In the media

'Migrant artists don’t need to be invited as the exotic guest of the day'

Gemma Tipton, 17th April 2021

“Life happens between our plans,” says Elena Cristofanon, whose latest project, Contatto, shares the words and stories of a new generation of artists in Ireland. For centuries, the Irish experience of multiculturalism mostly took place abroad. Sometimes we assimilated; on other occasions we established deliberately green enclaves. But it has never been binary: all contact generates change, from subtle to seismic.

A conversation with Francesca La Morgia of Mother Tongues Festival

Francesca La Morgia, originally from Italy, has been involved in a range of community projects primarily with migrant families in Ireland and in the UK for a number of years. In 2017, she created Mother Tongues, a non-profit organisation that aims to support migrant families in raising
children with two or more languages. Francesca is the curator of the Mother Tongues Festival, the only festival in Ireland that focuses on multilingualism. Francesca is an alumna of the second Artist in the Community Scheme Summer School on Cultural Diversity and Collaborative Practice (2019), offered by Create in partnership with UKbased Counterpoints Arts. Following her time at the Summer
School, Francesca met with Create’s Cultural Diversity Researcher Evgeny Shtorn as part of his work platforming diverse voices.

Other Achievements

Contatto featured in the Dublin Arts and Human Rights Festival 2023

Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality and Front Line Defenders

Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality and Front Line Defenders, and a range of partners, present the fifth annual, international Dublin Arts and Human Rights Festival from the 13 to 22 October 2023. The festival features exciting and innovative events that promote equality, human rights and diversity through the arts. The aim of the festival is to showcase and highlight the extraordinary work of human rights defenders in Ireland and around the world, past and present, and the role of the arts and artists in promoting human rights today.

The artistic curator for the festival is Mary Moynihan, Artistic Director, Smashing Times and the human rights curator is Laura O’Leary, International Events and Promotions Coordinator, Front Line Defenders. The festival is supported by The Arts Council of Ireland.

The festival promotes human rights and justice for all, and the vision of a world where all people are treated equally, with dignity and respect – linking the arts to civil society, active citizenship and politics.

The festival showcases world-class and diverse acts, artists and speakers and it brings arts and human rights together.

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If you work in the Arts in Ireland and are an Irish person with a diverse background or a citizen of another country and would like to share your story with us, you can request an interview.
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