Arts
Eco-social artist, researcher and educator, Dr Cathy Fitzgerald, talks of how her ongoing (since 2008) eco-social art practice, The Hollywood Forest Story, and how it helped her develop ecoliteracy and agency to promote new-to-Ireland permanent forestry from her small forest in rural South County Carlow, Ireland. As her practice developed over the last decade, and with insights from working previously to provide professional developments supports through Arts Offices in the South East of Ireland, Cathy became acutely aware of the absence of arts policy, strategy and educational supports for creative workers to engage effectively with the unfolding eco-social emergencies. In recent years, Cathy reviewed overseas art and sustainbility programmes and cultural policy research (Fitzgerald, 2017) to identify that culture, which includes the arts, is the overlooked 4th Pillar of Sustainability. Cathy's research reveals that Ireland's cultural sector at present, is not activated or supported for its potential to provide locally relevant and inclusive means to help communities across Ireland reflect and envision more life-sustaining ways of living. ________ Cultural Climates: This seminar emerges from research, teaching and public engagement events in the areas of Irish Studies, Art, Geography and socially-engaged research developed between Dr Nessa Cronin at NUI Galway and Professor Karen E. Till and Professor Gerry Kearns at Maynooth University since 2012. Supported by: Centre for Irish Studies, Moore Institute, and the Research Support Scheme, CASSCS, NUI Galway ahead of the EUGEO International Conference and the Conference of Irish Geographers 2019.