Update – 24th June 2021
Bere Island Women Create, have been announced as one of the recipients of funding from Create Ireland which is supported by the Arts Council . Bere Island Women Create were awarded €15000 to work with island based artist Mary Sullivan to complete work begun in 2020 on a collective quilt project and the exploration of personal stories and creativity held within quilt making. The group plan to hold an exhibition of their work later this year.
Separately the group were awarded €3500 from Cork County Council’s Creative Ireland Funding to produce an arts book based on their experiences of island life.
Background
In 2020 a group of Bere Island women came together online, under the guidance of island artist Mary Sullivan to create a patchwork quilt, with each woman making a patch based on what the island meant to them. The completed patches were then sewn together by Harriet Roche to form a quilt. The project proved to be such a success that the group decided to form an island women’s arts group – Bere Island Women Create – with a view to undertaking more arts projects and supporting island women in their creative endeavours. An online meeting was held and the following committee were elected:
Chairperson: Mary Mullins
Vice-chairperson: Mary Sullivan
Secretary: Deirdre McGuinness
Treasurers: Pauline Hanley and Catherine Sullivan
PRO: Harriet Roche
Bere Island Women Create is open to all women who are island residents and aged 18+. New members to the project are very welcome! To join the group please contact a member of the committee.