A heartwarming initiative by a Galway woman is giving artists with autism a voice at Ireland’s biggest craft and design fair this week.
Clothing and homeware makers Dyeboo takes paintings created by the artists and reproduces them in a ranges of t-shirts, tote bags, cushions and socks.
It is a brainchild of Salthill-native Cora Walsh whose son Conor is among the talented artists to have their work featured for the first time at Gifted in Dublin’s RDS, which began yesterday (Wednesday ). She named the company Dyeboo after a term which Conor, now aged 39, used as a child to express his joy at beautiful things.
“I came up with the concept after discovering there were limited platforms in which Conor could express himself through his artwork,” said Cora, who now lives in Cleveland, Ohio.
Many autistic people often experience sensory overload, so for them, the noise and crowds of a market or exhibition centre could be overwhelming and provide an obstacle to them displaying their work.
“We want to give autistic people a voice and a way for them to exhibit their huge talent which, like everyone else, they are entitled to do.” Essentially, the company bridges the worlds of art, creativity and autism advocacy.
Each artist is paid a commission when their art work is printed on products such as t-shirts , socks, and cushions.
If a design or artwork is printed on multiple products, the artist will receive more recognition and commission. Dyeboo is based in Templeogue and is run in Ireland by Cora’s niece Cathy McEvoy. Its collection at the five-day fair will also include a limited edition Christmas snowman t-shirt designed by 11 autistic children, in collaboration with Involve Autisim. Part of the proceeds from sales will go towards helping Involve Autism establish sport and art groups and organise support coffee mornings for the new parents of autistic children.
Full details and booking at www.giftedfair.ie More than €5 million is expected to be spent at the traditional opening to the festive season in Dublin, featuring over 400 designers, makers and artisan food producers.
