Youth Arts

Application’s for the Red Bird Youth Collective 2024 are now open!

Founded in 2011, Red Bird is proudly youth-led, with participants taking the reins on projects from start to finish. Every week, members dive into free workshops, honing their skills across a spectrum of art forms— from graphic novels, visual art and film to architecture, fashion, digital art, and more.

As a Red Bird member, you don’t just create; you gain hands-on experience in event management, curation, administration, and artistic development. It’s a transformative journey into the world of contemporary visual art in Ireland, offering a real taste of life as a professional artist.

This year’s group of Red Bird’s will be working with established artists Jojo Hynes and Taïm Haimet

Jojo Hynes is an accomplished artist, performer, and educator whose practice spans visual art, physical theatre, and digital arts. Her work delves into themes of power, place, myths, identity, and belonging, often linking art with social justice, politics, and alternative education. With over a decade of experience across England, Australia, and Ireland, Jojo is dedicated to fostering collaborative environments where participants can explore and express their voices through various artistic mediums.

Jojo holds an MA with Distinction in Fine Art from Kingston University, London, and has furthered her education with qualifications from Goldsmiths University, NCAD, and GMIT. She is also a Creative Associate with Creative Schools, a flagship initiative of the Creative Ireland Programme that nurtures the creative potential of every child.

In addition to her visual art practice, Jojo facilitates physical theatre workshops, drawing on her experience as a performer with Macnas and Earwig! Her multidisciplinary approach continues to inspire and engage communities.

Taïm Haimet is a visual artist based in Galway. Born in France of Syrian parents, her work explores the inheritance of a Middle Eastern identity deeply intertwined with a history of colonialism, perpetual war and loss. The question of where we place the notion ‘Sacred’ on what is lost, or on what is left _individually or collectively_ is at the heart of her research.

Drawing from Arab folklore, history, poetry and mysticism, she imagines ‘sacred spaces’ where these narratives can be honored symbolically and resonate with the contemporary world. Coming from a theatre background, her practice borrows its codes in the staging of space and narrative, and the importance given to the human voice as a medium in and of itself. Her questioning is often conveyed in narrative-based installations expressed through sculpture, video and sound.

She completed an Honours degree in Contemporary Art in 2023 and Master of Arts in Creative Practice at the ATU, Galway in 2024. She has won the 126 Gallery artist residency award 2023 and the 2023 RDS Visual Arts Awards.