SETU partners to bring creativity, art, inclusion alive in Enniscorthy
South East Technological University (SETU) has a collaboration with Creative Places Enniscorthy, a community-based arts initiative (supported by the Arts Council) demonstrating how education, art and community engagement can work together to create meaningful impact.
Since its establishment in 2020, the partnership with SETU has brought together local residents, artists, community groups, schools and SETU students and staff to co-create cultural projects that reflect the town’s identity, heritage and aspirations. The project is called the ‘Social Canvas’.
We have been delighted to develop this project with SETU - to provide an outlet for emerging artists to interact with the community and develop a platform to solidify their practice in socially-engaged art. The students have demonstrated great sensitivity, diligence and determination. We hope to continue this transformative partnership onward for the communities within Enniscorthy.
Deryn O Callaghan, Co-ordinator, Creative Places Enniscorthy
The collaboration is led locally by the Creative Places Enniscorthy team, with SETU providing academic expertise, research support and the involvement of 3rd year Art and Visual Communication students under the mentorship of Dr Els Dietvorst. This joint approach ensures projects are both community-driven and academically informed, strengthening their long-term impact.
Over 160 participants have taken part to date, shaping events including public art installations, festivals, intergenerational workshops and creative heritage programmes, all designed to ensure broad participation across ages and backgrounds. Partners include Men’s Shed, Tidy Towns, KITE and the Ukrainian community in Enniscorthy.
Art has a huge capacity to create positive impact in the community. It connects us, gives voice to the unheard, and empowers the excluded. Through the socially engaged practice module, we’ve seen how creative collaboration can lead to radical, meaningful change in communities. This is not just art, it’s humanity in action.
Dr Els Dietvorst, Artist and Lecturer at SETU’s School of Art and Design
The artistic projects are having real local impact, with the ‘Waste Not Want Not’ project highlighting issues around dog fouling and waste dumping, receiving the support of the Tidy Towns initiative. The film ‘A Day in the Life’ film highlighted issues of importance at historical site, Vinegar Hill, leading to local authority funding to address issues of concern.
The partnership’s impact is deeply regional: it enhances social inclusion, lifelong learning and access to the arts, while creating opportunities for students to engage in real-world, civic-focused projects.
By embedding art in the community, the collaboration enriches cultural life, fosters pride of place, and contributes to Enniscorthy’s role as a creative hub within the wider South East region.
I worked specifically with the group Delightful Dollies in Enniscorthy, on a project focused on recording and documenting their fondest memories of childhood through art. Over several months, I visited the group weekly to record their memories of times gone by. These memories are now on display at the showcase. It was a pleasure to spend time with them and to create this artwork.
Liz Doran Burke, SETU Graduate, BA in Art, Visual Communications and Design