For the 10 artists and their mentors taking part in this year’s Connecting Artists Programme and Collective, the exhibition week they have been waiting for has finally arrived.

Connections Arts Centre (CAC) is a not-for-profit social enterprise supporting neurodivergent adults and adults with intellectual disabilities in Ireland.

The organisation exists to enhance inclusivity and empowerment by tackling inequalities faced by individuals with disabilities through the provision of accessible, innovative training, arts, and community education programmes.

These specialised programmes cater to and support diverse learning requirements, ensuring that barriers to inclusion and participation for those differently abled in the community are overcome.

The national annual initiative designed by CAC pairs artists who are neurodivergent or have an intellectual disability with mentors, nurturing their creative development and visibility.

Last November, there was a callout for artists. Once selected, the programme began in March, with a weekly Zoom call, focused on art techniques and styles.

The programme culminates in the Connecting Artists 2025 Exhibition in Dublin which is being run this week (16-19 July) at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI). Visitors can explore the artwork, attend talks and live art demonstrations, and meet the artists. Original pieces and art cards will also be available for purchase.

“The support we get from local people is amazing, but we need to get more sponsorship, we need to be able to support the artists and to be able to grow,” says Deirdre Kennelly from Connection Arts Centre.

“I volunteer and love working with my artists, but there are other amazing artists around the country and I would love to see them hold exhibitions around their local towns.”

Irish Country Living spoke to some of the artists and mentors on this year’s programme, who highlighted the importance of giving artists a voice and building up their confidence to pursue a career in art.

Bearnard Durnin

From a dairy farm in Ardee, Co Louth Bearnard Durnin decided a long time ago he wasn’t going to be a farmer. Getting a call from the Irish Farmers Journal, he was worried that ‘we thought he was going to take over the farm’.

From a young age, Bearnard struggled in school and, according to his mum Anne-Marie, found sketching an escape.

“The Connection Art Centre is great, because being on the autistic spectrum like Bearnard, he does find communication difficult. From a very young age, he started drawing a lot from memory. He struggled with the usual things at school. He was always sketching, but it wasn’t noted in our education system as a skill,” explains Anne-Marie.

When he left secondary school, Bearnard went on to complete a FETAC Level 5 course in art and design.

“It’s always been vehicles, dinosaurs, superheroes and movies that he takes inspiration from. We wanted to find someone who could bring Bearnard along, as I knew his artwork was good. I contacted a local artist, Susan Farrelly, whom he now attends weekly,” says Anne-Marie.

Susan encouraged him to take part in the programme this year and put some of his paintings forward for selection.

“For Bearnard, he has now connected with other artists of all different styles. During the 10-week programme, he has seen different techniques and met artists from previous years. I don’t think it has hit Bearnard yet, but the fact he has a painting in an exhibition in the RCSI will definitely show people what he can do,” says Anne-Marie.

According to his mum, without connection arts, Bearnard would still be at home sketching and painting.

“I know myself I wouldn’t have any idea of where to go. It’s recognition after many years, of sketching, painting and developing his ideas, as he is now 33.”

On the day Bearnard is doing a workshop on how to draw a Land Rover, he comes to life when he is talking about something he is passionate about.

“Some folks years ago owned a Rover car company in the 40s, and one guy was fascinated by a jeep that was developed in World War 2.

“The war devastated the Rover car company, and the man sketched a drawing and came up with his design, and that’s where the Land Rover began. One man’s fascination with another man’s creation,” says Bearnard.

Claudia Williams

Claudia Williams is 23 and lives with her grandparents, mum and sister in Newport, Co Tipperary. Originally from Limerick, she has been selected to exhibit her work at the exhibition.

“It will be nice to get to see everyone in person and meet my mentor, Jennifer. She was good at giving advice and very helpful. My interest in art started from horror movies at the age of 13. I enjoyed watching the behind-the-scenes and special effects part.

“I did art for the Junior Cert but I didn’t do it after as I needed a second language. I was still doing it in my spare time, and it picked up a lot during COVID-19, as I had more time to invest in it,” she says.

She kept doing a drawing every day, which helped improve her skills, along with learning about other art styles.

“The programme was really good; it helps with confidence for sure, as I never expected to see my art on display. I think it is going to be an adrenaline rush. The staff are so supportive, you can’t not get a confidence boost from it,” she explains.,

The group have been sending each other sneak peeks of their work, but Claudia is looking forward to seeing everyone’s work on display at the exhibition.

Jennifer Humphreys

Claudia’s mentor and 2023 participant of the programme is Cork native Jennifer Humphreys. She got involved in the programme when she was doing art studies at third level.

“In this day and age, you are paying so much money for a degree and don’t know what direction it will take you in. A good friend of mine who had been on the programme before said to me, ‘You would be great for doing the programme as you’re good at advocating for yourself and others’. Ever since then, it has been a rollercoaster of emotions to get to where I am,” says Jennifer.

She is now a mentor and has enjoyed supporting Claudia on her journey.

“At first, I was nervous mentoring someone I didn’t know, but we connected from the very first Zoom. She was so positive, and it clicked for me that she was like me when I started my journey,” says Jennifer.

“I didn’t want to rush her and put pressure on her because I know how it feels to have a deadline.”

Jennifer could see that Claudia was so passionate about what she wanted to draw, and she provided a listening ear for her to talk about her struggles and how she found it hard to paint something different.

“The importance of the programme is inclusion and gaining the confidence to go out on your own, and for employment or more art exhibitions, it opens more doors. It’s giving people a voice behind their art.

“The future for me is to keep advocating for people that feel like they don’t have a voice,” says Jennifer.