Creativity Meets Community: Traveller Arts in Tuam

Martina Passman and the Traveller Community in Tuam, Co Galway.

Funded by the Arts Council’s Artist in the Community Scheme Project Realisation Award

Creativity Meets Community: Traveller Arts in Tuam is a socially engaged arts project led by mixed media artist Martina Passman in collaboration with the Traveller community in Tuam. Rooted in visual art, storytelling, performance, and participatory practice, the initiative established the Brubhride Arts Hub as a permanent, Traveller-led creative space. Developed through an Artist in the Community Scheme Project Realisation Award awarded to Western Traveller & Intercultural Development and artist Martina Passman, the project engaged over 140 participants—from children aged eight to elders in their eighties—many of whom were experiencing structured creative practice for the first time. Through workshops, exhibitions, performances, and community events, the work centered Traveller voices, traditions, and contemporary expression within a supportive and culturally responsive environment.

Participants

The participants were members of the Traveller community in Tuam, including children, young people, adults, and elders. They came together through Brubhride, a local Traveller-led organisation committed to advocacy, education, and community development. Youth groups, Traveller women’s groups, elders, and community representatives all played an active role in shaping and participating in the programme.

The project was grounded in collaborative planning between the lead artist Martina, Brubhride staff and management, youth representatives, and members of the local Traveller community. This shared approach ensured that the programme responded directly to community interests, cultural traditions, and lived experiences.

Aims

The vision behind the project was to create an inclusive, culturally respectful arts space where Traveller creativity could flourish without barriers. It sought to:

• Build trust and meaningful relationships through long-term engagement
• Increase access to quality artistic experiences
• Support confidence, literacy, and self-expression
• Celebrate and document Traveller heritage, storytelling, and song
• Establish a permanent Traveller-led arts hub in Tuam

At its core, the project aimed to counteract the effects of historical marginalisation by creating visible, sustainable pathways for artistic participation and cultural recognition.

Methods

The project adopted a participatory, dialogical methodology rooted in socially engaged practice. Workshops were delivered in accessible formats, responsive to literacy levels and family commitments. Sessions combined demonstration, hands-on experimentation, storytelling circles, and collaborative making.

Artistic disciplines included:

• Printmaking and etching
• Watercolour painting
• Woodblock printing using archival materials from the Tuam Herald
• Screen-printing
• Mural creation
• Storytelling and song development
• Acting workshops led by John Connors, well known Irish actor and Traveller activist
• Literacy workshops

Participants also engaged with professional arts environments through gallery visits and festival participation, broadening their understanding of creative pathways.

Artistic Outputs

The project generated a substantial body of creative work across disciplines:

• Professionally framed print and etching exhibitions shown locally
• Watercolour exhibitions presented during Brubhride open days and community fairs
• Original storytelling and song performances presented at the Cúirt International Festival of Literature in Galway—the first contribution from the Tuam Traveller community to this national platform
• A collaborative Memory Tree mural, created by Brubhride Youth members, symbolising belonging and collective identity
• Screen-printed T-shirts, including one award-winning environmental design
• Documented oral histories from elder women on a bus trip, archived within the Arts Hub library
• Youth artwork selected for exhibition at the Hugh Lane Gallery in 2025

These outputs positioned participants not only as learners but as exhibiting artists and cultural contributors.

Evaluation Methodology

Evaluation was embedded throughout the process and included:

• Ongoing reflective conversations with participants
• Recorded testimonials and participant feedback
• Attendance tracking across more than fifty workshops and events
• Observation of skills development and confidence growth
• Community review meetings with Brubhride staff and youth representatives

Qualitative feedback highlighted increased confidence, pride in cultural identity, and a sense of achievement—particularly among participants who presented work publicly for the first time. One participant, Bridget Ward, took part in the Misleoir Thari (Traveller Talk) workshops at the beginning of the project, where she shared stories from her lived experiences in the Traveller community. The workshops helped build her confidence to write her first story, which she later read publicly at the Cúirt International Festival of Literature in Galway.

Bridget also used books in the new Arts Hub Library to develop her reading and writing skills. She reflected:

“I never in my life thought I could write a story, never mind read it publicly. I didn’t think people would be interested, but they are.”

Outcomes

The outcomes of the project were artistic, social, and structural:

• Establishment of the first permanent Traveller-led Arts Hub in Tuam
• Increased creative confidence across generations
• Strengthened cross-community relationships through collaborative workshops with Traveller women and women from Tuam town
• Development of literacy, presentation skills, and cultural pride
• Progression pathways for emerging artists

Notably, young participants such as Ella Ward progressed to creating an independent film, securing grants and public screenings in Galway and at the Hugh Lane Gallery, Dublin, while Dean Ward secured a college place to pursue Film Production and Drama. Ella said,

‘I would have never known about the creative opportunities available to me if I hadn’t been involved in the AIC scheme workshops, I can’t believe I’ve actually made a film and people like it too’

Beyond individual achievements, the project fostered long-term cultural infrastructure. The Arts Hub continues to host workshops, exhibitions, open mic nights, film screenings, music and circus classes, science events, artist talks, annual markets and more.

Documentation and Dissemination

Project activities were documented through photography, recorded storytelling sessions, and archival materials housed within the Brubhride Arts Hub library. Public dissemination included exhibitions, festival participation, community open days, media coverage and gallery showcases in both Tuam and Dublin, and an Instagram page: @tuam_arts_hub_brubhride

The continued programming of the Brubhride Arts Hub serves as an ongoing living archive of the initiative, ensuring that Traveller voices remain visible within Ireland’s contemporary cultural landscape.

Through sustained collaboration, cultural sensitivity, and shared ownership, Creativity Meets Community: Traveller Arts in Tuam demonstrates how socially engaged arts practice can build trust, nurture talent, and create lasting community infrastructure. The project is a testament to the transformative power of art when rooted in respect, partnership, and collective vision.