ASSEMBLY: Community Engagement
Throughout the year we work with communities across Carlow to deliver a wide variety of arts-based engagement, participation and learning projects. These individual projects are collectively known as the ASSEMBLY programme.
ASSEMBLY
A space for community gathering, creative expression and collective imagination.
ASSEMBLY brings communities and artists together in a social setting to collaborate on art projects that are of interest to them. Sometimes these projects are about learning new artistic skills like painting, acting, dancing or carnival making, and other times they are about exploring important social issues such as climate change, equality or human rights through arts-based activities.
The work created by the artists and community is presented as part of our annual festival in June each year.
Who we work with
We collaborate with a wide range of communities and community members of different ages, abilities, cultures and backgrounds. We believe the ASSEMBLY programme is for everyone and that everyone in Carlow should have access to high-quality arts activities and experiences all year round. This is the core ethos of the ASSEMBLY programme.
Where we work
Carlow Arts Festival do not have a central hub or building from which we deliver this programme, instead we bring these projects and activities to a variety of different spaces across the county including community halls, schools, colleges, cafes, nursing homes, parish halls, arts centres, and social clubs, to name a few.
The work created by the artists and community is presented as part of our annual festival in June each year.
Over the next 3 years, we will work with four key communities across Carlow to deliver the ASSEMBLY programme: Hacketstown, Rathvilly, Graiguecullen and Tullow. We identified these four areas based on the priority geographical areas of The Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) for Carlow and as areas that have the least access to high quality arts services or provisions.
The ASSEMBLY programme is delivered in partnership with Carlow Arts Office and Carlow County Development Partnership.
How can I get involved?
It is important to us that we remain responsive to the needs of our community in Carlow, and we are open to working with communities beyond these four areas. If you are a community member or community leader who would like to talk with us about delivering a project in your area, please do not hesitate to contact us using the email address below.
We are always delighted to connect with our community collaborators and friends. If you would like to find our more information on the ASSEMBLY programme and how you could take part, there are variety ways to contact us or access further information
- If you are online, you can check the news section of our website to see updates on our programme. You can also find updates on all out social media channels including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
- You can email all enquiries to info@carlowartsfestival.ie
- You could subscribe to our mailing list to receive updates directly to your mailbox
- You could post us a letter to: the ASSEMBLY Programme, Carlow Arts Festival, C/O VISUAL, Old Dublin Road, Graigue, Carlow, R93 A3K1, Ireland
Carnival of Collective Joy 2024
The Carnival of Collective Joy returned to the streets of Carlow on the 8th of June, 2024.
WE NEED TO TALK
WE NEED TO TALK is a participatory design project exploring places of conversation led by international arts collective Unqualified Design Studio.
Imagination Generation Station
A community engagement project led by Asylum Productions.
Roots
Carlow Arts Festival is on a mission to cultivate long-term in-depth engagement with people across County Carlow.
The Carnival of Collective Joy 2023
A celebration of the creative imagination of school children across County Carlow.
