Dublin City Council Culture Company
September 2024–ongoing
Richmond Barracks, Inchicore, Dublin

As an Artist-in-Residence at Richmond Barracks, I develop and facilitate an inclusive programme of creative experiences for children, families, adults, schools and community groups.

The residency encompasses Make & Create family drop-in sessions, seasonal fairs and events, summer programmes, community outreach and multi-week courses. Working across printmaking, drawing, painting, murals, mixed media, craft, mindfulness and eco-art, I invite participants to explore materials, respond to their surroundings and develop creative outcomes shaped by their own interests and experiences.

Activities range from plant-based monoprinting, cyanotype and relief printing to portraiture, sensory art, storytelling, collaborative murals and creativity-for-wellbeing sessions. Nature, sustainability and the history and environment of Richmond Barracks often provide starting points, connecting creative experimentation with place, heritage and the changing seasons.

My Approach

My process begins with listening and connection. Rather than prescribing a particular way of making or asking participants to follow precise step-by-step instructions, I create a welcoming and flexible framework in which they can experiment, make choices and follow their own ideas.

Clear demonstrations and accessible starting points are combined with adaptable materials and multiple ways to participate. Activities can be approached through conversation, observation, movement, sensory exploration or quiet tactile engagement. This allows me to respond to different confidence levels, learning preferences, communication styles and physical, sensory or emotional needs.

I see my role as that of a facilitator: guiding, supporting and encouraging creativity while allowing participants to retain ownership of both the process and the outcome. My sessions are informed by an atelier-inspired approach, making space for co-creation, peer connection, shared learning and appreciation. Participants are encouraged to encounter one another’s ideas and, when they feel comfortable, share their work and experiences with the group.

Community Collaboration

The residency extends into summer programmes, schools and community settings, enabling creative engagement to take place both within Richmond Barracks and beyond its walls.

From February to August 2025, I worked with Neurodiversity Irishtown, Ringsend and Pearse at Irishtown Sports and Recreation Centre, supporting the development and delivery of after-school and summer workshops for neurodivergent children, young people and their families.

The sessions were co-creative and responsive, adapting to participants’ interests, communication preferences, energy levels and sensory needs. The programme prioritised trust, enjoyment and meaningful participation rather than the production of a predetermined outcome.

During summer 2026, I devised and delivered a series of workshops with SOLAS Children’s Hospital School at Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin. Through accessible mixed-media activities inspired by animals and imaginary creatures, children were invited to create characters, mobiles, playful sculptural forms, and even animations.

The activities were adapted for children with different ages, abilities, energy levels and medical needs, including children participating from individual hospital rooms. Materials, instructions and outcomes remained flexible, allowing each child to engage in a way that felt manageable, enjoyable and personally meaningful.

Creative Outcomes

Participants produce individual and collaborative works across printmaking, drawing, painting, sculpture and mixed media. Larger shared outcomes have included temporary outdoor murals designed as giant colouring sheets, inviting members of the local community to contribute, as well as collaborative installations, nature-based artworks, stone sculptures and painted forms for public and communal spaces.

The outcomes reflect the variety of people involved. Whether playful and temporary or created within a shared space, each develops through participant choice, experimentation and collective making.

Across the residency, creativity becomes a way to encounter place, build confidence, connect with others and make space for different forms of expression.