news

Innovative 6-week online ‘Ecoliteracy course for Creatives and Art Educators’–seen as a success on Earth Day 2020

This post is from my Haumea Ecoliteracy for the Arts site from a few weeks ago: I have been so busy the last few months in launching my first pilot online course. As I’m just about to launch my next pilot course I thought my followers would like to hear how it went.

cathy Fitzgerald | Haumea | Ecoliteracy for the arts

ABOVE: ‘The Rapunzel Tree’ – new painting courtesy of Irish artist Rachel Webb, April 2020

In this planetary pause, there is more awareness that we need to live well with the Earth’s wider community of life. Creative practices–informed by ecoliteracy (ecological knowledge)–will have important social power to invite society to reflect and reimagine the better world we know is possible. Cathy Fitzgerald PhD., launched an innovative 6-week online ecoliteracy course for creatives that coincided with the pandemic. She reflects now that an accessible and engaging ecoliteracy education for our art sector shouldn’t cost the Earth.

“Today, is the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, and I’m hosting the final live Zoom meeting of my pilot 6-week ecoliteracy for creatives course. My course has been timely–I have found a relatively low-cost means to share my eco-social art practice experience and knowledge of advances in the art and ecology area in an…

View original post 867 more words

A further 2-year Creative Ireland programme for Carlow’s Drummin Bog announced on 50th anniversary of Earth Day

My work with others for restoring a local wetlands – The Drummin Bog Project, has resulted in some great support from Creative Ireland and ArtLInks for furthering art activities in the surrounding area.

I’m so delighted to find the eco-social art framework that I worked on in Hollywood forest is been put to use in another context. Its also a delight to work with local artists and my husband Martin who is a former geologist and now stone sculptor on a project that is close to where we live. Martin is supervising the scientific and geotechnical surveys of Drummin Bog and Willow is involved too 🙂

The Drummin Bog Project: Celebrating Carlow's only Raised Bog


Update: The Drummin Bog Project committee are pleased to confirm a 2-yearprogramme of creative projects to raise awareness of this unique wetland habitatwill continue later in 2020 and into 2021. At present, the programme is temporarily suspended due to the COVID-19 virus restrictions. Sadly, fire has also recently damaged part of Drummin Bog but fortunately it does not affect the area for the Creative Ireland programme.

In early 2020, the Drummin Bog Project was delighted to learn that South Carlow-based Drummin Bog committee members and artists Jules Michael and Cathy Fitzgerald were successful in gaining significant ongoing funding fromCarlow – Creative IrelandandArtLinksto further the eco-social art programme of the Drummin Bog Project. The funding will enable rich, inclusive collaborationsbetween members of BEAM, Bagenalstown, members of BagenalstownFamily ResourceCentre, environmental archaelogists from UCC,historical woodwright Eoin Donnelly, people living near Drummin Bog and the wider Carlow community.

View original post 930 more words

Ecological forestry at Leinster house

Continuous Cover Forestry consultant Paddy Purser and Chair of Pro Silva Ireland, Liam Byrne before presenting a statement to Joint Committee on Climate Action at the Oireachtas, Dublin on behalf of Pro Silva Ireland. 11 December 2019. Photo: Cathy Fitzgerald. Many of you familiar with my work to transform Hollywood from a monoculture Sitka spruce…Read more Ecological forestry at Leinster house