The successful re-introduction of an Artist in Residence to Naas General Hospital, which had been disbanded due the the pandemic, came about through the Creative Health and Wellbeing tri-County initiative 'Did I ever Tell You'. The artist in Question, John Conway spent a portion of 2024 and 2025 integrating his practice with teams in the 'End of Life' care services. This work has been very impactful and brought the artist to a pivotal moment in what it innovative, boundary pushing practice and research in the field of Arts and Health. For that reason Creative Communities Kildare and the Kildare County Arts Service are partnering to onward fund the residency through the end of 2025 and for the year of 2026.

The aspiration is that the success of John's programme will feed into strategy formation around retaining an Artistic Residency at the Hospital through local government partnership funding. This optimal outcome will be pursued through the reporting and showcasing of the efficacy and impact of the programme.

After a period of engagement with patients, John will work with his key partners to develop new and ambitious permanent artworks for the hospital setting which reflect the depth and richness of the work undertaken. Together they will work to support the development of a lasting artist in residence programme that will be leading in the field and pioneering in its ambition and commitment to artistic excellence.

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