Palliative care patients at Naas Hospital take part in beautiful art project
Lisa White, End of Life Coordinator, Sarah Gleeson, Naas General Hospital, John Conway, Artist in Residence
KILDARE County Council’s Art Service has launched a custom-fabricated mobile printing press, designed by Kildare artist John Conway, specifically for palliative care patients at Naas General Hospital (NGH).
The launch event, held earlier this month marks a significant milestone in John’s year-long artist-in-residence programme, and thanks to additional funding from the council and Creative Ireland Kildare, the project has now been extended through 2026.
Following months of research and collaboration with hospital staff, the mobile printing press was specifically designed to facilitate bedside printmaking, allowing palliative care patients to engage in meaningful creative work directly from their beds.
Using a combination of prefabricated printing blocks and a custom-fabricated mobile printing press, patients are invited to create works reflecting their experience of care, personal reflections and messages to loved ones.
These prints will contribute to a larger collective art project, which John is currently developing, with some patients choosing to gift their individual prints to relatives and friends.
John said: “I’ve been lucky to work with such a brilliant team of healthcare staff over the last number of months - people who are dedicated to the project, and positive experiences for patients, and who have faith in a slow process of art-making—of listening and thinking before doing. We’re starting to reap the benefits of that now.
"It’s a real privilege and a massive responsibility to be invited into a space where someone is at the end of their life. It’s such a sensitive space. For me, it’s important to figure out a resolved and caring way of inviting people into an artistic process in such final circumstances”.
Eláine Donnelly, acting arts officer, Kildare County Council, said: “We are delighted to re-ignite a longstanding relationship with Naas General Hospital and grow our commitment to resourcing Arts & Health initiatives in the county.
"It has been thrilling to watch the development of links and creative connections with staff and the wider hospital environment in recent months. This project is a very real opportunity to embed an Artist in Residence at Naas General Hospital, resource the development of high-quality creative responses in this area and support a shift in culture".
