The exhibition was an opportunity for the young people we have been supporting to complete their Duke of Edinburgh, to show people what they had achieved as part of the skill element of the award.
It was so wonderful to see the culmination of months of work on display, but what was even more impressive for me was to witness the young people step into the Gallery, be handed a class of bubbly, be treated with such respect and be met with such an amazing display of their art work presented beautifully in a public setting. The gallery houses an array of work by local artists so it meant so much to this group of young artists to have their work displayed in the same establishment.
One of the young men, Oliver made a speech on behalf of the group. It was very impressive to see Bobby, a member of staff from MacIntyre’s LifeLong Learning team, introduce Oliver and then very subtly support him to make this speech. Oliver was very confident but, given this was not an everyday occurrence, he looked to Bobby for reassurance as he set off on his speech. Bobby had a great warmth about her that made everyone feel at ease and this supported Oliver to take centre stage. In the brief moments Oliver paused during his speech, he looked across to Sharon, another member of the team, who was stood, listening to Oliver, as part of the gathered audience. Sharon supported him from a distance, using good facial expression and body language to encourage him to continue and assure him he was doing well.
As well as seeing the young people, or artists I should say, really enjoy the evening and revelling in the limelight, I saw family members really surprised by what they saw. There was such professionalism to everything and it was a real credit to everyone involved. It’s an experience I am sure they will all remember.
The Mayor made some fabulous comments about what the Gallery means to the community and was so complimentary about what the staff team and the young people have achieved. I could see this was all possible because of the mutual respect and the Great Interactions between all concerned.
I’m really looking forward to the next exhibition so I shall start saving some money for a purchase! Every piece of the young artists’ work has sold.
Anna O’Mahony
Head of operations (North)