Community Arts Partnership and the Rural Housing Association invite Fermanagh residents to “The Good Room”, an exhibition of the Brilliant Resilience project, at Fermanagh House in Enniskillen.

The exhibition will open on Culture Night, September 17 from 6:30-9:30 pm with a short presentation at 7.30pm. The exhibition will continue at Fermanagh House until the end of September; it will then travel to the Newtownbutler Community Centre and Drumhaw Fold.

There will be a second day of showings for groups involved in the exhibition on Saturday in order to manage restricted numbers. Local groups involved over the past three months include Teemore Women’s Group, Westend Community Centre, Wark Hall (Belleek), Cherish, Newtownbutler Community Centre, B-Friend Club Fermanagh, Drumhaw Fold, Fresh Focus Day Centre as well as individuals from across the County.

The exhibition features locally created crochet arts, stories and photography made by older Fermanagh residents, carers and friends over the past four months. The exhibition tells a story of this unique period in our lives where for the past year and a half our lives been centred at home with our precious and vulnerable shielded, often behind glass or perspex. It comments on our experiences of what life was life during lockdown and Covid, its challenges and loss. We show how we have managed to come through this period by re-connecting with one another through conversation and the arts and, in spite of the great difficulties, we remain.

Stephen Fisher, CEO of Rural Housing Association said: “Rural Housing Association would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Department for Communities, the Prince’s Countryside Fund and the Community Foundation NI for the funding provided to enable us to run The Brilliant Resilience project in Fermanagh. This project has helped reconnect rural communities after an extremely challenging period of lockdown restrictions, when many living in rural areas were impacted by feelings of social isolation and loneliness. By bringing people together again we can help build resilience and create more connected and vibrant rural communities.”

Conor Shields, CEO of Community Arts Partnership said: “Some five years ago Community Arts Partnership published a research detailing the particular challenges facing our rural communities across Northern Ireland. Since then we have sought to extend our creative partnerships in rural areas. 

"Brilliant Resilience represents a year of consultation and coordination with our delivery partners the Rural Housing Association and we are delighted to see the launch finally come to fruition. Our rural communities, so often isolated from lots of mainstream culture activity, have taken this opportunity to their hearts. We hope communities, not only in Fermanagh but across The North appreciate the tremendous work that these community groups have undertaken and the beautiful outcomes that they have achieved. 

"I’d like to thank not only our funders but our facilitators and coordinators for their tremendous efforts during such challenging times.”

The exhibition was created by Fermanagh residents in collaboration with Rural Housing Association and Community Arts Partnership. Community Arts Partnership received support for this project from the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland through the Community Arts, Culture & Heritage Fund, as well as the Department for Communities. Rural Housing Association received support for this project from the Prince’s Countryside Fund.