As part of the development of a Permanent Cork LGBT Exhibition at Cork Public Museum, Creative Communities funding will support a community‑led co‑design process with Cork LGBT Archive staff and volunteers.

Led by exhibition designer Darren O’Connor, this funded phase focuses specifically on a series of structured co‑design workshops that place community voices at the heart of how Cork’s LGBT history is represented in a public museum setting. Drawing on the Archive’s extensive collections and lived experience, participants will work collaboratively to explore exhibition themes, layout ideas and interpretive approaches.

Through these workshops, volunteers will engage in an iterative design process, using discussion, spatial thinking and visual tools to shape how stories are told, how visitors move through the space and how the exhibition reflects the diversity of Cork’s LGBT community. Darren O’Connor’s expertise in spatial and exhibition design will support the translation of community ideas into clear, practical design proposals and visualisations.

This Creative Communities‑funded element strengthens community ownership of the project, ensuring that the exhibition is shaped with the people whose history it represents. It supports Creative Ireland goals to tell our own stories, enrich sense of place and promote wellbeing through meaningful creative engagement, while laying strong foundations for the wider exhibition project at Cork Public Museum.

Please note that the details of events listed above are provided by the relevant Local Authorities.