In remote desert Africa an English writer, Bruce Chatwin, meets an old woman. She takes out a tin containing family photographs and shows them to him. The woman treats the family photographs with such reverence as to make the writer think, “This is art”.

The French painter, Jean Dubuffet believed that older women were the most creative exponents in life. He believed that they see and watch over everything. These reflections inspired artist teacher Imelda Healy to undertake an art project together with her three groups of amateur artists from Merchants Quay, Parnell Street and Ringsend.

While rushing from one group to the other she had an idea for the groups to paint family portraits along with text of their personal stories. “I started planning the project two years ago and I called it “The River”, since it connects us all. The thought occured to me that particular Dubliners by the river don’t get a chance to be seen very much and so can feel excluded from the life of the city despite a noble history of belonging for many generations, those from the inner city and Ringsend especially”. Imelda’s three groups contain a diverse mix of people.
From Merchants Quay, caterers in a Franciscan friary; Parnell Street, a group of young adults on probation; and from Ringsend a group of senior citizens.

The exhibition took place in October at the Civic Offices, Wood Quay. Over 60 paintings were on display. Portraits of inner-city families by the Merchant Quay group; oil paintings of maritime scenes from the Ringsend senior citizens and collages and paintings from the Parnell Street group. A highlight of the show were the accompanying texts. “They were one of my favourite things,” says Imelda, “We had some printed in the writer’s original handwriting, including spelling errors. These printed originals communicated all the stronger”. Among them was the story of a mother who used to shoplift while dressed as a nun and was regarded proudly as the best shoplifter in Dublin. Most told of growing up in a different time, of raising and feeding large families, of trying to make ends meet. What was imparted in the texts were not memories sad and dispiriting, but memories fond and strong from a good natured and good humoured people.

After positive public response Imelda is looking into other possibilities for the project. “At the moment I am looking for funding for a book and there is some interest. We may also put the exhibition on in Ringsend and the Docks. The public response from the business and local communities was enormous according to staff at the Civic Offices”. In the end, though, it is about art. “The value of art for improving the quality of life was evident in that none of the inner city people who painted images of their families wanted to sell their pictures. This was a show about looking and feeling, not buying”.