Mayo children to launch their own book celebrating Traveller culture and identity
A BOOK celebrating Traveller identity and ethnicity has been published by Kids’ Own in partnership with the National Museum of Ireland - Country Life and Scoil Íosa and Involve Youth Project, Ballina.
The book, entitled This Giant Tent, will be launched tomorrow (Friday) at the National Museum of Ireland – Country Life, Turlough Park, Castlebar.
Developed in response to Travellers’ Journey, a temporary exhibition currently on display at the museum, the book gives voice and expression to children from Scoil Íosa and Involve Youth Project who participated in an eight-week creative process alongside Sligo-based writer Mary Branley and Mayo-based artist Cas McCarthy.
This Giant Tent is a large-format publication offering an insightful and visually rich collection of the children’s work. It is a unique publication that explores Traveller and other ethnic identities from the child’s perspective.
This is the latest in a range of books by Kids’ Own exploring Traveller culture themes, but the first since the ethnic status of Travellers was recognised in Ireland in 2017.
The book, which aims to reach an audience of children all over Ireland, contains a blend of artwork inspired by the Travellers’ Journey exhibition, conversations with exhibiting artist Leanne McDonagh (1990-) and the artwork of Michel Basquiat (1960-1987) and Joseph Cornell (1903-1972), as well as stories and personal reflections developed through dialogues with the writer and artist.
The project was managed by Sligo-based children’s arts organisation and publishing house, Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership, in collaboration with the National Museum of Ireland, Involve, and Scoil Íosa.
Jo Holmwood, acting director of Kids’ Own, explained: “As Ireland’s only dedicated publisher of books by children for children, Kids’ Own’s work is about supporting children to be seen and heard within our society and culture.
“This partnership has offered us a unique opportunity to engage children from both Traveller and settled communities in a shared dialogue and creative process that explores broader questions of identity and culture.
“The work produced in the book is a truly exceptional manifestation of their responses – colourful, insightful, skilled and true to themselves. Our work is about raising the status of children’s artwork and writing, and we can’t wait to share this book with a wider audience.”
Lynn Scarff, director, National Museum of Ireland, added: “This is a wonderful book that has come from a great partnership of organisations and most crucially gives voice to under-represented young people in our community.
“We are honoured in the National Museum of Ireland to have had the opportunity to work with these young people and see their own interpretation of our exhibition Travellers’ Journey.”
David Stanton, Minister of State at the Department of Justice and Equality, which was one of the funders of this project, will launch the book at 9 a.m. tomorrow morning.
He said: “This book is a remarkable and unique piece of work, with the spotlight shining on the children’s work. It is heartening to see how children from a diverse range of backgrounds can enjoy and appreciate Traveller culture. I hope that many more will be able to get value and benefit from the Travellers’ Journey exhibition through the publication of This Giant Tent. Congratulations to all involved in this superb project.”
The book will be disseminated through the National Museum of Ireland, education networks, and is also available from the Kids’ Own website at www.kidsown.ie/shop. The project was generously funded by the Department of Justice and Equality, the National Museum of Ireland, the Community Foundation of Ireland, and the Social Inclusion Community Activation Programme.