No Words: Cultural Art Therapy in the Community

A short film screening followed by a panel discussion.

Since spring 2023, thanks to a generous donation from Bank of America, the National Gallery of Ireland has worked with Art Therapist Andrea Plunkett and Saoirse Domestic Violence Services to explore the beneficial role cultural spaces can play in supporting the health and well-being of our communities. Specifically in this instance, those experiencing domestic violence. 

This event will share publicly for the first time findings from our ground-breaking programme No Words, an ongoing Cultural Art Therapy initiative, which to date has taken place both in crisis accommodation in the greater Dublin area, and onsite at the Gallery. 

The three project partners; Andrea Plunkett (Independent Art Therapist), Brina Casey (Education Officer, Community, Access and Health at the National Gallery of Ireland) and Nadine O’Brien (Director of Services at Saoirse Domestic Violence Services) will participate in a panel discussion, chaired by Sinéad Rice, Head of Education and Public Programming at the Gallery. Together they will unpack the processes involved in this work, discuss the impact and outcomes to date, and share plans for the future of the project. 

While domestic violence only grows ever more prevalent in our society, it is also often invisible. Consequently, at the beginning of this process, the Gallery invited the Pimlico Project to join us as artistic partners, and we are proud that this event will feature the first public screening of the short film they created as part of the overall project. 

Who is this event for? This event will be of interest to the following: People working in the museum and cultural sector broadly, in education, community engagement and public programming, in domestic violence and social care support services, related organisations and charities; creative and therapeutic professionals; researchers in social care, health and well-being, psychotherapy and the creative therapies, cultural and artistic production and arts engagement. 

Accessibility Information: This event will be held in the Gallery Lecture Theatre which is fully accessible by lift and adjacent to changing places and toilets. The event will have Irish Sign Language Interpretation and be captioned. A transcript of the event will be made available on request.

To find out more about this and other related programmes contact [email protected].