A Collection of Young Artists
As part of Helium’s Let Them Make Art: The Helium Creative Health Youth Forum, this youth showcase brings together a collection of young artists from across the island of Ireland, all of whom live with long-term health conditions.
The showcase at The Bank presents work created by young people who have taken part in Helium’s creative workshops, led by Clare-based multidisciplinary artist Ana Colomer. Across workshops and different groups throughout the country, participants were invited to explore the Youth Forum theme of ‘Access to the Arts’, experimenting with different ideas, materials and creative approaches before being invited to submit work for this collective exhibition. The result is a varied and personal collection of work reflecting the experiences, ideas and imaginations of a group of young people who are passionate about having the opportunity to create.
Making Space to Create
For many young people living with long-term health conditions, access to creative opportunities can be shaped by physical, social and systemic barriers. Let Them Make Art creates a space where young people can explore those experiences on their own terms – with the freedom to experiment, make, reflect and share.
Through printmaking, stop motion, visual art and other creative techniques, Ana’s workshops gave participants the tools and creative language to respond to the theme. The young artists then took those tools and made them their own.
“I gave them the language and they did the rest.”
The work in this showcase represents a collective exploration of what access to the arts can mean: having the time and space to create, being supported to participate, having your voice valued, and being able to see yourself represented within the arts.
Young People at the Centre
The showcase forms part of Helium’s wider Let Them Make Art: Creative Health Youth Forum, bringing approximately 60 young people aged 13–24 together on 26 September in the Helix, DCU, Dublin to participate in creative workshops, talks, discussions and conversations with policymakers and stakeholders. The work from this showcase will be presented during this event also so everyone in attendance can experience the work created in response to this theme.
At the heart of the Forum is a commitment to young people shaping the conversation around access, inclusion and equity in the arts.This exhibition is an opportunity to celebrate that participation — showcasing not only what young people have created, but the ideas, perspectives and lived experiences behind the work.
Let Them Make Art is a celebration of young creativity, collective expression and the importance of making space for every young person to participate in the arts.