‘VIRTUALLY There’, a national touring exhibition of work by artists, children and teachers created through online residencies, will run at Mary Immaculate College until October 16.
The exhibition, which opened on Monday, stems from the ‘Virtually There’ arts programme that has been running in Northern Irish schools since 2007.
‘Virtually There’ aims to demonstrate the use of virtual technology to connect studio and classroom and showcases work created by artists Ann Donnelly, Julie Forrester, Ann Henderson, Sharon Kelly and Andrew Livingstone with primary school children from all over Northern Ireland.
Orla Kenny, creative director of Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership, which manages the project, said: “This tour provides a significant opportunity for Kids’ Own to profile a very unique way of working between artists, teachers and children, which has been emerging through the Virtually There project over seven years.
“To us, what it highlights is that technology can provide a unique platform for connection between the classroom and the studio and gives children an opportunity to enter into an enquiring space with an artist. Far from drawing them away from their learning, it supports everything they are doing in the classroom and offers so much richness in terms of developing their creative and divergent thinking and supporting their learning and development through collaborative exploration.”
A free national symposium for representatives of the arts and education sectors exploring how technology can support collaborations between artists, children and teachers will take place at the college on October 16.
Virtually There will be on show in the main reception and An tSlÍ at Mary Immaculate College until October 16 from 9am to 7pm daily.
