The Crew
Artistic Director
William Frode de la Foret (pictured here with board member Eamonn) William is an undisciplined artist born in France, making art with people in various contexts since 1995. He has developed, directed and facilitated a number of arts programmes with Cork Community Art Link since 1993 including a 10-year programme in Our Lady’s psychiatric hospital Cork, and "What if" (whatif.ie) a programme exploring participatory public art practice. He has over 30 years experience in community street performance, including parades and street theatre shows and most recently The Dragon of Shandon Samhain Parade. His practice is shaped by his belief that the arts represent an infinite field of possibilities for people and cannot be reduced to academic, institutional and market driven conceptions and that everybody has the right to create art, to engage with the making of culture and its representation on one’s own terms. Email: [email protected] |
Assistant Art Director
Beibhinn O Callaghan With a background in fine art and drawing, Beibhinn started on a Community Employment Scheme in 2017 and found it was an amazing atmosphere to work in from the beginning. Over the years, she has been a crucial part of CCAL artistic programmes as her many talents shine through consistently. She is now Assistant Artistic Director, and we are lucky to have such creative, talented hands as part of our core team. Beibhinn enjoys working with people in various community settings and witnessing the thrill and magic of parades. For her, Cork Community Art Link is a place for everyone to get involved - you don’t have to have a background in art or know what you want to do, it's all about the sharing of skills. |
Moray Bresnihan
General Manager Moray has worked on the development, production, and programming of large arts projects, venues, and events since 1993 including international music and dance exchanges, street spectacles, music, spoken work, theatre, visual art, as well as producing his own DIY festival, called the Trash Culture Revue. His is particularly interested in creating systems of collective exchange. Email: [email protected] |
Sam Hamilton
Lead Technician & Drama Facilitator With a background in metal work as well as theatre performance and production, multitalented Sam has been involved with Cork Community Art Link since 2006. Over the years of creating giant floats, metal frame structures as well as devising and leading drama workshops, Sam has proven himself to be an essential part of our team here at CCAL, he is now the Lead Technician for CCAL parades and also runs numerous workshops with various community groups throughout the year. |
Raffaele Muraca
Artist & Facilitator Visual artist and facilitator, Raffaele has built his experience in prop and float-making over his many years of involvement at CCAL. He studied Fine Art at Brera Art Academy in Milano and then graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Pedagogy. He worked for several years in Italy as an educator/facilitator with teenage refugees, organising cultural events and social activities bridging cultures and establishing social integration using various forms of art as a medium. Raffa believes in the power of the arts as an empowering way for creating culture and developing people’s growth. |
Podge Daly
Comic Book Illustrator & Facilitator Podge graduated from Cluin Mhuire school of art and design in Galway with a Degree in fine art and from the Huston Film College in N.U.I. Galway with a masters in production and direction. He spent 15 years producing group and solo exhibitions, plays and short films and 10 years in N.U.I. Galway as the head tutor of the arts society running life drawing, still life, sculpture classes and more. Podge is a contracted artist and facilitator at CCAL, and we love to have him, as he is as witty as talented, and that’s saying a lot. Podge is co-creator and facilitator of the comic book making classes at CCAL, a course which has proven to be very popular of the past couple of years. |
Anna Marie Whelan
Administrator Anna Marie has been involved with CCAL for the past twenty years. She is dedicated as well as hardworking and Cork Community Art Link benefits greatly from having her around for all this time. Having served as a Board Member for many years, she has decided to join our core team at the Lido as an arts administrator since 2022 which we are very happy about. Anna Marie fundamentally believes in free access to arts for all and understands the value of community work. Janis Klaubergs Administrator Janis Has recently graduated from Morrison's Island Campus, studying programming and software design. He loved anything computer related and spends most of his team playing games, chatting with friends, or wading into a river with a fishing rod in rural Latvia. |
Andrew Carroll Art Worker Andrew Carroll studied architecture and design before completing is BA and MA in Visual Art at IADT Dun Laoghaire. He is a professional visual artist and a member of the Backwater Artists' Network. He has exhibited his work nationally, including the Royal Hibernian Academy Annual exhibition, and the Lavit Gallery Member's Exhibition. His practice mainly revolves around drawing, painting, and photography, but ha has veered into other media, where he felt those would serve a particular project better. He also writes poetry. Charly Lowe Project Manager Charly first became involved with Cork Community Art Link in 2015. It was a transformative learning experience, shaped her path, and equipped her with valuable problem-solving skills and the ability to think big. Now, with over a decade of experience working on a wide variety of projects, she has returned to project manage some of Cork Community Art Link's largest initiatives. Charly also runs her own floral business and draws deep inspiration from nature. In her downtime, she can be found frolicking and foraging in the wilderness, gathering inspiration and locally sourced materials for future projects. |
Steven Cummins Art Worker Steven has a Bachelor's Degree in History and English literature, and decided to apple his vast knowledge, of both local and international histories and literature, to his favourite mode of expression, visual art. Although the newest member to the team, Steven has quickly proved himself to be and invaluable member of the group. His passionate desire to capture the moment through artistic endeavour has already inspired ideas and plenty of fun moments in Cork Community Art Link. |
Aaron O'Connor Art Worker Aaron is an aspiring freelance illustrator and designer, he's been part of the Art Link team since January 2023. He's passionate about making art accessible to everyone, believing it can break down barriers and let people express themselves, regardless of their background or situation. |