April 24th, 2026:
Clooney National School in Co Care, together with CÚRAM and local artist and educator Evelyn Sorohan, are delighted to present a series of wildlife artworks that inspire and raise awareness of the importance of protecting our environment.
The project began with the delivery of art and science workshops by Ms Sorohan and researchers at CÚRAM and culminated in the co-creation of four artworks of local wildlife made of plastic waste collected by the students and from CÚRAM’s laboratory.
CÚRAM, while researching ways to improve the lives of people living with long term illnesses, places a huge emphasis on sustainability and was the first laboratory in Europe to be awarded Green Lab certification for their efforts to reduce waste and energy consumption.
The theme of sustainability, protecting wildlife and the environment through reducing our plastic usage was at the heart of the workshops. Researchers also worked with students to help them to gain an appreciation of the value of marine organisms in medical applications and deepen their awareness of the systemic challenges around plastic that threaten the environment.
Following the workshops, one of the students commented “Plastics can be good for long term use items but they aren’t good for one off things. They take too long to break down, and event then they break into tiny pieces that our fish and wildlife eat and that’s not good”. Another student, who experimented with making plastic from curdled milk at home following the workshops commented ” We need to invent different materials to plastics for packinging and bottles”.
Inspired by the workshops, Evelyn and the students planned and designed a series of large-scale artworks for display outside the school. Together, the children chose the theme of local wildlife, feeling very lucky to live in Clooney surrounded by nature. After sketching and voting on their favourite ideas, they used the collected plastic waste to create four large outdoor collage pieces: the red squirrel, the robin, the goldfinch and the fox.
The striking artworks, which are now mounted proudly on the entrance walls of the school, have already brought great colour, pride and joy to the school and have been widely admired by students, parents and the wider community.
Over the five weeks it took to build the artworks, students became aware of their locality and its link to scientific achievements, conservation, and the role of the artist and scientist in their community. Through the cross-curricular co-creation process, the collaboration taught students that they do not have to choose between identifying as an ‘artist’ or a ‘scientist’ – they can be both!
The artworks were officially launched on the 21st of April at Clooney N.S. and celebrate creativity, environmental awareness, science learning and community spirit all coming together in one project.
