Suburban Transport

Working with Dunmore Road Communities, the creative will explore alternatives to car journeys and take the bus for a change.

This change will positively impact their wider community and ultimately have a better impact on the environment.

Creative

Joanne Donohoe

Joanne is an artist, Theatre Director and Set Designer living in New Ross Co. Wexford.

She studied Fine Art in Dun Laoghaire College of Art Design and Technology and Carlow IT and has studied craft in Grennan Mill Craft School, Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny. Her expertise in theatre has been developed through training with Youth Theatre Ireland and on the ground experience.

Joanne has been the Artistic Director and set designer for WACT youth theatre for the past ten years and has worked on over twenty plays starring young people from all over County Wexford. Currently Joanne is teaching set design online as part of the JCT Play Create Perform initiative in collaboration with Youth Theatre Ireland and she is co-directing two one act plays that members of WACT youth theatre will perform in May 2022. She is thrilled and excited to be an ACT Waterford Creative and is looking forward to working with the people of Waterford in envisioning and incorporating a more sustainable way in which to travel to and from the City.

Joanne loves working through collaboration and storytelling and she believes that problem solving and creative discussion can be effective and great fun when approached through theatre games and workshops. No experience necessary! If the pandemic has taught us anything it’s that Zoom can be a great place to facilitate so whether we are online or in the real World.

Project Updates

Bird Box making workshop in St Patricks Nursing Home

27 October 2022

We had a fantastic workshop in St Patrick’s Nursing Home as part of Imagine Arts Festival.

ACT Waterford sustainable transport creative, Joanne Donohoe, worked with residents to create gorgeous Bird Boxes using cardboard paintable birdhouses, realistic decorative birds, craft flowers, leaves and markers. Creating the Bird houses prompted a great conversations about their homes, both old and new, times gone by and their methods of transport from bikes to buses to shanks’ mare!

Batik Workshop update

27 Sept 2022

Week one of the Batik workshops saw the participants begin their self portraits. No drawing skills required as Joanne focused on finding confidence through blind drawing.

Participants were able to enjoy the medium of wax and dye and use it as a way to discover the potential in Batik and in ourselves as expressive artists no matter what our experience is to date. Week two will focus on what inspires us in our lives and what makes us care about our World? By creating space to talk about what matters in our World we will make better choices in how we exist on it.

Please note The Batik course is now full up. We are looking forward to seeing the pieces develop over the next few weeks.

Batik Workshops – A Light In The Darkness

19 Sept 2022

As part of the Take The Bus For A Change ACT Waterford Creative Climate Action project, Artist Joanne Donohoe invites residents of Dunmore road to examine motivations for change and action.

This will be explored through a series of three Batik workshops titled ‘A Light in the Darkness’. According to the native Javanese people where Batik originated, the syllable ‘tik’ of the word ‘batik’ means: a point of light in the dark. When thinking about climate change and taking care of the planet I always picture the World as a point of stunning light and blue green and white light floating in a vast Universe of inky blackness. By taking part in these workshops the participants will learn the art of batik and explore their own personal point of light in the darkness and celebrate that by making a piece of art about it. Through the process we will take time to connect with what we hold dear and create space to consider the valuable nature of taking care of our planet, the greater home that makes all life possible.

The workshops will take place in Grow HQ on the Dunmore Road. There is no cost but places are limited. Register by emailing Joanne dunmoreroadart@gmail.com. All materials will be provided.

Workshop Dates;

Saturday September 24th | 11am – 1pm
Saturday October 1st | 11am – 1pm
Saturday October 15th | 11am – 1pm

The Art of Poi @ Harvest Festival

11 Sept 2022

The Art of Poi – Fun workshops at Harvest Festival

As part of Harvest Festival, artist Joanne Donohoe brought her fun Art of Poi workshop to the thronged city centre on the Saturday. The workshop took place in St Georges Court with lots of people both young and old taking part in making traditional Māori Poi. This is an Art that increases flexibility and strength in hands and arms as well as coordination which is fun and easy to make!

The thinking behind this workshop is that recycled art will change the way you think about how you move through space.

Photography project

03 Aug

Take the Bus for a Change

Have you noticed our posters on the Dunmore Road Bus Shelters? Artist Joanne Donohoe has been spending time on the Dunmore Road talking to residents and getting their stories about taking the bus. If you would like to submit your story or an image, please email nollaig.healy@setu.ie