Limerick school pupils get to grips with contemporary art thanks to EVA International’s new initiative.

ust one of the 30 initiatives supported under the Creative Ireland Programme’s National Creativity Fund, Better Words aims to empower children’s access and understanding of contemporary art through creative language. One of the longest running visual arts organisations in Ireland, EVA International is set to open up a world of creativity to the five Limerick schools it’s partnering with.

Taking place between March and May 2019, the unique Better Words programme will include the production of a children’s glossary of new contemporary art terms, developed by school children through a series of guided workshops and artistic encounters at leading artists’ studios, museums and galleries across the country.

Pupils from the following five selected schools will soon be expanding their creative horizons: Corpus Christi Primary School (Limerick City); Knockainey National School (Hospital); Limerick School Project (Limerick City); Our Lady Queen of Peace (Limerick City); and St. Senan’s National School (Foynes).

Entirely child-led, Better Words is set to be a truly interdisciplinary project that engages these young minds in a whole new way, with creativity, play and imagination at its heart.

“The innovative programme is designed to provide a child-led approach to the way that contemporary visual art is seen and understood, overcoming the access barriers that can so often limit the broader engagement with the best of contemporary art in Ireland”, says Director of EVA International, Matt Packer. “We look forward to working with classes in each of the participating schools, drawing on their creativity, curiosity and insight, that will eventually lead to the publication of a unique glossary of contemporary art.”

The publication of new art terms developed by the participating school pupils will be published by EVA International in Autumn 2019 and will feature a foreword by award-winning Limerick author, Kevin Barry.