DoubleTAKE Artist Studio holds its first major public exhibition, INDEPENDENCE.

The group exhibition celebrates the creativity of 70 artists with disabilities who took as their inspiration the idea of independence arising from the 2016 centenary events.

Established on 2010 the studio is an important resource for individual artists with disabilities from across the county and beyond. Three professional artist mentors support the creative development of the artist members who attend the studio on a weekly basis.

Barriers to participation are many, and not always visible, but through supported engagement with the DoubleTAKE studio the artists who attend have given the viewer a rare opportunity through the images within these pages to witness lives, stories and experiences that have previously remained unseen. Not only does this important body of work expand the dialogue about our perceptions of artistic practice it also demonstrates that these artists and this studio are a vibrant and vital part of the Irish cultural landscape.– Rowena Keaveny, Artist and Art Therapist – Forward to Journey’s to Independence

The exhibition sees the launch of a book Journey’s to Independence profiling the work of the individual artists and demonstrating the continuing need to integrate people with disabilities in our wider artistic culture.