Artist Lisa Fingleton was invited by IMMA and the Bealtaine Festival to facilitate a two day workshop with artists to explore the themes of climate change, biodiversity loss and food security through the visual arts. Artists had the opportunity to explore these issues creatively through journaling, drawing and writing in Studio 10 at IMMA. A public engagement event was also held in the People’s Pavilion where Lisa and collaborating artists shared their process, drawings and writings and invited the audience to join the conversation about the food on our plate and climate change issues.
This Creative Intervention in the Climate Conversation was a Bealtaine Festival Roots & Shoots event in partnership with the IMMA Art & Aging Programme.
FEEDBACK
“A genuine sense of an emerging community of like minded eco social artists permeated the workshop, no doubt fostered by lisa’s down to earth, (in every sense!) professional and sensitive approach. We all knew we were in good hands. The embracing support of a community is essential when addressing the stark realities of the ecological and climate emergencies. You really cannot face these times alone, and artists like Lisa Fingleton have the strength, light touch and resources to gather committed, innovative communities around their work…
The boundaries between art, farming, education and other human practices are becoming porous, allowing for deeper collaborative, inter disciplinary connections. Artists like Lisa Fingleton, are beacons of light in the current transition to a sustainable life for our
children and for our living world” . – PAOLA CATZIONE
WORKSHOP PROGRAMME
Day 1 (Thurs 12 May)
11.00-1.00 Sharing Practice (Studio 9/10)
1.00-2.00 Lunch (Flying Dog Café)
2.00-4.00 Studio Practice / Workshop (Studio 9/10)
Day 2 (Fri 13 May)
11.00-12.30 Studio Practice / Workshop (Studio 9/10)
12.30-1.30 Lunch & Prepare for event (Studio 9/10)
1.30-2.30 Public Event (People’s Pavillion). Hosting a public conversation on the issues explored. https://imma.ie/whats-on/bealtaine-2022/
QUESTIONS FOR ARTISTS IN ADVANCE OF THE WORKSHOP
Are you interested in exploring climate concerns and questions through the visual arts processes?
What most interests or concerns you about climate change and related issues?
What would you like to explore in this workshop?
Have you previously made work about the climate crisis, ecology or food?
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Lisa Fingleton is an eco-social artist, writer and organic farmer. Living and working on a small organic, social farm near the sea, she has spent many years cultivating deep-rooted connections between art, food and farming.
Her book The Local Food Project explores the power of growing and eating local food. Lisa is concerned about the fact that we are importing so much of our food and losing the capacity to be self-sufficient, despite what we know about climate change and carbon footprint. For the last number of years she has undertaken the ’30 day local food challenge’, when she eats only food grown on the island of Ireland, for the month of September.
She strives to ‘be the change’ she wishes to see in the world and likes to walk the talk, grow the food and integrate life with her studio practice. For the last number of years she has been working closely with her partner Rena Blake on The Barna Way, an ecological art and biodiversity project on their farm. Last year they planted 10,000 native trees on their land.
Links to Event:
