In association with RehabCare Bruach and artist Colette Lewis.

Project supported by The Arts Councils Artist in the Community Scheme managed by CREATE.

dreamWorkers project participants included Christine Buckley, Tom Casey, Brian Coffey, Pat Harris, Kieran McCaffrey, Brian McDonald, William O Donovan, Paddy O Hagan, Joe Quigley and Mary Williamson.

dreamWorkers Art Project explores through a creative process the potential and possibility to create ones own vision, personal ambition and dream occupation. The project was initiated by artist Colette Lewis in a response to the closing of the last Sheltered Workshops in RehabCare in December 2008 and seeing it as an opportunity for service users to use a creative forum to reflect on the past and explore their own personal ambition and dream occupation.

The project was based in The Guesthouse Project Space on Chapel Street in Shandon, where a group of up to 10 participants met every week for 3 hours between May to November 2009. A wide range of subjects and issues where discussed and explored covering media analysis (newspaper, TV, film and internet) its representation of disability, arts and disability, history of sheltered work, current labour market, workers rights, personal ambition and dream occupation.

Participant’s feedback to the project has been very positive. For many they feel that it has given them the opportunity to try something new and a forum to express their views on different topics in current affairs and disability issues. In particular, individual experiences in relation to work and the challenges in current times that face people with disabilities to enter open employment. The project has also given participants the opportunity to meet and work in an arts space outside of the resource centre. dreamWorkers has been the first such community based project to take place in The Guesthouse and will hopefully be the beginning for similar projects in the future.

One of the main outcomes of the project has been to create a Photographic exhibition of portraits of RehabCare service users and staff holding a sign declaring their ‘dream occupation’. The project has been met with great enthusiasm with many people requesting to have their portrait made. In exchange for their portrait contributors to the exhibition receive a personalised dreamWorkers Photo ID card. The exhibition has been a wonderful opportunity for service users and staff to share their dreams and to discover new things about their colleagues.

RehabCare Bruach based in Bachelors Quay Cork provides a resource centre based service to people with disabilities. RehabCare is the provider of choice of person centred, health and social care services that facilitate people who are disadvantaged to participate in the life of their local community in ways that match their choices, aspirations and needs.