We've just posted two examples of creations from Earth Explorers, our summer visual arts programme, online.

You can see the wonderful Green Animation film made by participating young people (aged 12 - 14 years) here:



This animation was created in the Green Animation workshop facilitated by Tony Donoghue at The Ark in August 2009.

Also, artist Joe Coveney sent us in a slide show of the art work created on National Drawing Day in May, which you can see on the Drawing Day web page here - http://www.ark.ie/archives/archive069.html


We hope you like them!

Armed with some creative examples of what happens in The Ark I headed down to the INTO (Irish National Teachers' Organisation) conference themed around Creativity and Arts in the Primary School in Gorey last weekend.

Around 300 teachers and principals from across Ireland were in attendance over the two days and it was lovely to see some familiar faces and especially to meet some new ones at my stand for The Ark.



The Ark’s General Manager Avril Ryan also attended the conference as a delegate and participated in the positive and lively discussions that explored the theme of creativity in children’s lives which is central to the founding principles of The Ark.

Alongside some lovely musical performances from local schools, I had an information stand for The Ark set up for people to access throughout the day. I was very proud to be able to decorate the stand with some of the colourful and imaginative creations from The Garden Party, part of this summer’s visual arts programme Earth Explorers, and with images of past programmes.

The character filled Garden Party plant pot attracted a lot of attention. People were very impressed by the talent and attention to detail of our visiting summer artists and I hope it will inspire some creative activities and early spring blooms in classrooms around Ireland before too long.
It was great to be invited by the INTO to be a part of this event and to have the opportunity to spread the news of The Ark to teachers around Ireland. It sparked some fascinating conversations and ideas which I look forward to feeding into the creative team in The Ark.

For further information on the content of the day follow this link to the INTO website, http://www.into.ie/ROI/NewsEvents/Conferences/EducationConsultativeConference/.

I hope to see lots of you celebrating the festive season with us over the coming weeks.

Jeanine MacQuarrie
Box Office Manager

The Ark's The Butterfly Effect, An Arklink Retrospective, a collection of artwork by children was exhibited in the new F2 Neighbourhood Centre in Dublin. President Mary McAleese officially opened the F2 Neighbourhood Centre marking the completion of the Fatima Regeneration Project on Tuesday 3 November.



The Butterfly Effect was originally presented by The Ark, A Cultural Centre for Children and Fatima Groups United as an exhibition documenting The Ark’s work with children in Fatima Mansions from 2000-2006. This was from an Ark project called Arklink.




During this period, The Ark worked with the children of Fatima Mansions on ArkLink, a year-round community based arts programme. This unique project was funded by The Atlantic Philanthropies and The Irish Youth Foundation.










ArkLink provided children with a range of cultural activities in the areas of visual arts, film, music and dance to nurture them in all areas of their lives as they grow to adulthood. Some of the artworks by children are below.

With The Ark's Christmas Inklings starting on Saturday 21 November, visual artist Liz Smith wrote in to tell us all about her preparations for the workshops.

Hi everyone,

I am very much looking forward to starting the Christmas Inklings workshops at The Ark. Only just over a week to go now! I am very excited about teaching you all the pop-up techniques I know and I can't wait to see all the beautiful illustrations and Christmas cards you will make.

Whoever receives your Christmas and winter themed cards will be very lucky.

You may have seen the short video of me on The Ark's website where I give you a small preview and demonstration of pop-up techniques (if not check it out here -http://www.ark.ie/video.html), but at the moment I am making examples of other pop-up techniques that I will teach you.




I am making colourful pop-up Christmas trees by cutting two trees shapes out, then cutting them a little and slotting them together. The trees look like sculptures and I have made pink, blue and orange trees. I have already made some examples of pop-up Christmas and winter characters such as reindeers, a robin, a squirrel and a hedgehog and I am working on more examples of characters such as an arctic fox and a snowman.



If you have any ideas of characters you would like to make, you can tell me at the beginning of the workshop.

Liz

We can’t believe the countdown to Christmas has started already! It’s only 12 days until Christmas Favourites starts here in The Ark as Liz Smith join us for her sold-out Christmas Inklings workshops.

And that’s not all we have in store for you this Christmas! Music at Christmas with Nico Brown and Martin Brunsden starts on Saturday 28 November, running every weekend until 20 December.



Nico has written a blog to let you know what will be happening during Music at Christmas.

Hello. I've been trying out some new songs. It's fun to change just one or two words of a song you already know.

One two three four five
Once I caught a fishfinger alive
Six seven eight nine ten
Then I let it go again
Why did you let it go?
Because it bit my fishfinger so
Which fishfinger did it bite?
This little fishfinger on my right.

One two three four five
Once I caught a sausage alive....

One two three four five
Once I caught a...

You get the idea.

Very important preparations are being made for Nico and Martin's Christmas shows at The Ark!

Martin's daughter Rosie, who is one, has been learning to drink her milk from a bottle especially so that she can come to Dublin for the shows.

Nico's daughter Rosie is having another baby. Her first baby, Bess, got a full set of 22 ANGKLUNGS for her 2nd birthday.

All the Christmas ANGKLUNGS have been cleaned, repaired, tested and tuned ready to be played by the audience - you!

Hang on a minute. What is an ANGKLUNG?

An ANGKLUNG is a musical instrument. It comes from Java, in Indonesia. It's made of bamboo. It makes a beautiful clonking tinkling bongling sound. The word ANGKLUNG means 'one note'. Each ANGKLUNG makes one note. They come in 22 different sizes - so that's 22 different notes in one set. We've got ten sets - that's two hundred and twenty ANGKLUNGS. We ask our audience - you! - to play one each, and the result is a beautiful orchestra. We can play songs we all know or we can make up new music.

One two three four five
Once I caught an ANGKLUNG alive...

We hope you can join us to be part of the Christmas orchestra at The Ark this year.

Nico


For more information and booking, please call 01.6707788, visit us at The Ark, 11a Eustace Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2 or click on the book online button at the bottom of this page.

Liz Smith visited us in The Ark this week to show us examples of the pull-out and pop-up cards and pictures that you can make if you're joining us for the Christmas Inklings workshops.



We recorded a sneak peak of the Christmas Inklings workshops with Liz.

Check it out on http://www.ark.ie/video.html

or on The Ark's Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Ark-A-Cultural-Centre-for-Children/157044421492.



Tickets are still available for Music at Christmas with Nico Brown and Martin Brunsden at The Ark from 28 November to 20 December at 2pm and 4pm, Saturdays and Sundays only.

Call 01.6707788 for tickets or book online.