about us

About Practice.ie

Practice.ie is the website of the first professional network in Ireland for artists working with children and young people and was developed by Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership in 2008.

Since then, Practice.ie has grown as a national resource and support structure for artists working with children and young people, and has over 400 members nationwide.

Practice.ie is an online collaborative space that provides an interactive platform for artists to connect, share and make visible their work with children and young people. As a user-driven resource it allows artists to create their own content and share the learning that they feel is most relevant to the wider community.

Practice.ie also aims to validate and raise the profile of arts practice with children and young people by showcasing projects that represent best practice within the sector; featuring interviews with key pracitioners; and containing essays and articles of note that bear relevance to current contemporary practice.

Practice.ie is guided by the following principles:

• Belief in the inherent importance and value of arts practice in the lives of children and young people;
• Belief in the value of reflective approaches to inform ongoing professional learning;
• Belief in the value of peer support as a means of reducing isolation and sharing approaches and practices;
• Belief in the importance of the artistic process within artists’ engagement with children and young people;
• Belief in the value of equal relationships within participatory projects;


Ways in which Practice.ie can support your work:

Your profile:

As a member of Practice.ie your profile page provides a unique space where you can upload your projects, images, videos and blog posts. By sharing basic information about your art form(s), location and working context, this enables other members to find you and connect with you.

Sector news and information:

The Guest Editors and Practice.ie team also curate and develop content on Practice.ie that bears relevance to the ongoing practice of artists working with children and young people, through news items, essays, articles and discussions.

Case studies of best practice:

Our Guest Editors also conduct interviews with practitioners and create project features, which aim to showcase the very best of current contemporary practice between artists and children and young people.

Practice.ie Newsletter:

On a monthly basis, we issue a newsletter to subscribers with notices about current activity on Practice.ie, upcoming events, opportunities and special features.

Practice.ie professional learning events:

Over the past 4 years, the Practice.ie professional network has been building from the ground up. We have toured nationwide in partnership with many local authority arts offices and arts organisations, to connect with artists at local and regional level, to find out more about the needs and issues affecting artists and to provide a space for connection and professional learning.

The Practice Journal:

In 2009, we published the first issue of the Practice Journal, which is an annual publication that promotes and celebrates the very best of professional arts practice with children and young people in Ireland and beyond.

If you are an artist and you want to get involved:

Register as a member of Practice.ie, log-in and submit your work. Please note the Terms & Conditions for membership and posting.