SETU hosted a public event to celebrate the ‘Roses from the Heart’ exhibition at its campus in Carlow. The exhibition exhibited a selection of Bonnets which have been created as part of ‘Roses from the Heart’ Waterford project and was hosted by the teams at SETU’s Carlow campus library, the Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) office, and the ‘Roses from the Heart Waterford’ group. The exhibition was also launched at the university’s Waterford campus last month and will be exhibited on the SETU Wexford Campus from the 29 April to 10 May.
The aim of ‘Roses from the Heart’ is to remember the lives of the 25,566 women from Ireland and Britain who were transported as convicts to Australia between 1788 and 1853. The concept of Dr Christina Henri, an artist who completed her PhD in Visual and Performing Arts at the University of Tasmania, involves the making of a bonnet, akin to those worn at the time, to commemorate the life and contribution each of the transported women made towards the founding of a new nation. Participants on the project made an individual bonnet in memory of an exiled woman, each bonnet representing a life story often left untold. The thought-provoking project is one that has the power to educate and spark conversation on gender equality and the history of Irish women.
Engaging storytelling
David Denieffe, Vice President for Student Experience at SETU, said, “The ‘Roses of the Heart’ exhibition is an excellent example of the myriad ways art, history, and academic life can come together to create an engaging mode of storytelling that enlivens our campuses and shares new stories and ideas with the SETU community, both staff and students. Well done to all involved in creating the exhibition and for organising its tour of SETU campuses.”
Kieran Cronin, Special Collections Librarian at SETU’s Waterford Campus played a pivotal role in coordinating the exhibition. Commenting on its success he said, “The importance of the ‘Roses from the Heart’ project in memorialising and remembering the histories of these local "convict" women is central to shedding a light on Ireland’s past and systematic gender inequality. The exhibition showcases the resilience of these women in making a life for themselves in a new world, making a positive contribution to Australian society. As a story of migration, it also acts as a beacon for descendants of these women who would like to find out more about where their ancestors came from and how they ended up in Australia.”
Speakers
Other speakers from the event included, Samantha O'Connor, SETU Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Support Officer, Ann Fitzgerald, Roses from the Heart Waterford Group, plus a special recording from Dr Christina Henri, the Honorary Artist-in-Residence at the Cascades Female Factory Historic Site (Tasmania) and creator of ‘Roses from the Heart’.
The exhibition was on display at SETU’s Carlow campus library from 8 to 19 April and contained a selection of Bonnets which have been created as part of ‘Roses from the Heart’ Waterford project to commemorate and remember the lives of more than 350 Waterford convict women who were transported to Tasmania and New South Wales in Australia between 1788-1853.
