Waterford Youth Arts
Upcoming & Recent Events
National DrawingDay
With Waterford Youth Arts
2026
Margaret Anne is an illustrator, author and lecturer. Her solo exhibition, ‘Home Is Where the Heart Is’ (pop-up birdhouses narrating her immigrant experience) has been exhibited across the island of Ireland. Her illustration work has been selected for the Bratislava Illustration Biennial, the Golden Pen of Belgrade and she has been nominated for the Yoto Carnegie Medal in Illustration. Her work reflects themes of migration, belonging and nature.
Mags is a member of Illustrators Ireland and organises the Silent Book Collections for IBBY Ireland. Her illustration work is held in the National Library. She can usually be found scribbling in a sketchbook.
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About the workshop
Here’s a great way to kick start your creativity! Join illustrator Margaret Anne Suggs for a rousing few games of Exquisite Corpse and The Moving Still Life. Around for a century ago, the Dadaists started the parlour game, ‘Exquisite Corpse’, as a way to connect, collaborate and be inspired. Artists take turns drawing heads/tops, bodies/middles and feet/bottoms on folded paper without viewing the drawing previous to theirs. When the paper is unfolded, the Exquisite Corps is revealed! ‘The Moving Still Life’ is a similarly interactive game where artists sit in a circle and are invited to draw part of a ‘still life’ in the centre – until the bell rings, and then they have to move one seat to the left and continue drawing on someone else’s easel. We will have paints, pastels markers and crayons for you to experiment with and enjoy. It’s all a bit of fun but you’ll be surprised how much drawing you’ll get done.
Come celebrate our first National Drawing Day with Waterford Youth Arts! We’re excited to invite you to a free illustration workshop with the wonderful Margaret Anne Suggs. All materials will be supplied, so just bring your creativity! Make sure to reserve your spot – we can’t wait to see you there!
Date: May 14th (Thursday)
Times: 4.00-4.45 (7-12YRS) & 5.00-5.45 (13-19YRS)
Venue: Waterford Youth Arts
Fee: Free - booking essential
Living Art Project
Living Art is a multidisciplinary art project that invites young people to step into the world of the old masters and reimagine classics. Working collaboratively, participants explore painting, sculpture, performance, and mixed media, learning how different art forms can support and enhance each other.
Working alongside a professional creative, they gain insight into the world of making. Using found materials—discarded objects, recycled textures, and everyday items—we will transform the familiar into something unexpected. The emphasis is not on perfect replication, but on reinterpretation, imagination, and experimentation!
Youth-led creativity sits at the heart of the project. Young people share ideas, problem-solve together, and contribute to collective artworks that reflect a blend of perspectives. Through this process, they build not only artistic skills but also communication, adaptability, confidence and agency and a sense of shared ownership.
Connecting historical art with contemporary making, this project will bridge the past and present. It empowers participants to see themselves as creators within an ongoing artistic tradition—one that is constantly evolving, shaped by new voices, materials, and ways of seeing the world.
The project will finish with a public showing at Waterford Gallery on 6 June as part of Cruinniú na nÓg.
Meet The Makers
Sinéad Hourigan
Sinéad Hourigan is a theatre maker with a BA in Theatre and Drama Studies in the South East. She has been a drama tutor with Waterford Youth Arts for the past 4 years and takes on multiple jobs during the yearly shows.
Sinéad plays a big role in bringing NT Connections to life and recently both directed and designed The Animals which was performed both in Garter Lane, Waterford and The Lyric, Belfast. In her Drama workshops, Sinéad facilitates a safe environment for members to express themselves through acting, designing and creating art. Members explore and learn through games, script reading, improv and scene work. They also get the opportunity to explore theatre by attending productions by other youth groups as well as professional companies.
Cassie Kirby
Cassie Kirby is a Professional Artist based in the South East. She has a Ba (hons) Degree in Visual Arts which allowed her to become proficient in not only Fine Art but also in Graphic Design.
Cassie was the recipient of the Cork Printmakers Bursary Award having been shortlisted by both SETU and Cork Printmakers. Cassie was also awarded the Axa Insurance Award for drawing by the Royal Hibernian Academy. Cassie completed a higher diploma in Film and Television Production in 2023, making two award winning Irish language films, one of which was chosen to be shown at DIFF 2025. Cassie works from her studio creating work that has been shown in both prestigious Irish and International exhibitions. Cassie has a passion for passing on her multidisciplinary skills to the next generation in a fun and engaging way.
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The youngest literary festival in Ireland's oldest city
The Lit Festival Waterford 9–11 October 2026 | Waterford City, Ireland
The Lit Festival is Europe's first festival of reading and writing organised by young people, for young people. Based in Waterford City, Ireland, The Lit empowers young leaders to take the reins — co-organising events, curating workshops, showcasing creative work, and connecting with world-class writers and artists.
From Q&As and meet-and-greets to performance showcases and networking sessions, The Lit offers something for every young creative. With 80+ young leaders nurtured, 100+ professional creatives platformed, and 5,000+ young people directly impacted, this festival is a landmark event in Ireland's cultural calendar.
Visit: www.thelit.org
Waterford Youth Arts works with children and young people across a range of art forms; dance, youth theatre, drama, film, creative writing, visual art and street spectacle.
Activities are programmed as terms, 3 each year (Jan – April / April - June and Sept - Dec), which tend to run in 9-week cycles during late afternoons, evenings and at weekends.
If you know someone in this age range who would love to learn about the art world while making new friends and doing something new, this is a great opportunity for them. No experience is necessary to get started and we have an open-door policy so anyone can get involved.
At WYA, safety is paramount, and while your young artists are involved in one of their workshops, you can be certain that they are learning in a safe and secure environment as all WYA staff and volunteers have been Garda Vetted and undergone child safety training.
Registrations fees range from Eur 49 - Eur 69 per term. Bookings can be made online through
waterfordyoutharts.eventbrite.ie or over the phone T. +353 51 879 377 (office hours) For more information, get in touch with us; see the workshops section on this website or get in touch with the team for any other information.