‘Moving Canvas’ exhibition launches at Strule Arts Centre, Omagh

Moving Canvas is a unique initiative designed and curated by Noelle McAlinden, a well known artist, educator and activist from Co. Fermanagh, on behalf of the NI Mental Health Arts Festival 2024. The free exhibition, which launched at the Strule Arts Centre, Omagh, on Thursday 9th May, is on display until the 26th May and it showcases the work of seven artists who have used a positive mental health and wellbeing experience to inspire their creations which are linked to the festival’s 2024 theme, ‘Pause’.

The NI Mental Health Arts Festival, now in its tenth year, challenges the stigma associated with talking about mental health and wellbeing. It highlights the significance of creativity, self-expression, and the arts as a support for positive mental health and wellbeing.

To create Moving Canvas, seven artists from or based in the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council area were invited to participate in a series of conversations, experiences and opportunities to pause and reflect on their own creative practice.

From November 2023 to March 2024, the seven artists; Victoria Geelan, Sheila Llewellyn, Séamas Mac Annaidh, Julie Murphy, Rory O Loughlin, Kate O Shea and Margaret Stack, were invited to join a series of virtual conversations, before meeting together for the first time at Enniskillen Castle Museums. The group participated in a range of activities, including a visit to a renowned Fermanagh artist’s solo exhibition, ‘Coloured Thoughts’ by Mavis Thomson. The visit to this exhibition provided a starting point for discussion and reflection on their own practice.

Other activities to help inspire Moving Canvas, included boat trip excursions with Erne Water Taxi and Blue Green Yonder to experience the benefits of nature and water on mental health and wellbeing. The request was to be present to the experiences and potentially see this as a form of stimulus for their future practice.

Commenting at the Moving Canvas launch event, Chair of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, Councillor, Thomas O’Reilly, said,
“Fermanagh and Omagh District Council is committed to promoting the arts and ensuring it is accessible to all. I am pleased that we have venues, such as the Strule Arts Centre, to host exhibitions by locals and visitors so everyone can experience, learn and be inspired by arts.

I would like to commend each of the Moving Canvas artists on their work that is inspired by positive mental health and wellbeing activities in the Fermanagh and Omagh District Area. The theme of the NI Mental Health Arts Festival 2024 is ‘pause’ and I would encourage everyone to pause and take time to visit this exhibition while it is on display in the Strule Arts Centre.”

Curator/Founder of Moving Canvas and Chair of NI Mental Health Arts Festival, Noelle McAlinden commented on the whole experience to develop Moving Canvas, saying,

“Moving Canvas has evolved significantly as a unique concept and initiative. Curated on behalf of the NI Mental Health Arts Festival, it connected artists and artforms who have now become a community and it exceeded all our expectations. The friendships which have evolved are so precious as well as the confidence and trust in sharing ideas with each other.

The mutual encouragement, support and cross fertilisation of ideas has stimulated further explorations of individual and collective artforms, resulting in this exhibition, which celebrates the NI Mental Health Arts Festival.”

Noelle went on to thank everyone for their contributions, saying,

“It has been a privilege to work alongside all participating artists on their creative voyage. I look forward with relish to seeing what continues to emerge in this community of artists and their creative impact upon our arts and cultural communities of interest and place.

We are indebted to the Arts Council of NI for their support and all of our funders and festival partners, including, The Baring Foundation, Mental Health Foundation, Fermanagh & Omagh District Council, Enniskillen Castle Museums, Strule Arts Centre, Blue Green Yonder, Erne Water Taxi and VideoDrone.”