Amber Spreads the Love at St Luke’s General Hospital in Kilkenny

Amber Women’s Refuge were delighted to recently partner with St Luke’s General Hospital, Carlow/Kilkenny to bring the LOVE installation to the hospital.

The LOVE star installation raises awareness around gender-based violence and was launched on August 4 during Kilkenny Arts Week and ran until November 22.

Star-weaving workshops were held on site at the hospital for staff and patients during Arts Week. Doctors, nurses, administration, and ambulance staff took time out to spend a few moments of mindfulness to weave an eight-pointed star for the project. Patients on the children’s ward also wove stars alongside their parents during a workshop that brought a welcome distraction and a little bit of fun and colour. The stars were tied to the LOVE installation after the workshops. 

Siobhan McQuillan, One Million Stars Ireland Project Lead, said: "This project encourages art for activism and social change. As reflective practitioners, art therapists can become social activists by learning how to bring voices through public art to the fore, so we can work together to advocate for change in our society. Art helps us manifest our power and our vision into something real. The stars have come to symbolise many things to many people."

Edelle Nolan, Arts Officer at SLGH, said the project was a welcome addition to our Arts programme at SLGH.

The One Million Stars Ireland project is an inclusive community arts project connecting communities across Ireland in solidarity against domestic, sexual and gender-based violence (DSGBV).