compassion shown by the students throughout the project have been “truly inspiring”, as they engaged respectfully and meaningfully with the residents, creating a warm and supportive environment.
The residents were also highly engaged and enthusiastic when learning new techniques demonstrated by the students.
Each visit was met with excitement and joy, with many residents expressing how much they looked forward to the sessions and how they wished to see the students more often.
Coordinating schedules and ensuring all participants could engage comfortably was a key challenge, particularly in a nursing home setting where flexibility is essential.
This was managed by adapting sessions to suit residents’ needs, working at a relaxed pace, and maintaining open communication.
Introducing new artistic techniques also required careful planning, which was addressed by first teaching the students and then supporting them as they guided the residents step by step.
Timetabling was also challenging due to the constantly changing TY schedule, requiring ongoing flexibility and adjustment.
On one occasion, a session had to be cancelled due to bad weather, further highlighting the need for adaptability in community-based projects.
Despite these challenges, strong communication and teamwork ensured the project continued successfully.
Following this exhibition, there is strong enthusiasm to continue building on this partnership.
Future projects could expand into different art forms or explore new themes, further strengthening the connection between students and residents.
Last year, St Seton’s worked with Glenaulin Nursing Home, and they are now proud to have developed two wonderful partnerships with local nursing homes.
These ongoing relationships highlight the value of sustained community engagement and help strengthen the wider community, fostering a greater sense of inclusion, connection, and belonging for everyone involved.
Ms Flood would like to thank the residents of Maryfield Nursing Home, the students, the staff and organisers, the school management team, activity coordinators Linda and Michelle, and the Ballyfermot Library and its staff for helping to make this project possible.
‘Together in Colour’ opens in the Ballyfermot Library at 12:10pm on May 8 for anyone who wishes to see it.
