The Wexford Arts Centre Presents;
Picking up the Threads: Remaking the Fabric of Care
An Exhibition of Work by the Elephant Collective
14.01.2019- 16.02.2019
At the Wexford Arts Centre, Cornmarket, Co.Wexford | 0539123764 | lisa@wexfordartscentre.ie
Official Opening, Documentary Screening & Panel Discussion On Friday 11th January at 6pm
With guest speaker Margaret Cullen, development officer at the community development organisation, Access 2000
Panel discussion to include; Dr. Jo Murphy, Trinity College Dublin, Patricia Hughes, Rotunda
Hospital Dublin and Mignon & Derek Underwood, Bereaved Parents, Co. Wexford
This January 2019 will see an exhibition of work by the Elephant Collective in the Print room at the Wexford Arts Centre. This multimedia exhibition aims to raise awareness of maternal deaths and the journey towards legislative change to secure mandatory inquests for all maternal deaths in Ireland.
The accompanying documentary screening, ‘Picking up the Threads’ by Anne Marie Green, tells the stories of the women’s families and the collective’s campaign for legislative change. The Elephant Collective is made up of individuals and groups who have been affected by or have concerns over maternal deaths in Ireland. The group has been actively seeking legislative change for mandatory inquests into maternal deaths since 2014. Working closely with TD Clare Daly who proposed mandatory inquests within the Coroners Bill, the Collective is closely watching that the changes requested in legislation progress through the Dail as promised. The 3rd stage of the Coroners (Amendment) Bill 2018 was passed by the Committee on 12th December 2018.
This exhibition of work ‘Picking up the Threads; Remaking the Fabric of Care’ highlights the issue of maternal deaths in Ireland through the display of a stunning hand-crafted quilt, eight painted portraits, a documentary, an art film and a book which have been created by artists working collaboratively with the collective regarding change, to raise awareness and commemorate women who died in our maternity services in Ireland. This exhibition will also be accompanied by the screening of a short film by Laura Fitzpatrick ‘silent killer’, which won first place in the short film category at the Wexford Documentary Film Festival in 2016.
Public engagement with the exhibition as it tours Ireland has fuelled the support of over twenty County Councils to date. Wexford County Council was the third county council to unanimously pass a motion calling on the government to pass legislation for Mandatory Inquests for all Maternal Deaths in Ireland. Engaging with the exhibition at Wexford Art Centre is an opportunity to find out more about the Collective, assist if you wish, in advancing the campaign for mandatory maternal death inquests and to connect with the key challenges throughout maternity services in Ireland.
A free public In Conversation style talk on ‘Art in Activism’ will be held at the Wexford Arts Centre on Thursday 7th February at 2pm with guest speakers; Artist, Martina Hynan from The Elephant Collective, Wexford County Councillor, Tony Walsh & Dr Orla Ryan from Wexford Campus, School of Art and Design (IT Carlow)
A free to attend craft morning will be held at the Wexford Arts Centre, in order to create responses to the work on display on Thursday 31st January from 10:30- 12:30pm.
For more information on all our exhibitions, please contact the Wexford Arts Centre at 0539123764 or email Lisa at lisa@wexfordartscentre.ie
This is a free event & all are welcome
