Gifts To Cork

Collaborator

Activate Junior Youth Theatre

Bio

Activate Junior Youth Theatre is one of Graffiti Theatre Company’s youth theatre offerings. Its members explore drama and theatre through weekly workshops on a range of different skills, including performance, movement, writing and devising. Members learn key skills in drama and collaboration by taking part in group activities, games and exercises. The junior group has an opportunity to share and celebrate their work every year through showcases for friends and family

Gifts To Cork

Gifts To Cork was a collaboration between Graffiti Theatre Company, Notes To Cork & artist Annie Mar & designer Aaron Ross. The aim of the project was to bring youth voice and creativity to the Public Inspiration Panels (PIPs). The idea was for children/young people to be involved in the creative process and create public artwork that could be interacted with, artwork to visit and appreciate, but also for members of the public to become part of by their own take on it, or performance at the poster site.

The prevailing themes that emerged for these young artists were:

  • One person’s trash is another person’s treasure
  • Thoughts around things that had sustained, helped and got them through the COVID19 Lockdowns

From these two creative concepts, they came up with the title and hashtag #GiftsToCork, to offer things to the young (and young at heart) people of Cork as they venture out onto the streets more as restrictions began to lift.

Each final artwork was inspired and directed by the young people of Activate and designed by Notes To Cork. 

The project was part supported/funded by Cork City Council Arts Office, Creative Ireland, Healthy Ireland and Cruinniú na nÓg. 

Feedback from the youth theatre members

“My favourite thing about making the poster was being able to use my creative freedom to design my own personal thing. Then when I saw my poster I felt proud and so happy about the work I did and that it had paid off very well” – Liam.

“I really enjoyed seeing other people’s work and what their creations were, before we saw the final posters. I was completely blown away when I saw the posters. They were amazing and mine was exactly what I wanted it to look like!” – Aoife.