Warm feelings in Grange for blanket art project

There was great excitement in Grange, Mullingar, when a collection of patterned picnic blankets, designed by a group of local young people, was exhibited at the Mullingar Youth Project in Grange Meadows.

The project was coordinated by Jessica Daly from Mullingar, a Fine Art graduate. Jessica is the great granddaughter of Leo Daly, the renowned Joycean scholar, author and photographer, and granddaughter of the late Bill Daly, who was also well-known for his literary and photography talents.

Earlier this year, Jessica was awarded the Westmeath Creative Ireland Community Grant, funded by Westmeath County Council and Creative Ireland, to lead pattern design workshops for young people at Mullingar Youth Project. She did a pattern design internship in France last summer, which gave her the idea for the project.

Over five weeks, young people experimented with printmaking, collage, painting, marbling, ink painting, and drawing with pens and markers. Jessica combined their designs and turned them into seamless repeat patterns using Photoshop. Finally, the designs were printed onto picnic blankets to be used for community picnics.

“The aim of the project was to equip the young people with a new mode of self-expression, instil them with confidence in their ability to create art, and address the rise in depression among their age group by creating a relaxed space for socialising,” Jessica told the Westmeath Examiner.

This was Jessica’s first community engaged project. Numbers attending the workshops varied from week to week, but there was a core group of five, numbers swelling to 10 at times.

“We held the exhibition to celebrate their work and to bring the community together. That was the point of this event. I didn’t want a formal exhibition where people might feel too nervous to go in,” Jessica explained.

See more at instagram.com/mullingar_art_picnic or mullingarartpicnic.myportfolio.com.