A meme of Captain Spock telling you to wash your hands, next to the Government’s yellow information sheet on COVID-19 - that is my memory of how the pandemic started to affect the people at Uillinn West Cork Arts Centre.
At the beginning, everything continued as usual. Workshops took place, meetings were held and exhibitions opened. Of course, everyone respected the new handwashing regulations. They were a reasonable thing to do, and - with Captain Spock’s stern impression as a reminder - hard to forget. Otherwise, there was not much change to be noticed at the Uillinn. But with all this disturbing news from China and Italy flooding the media, people became more careful and aware of the looming crisis.
When Taoiseach, Leo Varadka announced closure of all galleries to the public, the doors of Uillinn were duly closed, this was no big surprise. However, the extent of the changes involved, hardly anyone could have imagined; beginning with the cancellation of St. Patrick’s Day parade, cancellation of all the planned public engagements, weekly workshops, Rusty Frog Youth Theatre, Arts for an Active Mind, sessions ceasing on the Arts for Health Programme with closure of Day Centres, redeployment of HSE staff. And of course the closure of the main gallery space showing the recently opened exhibition of William Bock and Gabhann Dunne and all the events associated.
The global pandemic has hit Uillinns’ arts community right in the heart. After all, it is a place where people come together to live art in all different kinds of ways. It is an integral part of West Cork’s community. “The fact that you can drop in and see a show on the way to the supermarket in the centre of (Skibbereen) town is great. Contemporary, international and local art meets bread and butter! It is an asset to the town and really tries to get people involved.” says artist Mark Beatty. It's inconceivable that this should no longer exist for the time being.
But there is a silver lining. Fortunately, we live in a time of technical progress, in which social media are an integral part of our everyday life. The big social media platforms have been an incredible asset, helping us all to keep in touch with friends and family. But not only that, it is also an invaluable vehicle to keep things going in the workplace, “The current situation lends itself to screens which is probably why you are writing a blog!” Mark told me, when I asked him about his view of the current situation - and he is absolutely right! But me writing this blog is not the only ball that has started to roll since the closure has been announced. The staff of West Cork Arts Centre have done everything possible to find alternative solutions for the planned programmes, leaning heavily on the opportunities of the world wide web.
Only a few days after the lockdown, first results of the staff’s hard work could be seen online, with William Bock’s and Gabhann Dunnes’ exhibitions virtual tours, public engagement programmes are transformed into Uillinn Connect with Daily Art Activities for primary school children and parents. The Centre’s website is flourishing, inviting people to rummage and experience a somewhat different view on art. The Arts for Health Programme is undergoing major changes to maintain their creative connect with the older people in long term care, streaming, posting, pre-recording and phoning! Artists on the team; Tess Leak, Sarah Ruttle, and Liz Clark have been working together with Programme Manager, Justine Foster, to find ways to deliver arts projects to the hospitals remotely. “I am currently working with artist Sharon Whooley to create work for a 'Museum of Song Postal Project' which we hope will meaningfully engage with our participants and connect them to us and to other participants in other healthcare settings.This is a creative challenge and one that I am grateful for at present.”, I am told by Tess Leak. Especially in times of this crisis the fear of social isolation is only too present to many people in hospitals or retirement homes. “As we adjust to isolation from our friends and families” says Sarah Ruttle, “it may only give a small glimpse of what the residents of the hospital are experiencing, so as an artist I hope to aim to reach the participants of the programme with a moment of creativity to make a small difference in their day.”
The crisis affects us all, every part of our lives - and art can make all the difference! Lying in a hospital, it can help you get through the day. Being forced to stay at home it can be a welcome distraction from your daily routine. For the artists themselves, the situation also has a huge impact. Artist Tess Leak describes that “ this crisis will really make me think about what kind of work I want to create, to understand more deeply what the Arts can contribute to our communities and what is possible in difficult circumstances.”
Facing all these new difficulties, the pandemic gives us the chance to appreciate the small things that we usually take for granted; reset our priorities. Suddenly, you find yourself making time for the “good stuff”, as Liz Clark puts it, such as “walks with the family, cuddling up together and watching movies. This kind of stuff I was always too busy to do, now I recognise the importance of these simple things.”
So keeping a positive attitude, appreciating the little things and contributing wherever possible, that’s what we can do right now. For everything else, only time can tell.
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