An upcoming nationwide art exhibition series will highlight the benefits being brought to the wellbeing, confidence and social connectivity of young people across Ireland living with lifelong physical health conditions by Helium Arts’ Distance Creates online art programme.
Helium Arts is a national charity supporting children in Ireland with lifelong physical health conditions such as diabetes, epilepsy, heart conditions, spina bifida, juvenile arthritis and rare conditions, among others. The charity runs a range of art programmes dedicated to improving the wellbeing of these children and young people.
Helium Arts has announced that its Creativity Unlimited art showcase will open on 16th October in Limerick City Gallery of Art, where a flagship exhibition will run until 25th October. A family day will be taking place on Saturday, 19th October, with special events and activities. Follow-on exhibitions will be taking place in several Connected Hubs’ locations across the country, including in Cork, Galway and Dublin during November. All of the exhibitions and associated events will be open to the public free of charge.
Creativity Unlimited will display creative works by young people aged between six and 16 from across Ireland who have been participating in Helium Arts’ Distance Creates online programme. The theme ‘About Me’ celebrates the creative stories of the online participants presented through zines exploring identity, and the children and young people’s journey through the online programme.
Distance Creates is the online component of Helium Arts’ wider creative health programme, which also delivers in-person, artist-led, medically supported creative workshops in hospital paediatric outpatient clinics and community settings in locations in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, the Mid West, Galway and the West.
In 2023, 114 children and young people from across 22 counties in Ireland living with lifelong physical health conditions such as epilepsy, diabetes, spina bifida, cerebral palsy, hydrocephalus and cystic fibrosis participated in Distance Creates online.
Feedback conducted by Helium Arts through surveys and consultations with the young people, parents and programme coordinators involved in the online programme showed how the process of being creative was a joyful and calming experience, that it promoted confidence and a sense of self, and fostered new friendships and connections between participants, who can often feel socially isolated.*
Announcing Creativity Unlimited, CEO of Helium Arts, Helene Hugel, said: “Our online programme has allowed us to widen our reach and bring the benefits of art and creativity to more children and young people living with the effects of illness or disability every day. Distance Creates facilitates them to take part from anywhere in Ireland, whether that is in the comfort of their own home, during a stay in hospital, or within a community context. I’m very grateful to Limerick City Gallery of Art and the Connected Hubs network for providing space for the exhibition series as a way of recognising the talent and accomplishment of our young artists in the heart of their own communities, while connecting with a new, wider circle of social support online.”
Welcoming being a venue partner for Creativity Unlimited, Connected Hubs’ National Hubs Network programme manager, Stephen Carolan, said: “Connected Hubs is delighted to support Helium Arts’ innovative online programme, which empowers children and young people across Ireland to engage in creative activities, no matter their health condition or location. This complements our innovative Art in the Hubs partnership with the Contemporary Irish Arts Society to place pieces of art in hubs all over Ireland.”
How Distance Creates works
The Distance Creates programme offers a blend of online and offline creative activities. Upon signing up, children and young people receive an ‘art box’ in the post, curated by Helium Arts, containing all the necessary art materials. Participants then receive creative activities, demonstrations, and tips from a professional artist via email, allowing them to complete projects and get creative at their own pace. Additionally, there are opportunities to connect with others through Zoom sessions and ‘post pal’, where you are connected with another participant around the country to exchange artwork by post.
Distance Creates is open to young people aged between six and 16, and like all Helium Arts programmes, it’s free of charge.
What participants have to say
Jason Harper, age 15, from Kilkenny, lives with the genetic condition 22q11.2 deletion syndrome. Jason is a participant of Helium Arts’ Distance Creates online programme for ages 13-16 and will have his work featured in Creativity Unlimited.
Commenting on the experience and benefits for him of the online programme, Jason said: “The tutors were really friendly and welcoming. The art pack they sent had lots of supplies. I enjoyed the watercolour painting and rice maps. The techniques I learned at the camp are currently helping me with my Junior Cert art project as I am using the same techniques for my project. I look forward to learning more.”
David Savage from Mullingar is dad to Aisling, age eight. Aisling lives with epilepsy and is a participant of the Distance Creates online programme for ages six to eight. Aisling will also have her work featured in the showcase.
Commenting on the experience and benefits for Aisling of the online programme, David said: “Aisling’s favourite thing about the online workshops is being able to see other people’s work. She loves to see the different ways other people have done the project, and she also loves seeing their names and ages. She knows they all have conditions too. This makes her feel less alone. Aisling also adored the post pal and stayed in touch with her pal, a girl the same age as her living in Roscommon. They wrote letters to each other and shared art by post which was great fun and so lovely to see.”
For more information about Helium Arts, including about its Distance Creates online programme and the Creativity Unlimited art showcase, visit www.helium.ie.
Helium Arts’ national Creative Health Programme is supported by Rethink Ireland, Community Foundation Ireland, the Arts Council and the Lakeside Fund. The Programme is also funded by the Communities Integration Fund. Helium Arts’ national Online Creative Health Programme is funded thanks to a generous donation from an anonymous trust as well as a grant from the ESB Energy for Generations Fund.