The School of Generational Storytelling
Professor Eamon O’Kane
Studio Forum, Faculty of Art, Music and Design (KMD), University of Bergen
Monday 26 October – Thursday 26 November 2026
The School of Generational Storytelling is a community-based arts and health project developed by artist and Professor Eamon O’Kane in collaboration with artist Chelsea Canavan and The Model, Niland Collection, Sligo, Ireland. The project explores how artistic practice can support memory, communication, creative expression and well-being, particularly among older people living in residential care.
Developed through a year-long artist-in-residence programme, the project brought the artists into six care homes throughout County Sligo. Working closely with residents and care staff, O’Kane and Canavan developed creative workshops using storytelling, visual art, music and carefully selected objects to stimulate memories, encourage self-expression and create opportunities for meaningful exchange. The workshops responded to the individual interests, experiences and cognitive abilities of residents, recognising that each person has a unique relationship to memory, communication and creative activity.
At the heart of the project is the understanding that storytelling extends beyond the spoken word. Memories can be prompted by an object, a photograph, a sound, a colour, a familiar material or a fragment of music. Creative activities can offer alternative ways of expressing experiences and emotions, particularly for people who may find verbal communication difficult. Through these encounters, artistic practice becomes a means of connecting people, opening up conversations and recognising the value of individual life histories.
A significant outcome of the project was the development of bespoke creative toolkits, created in collaboration with The Model and the participating care homes. Bringing together objects, materials and activities informed by the workshops, the toolkits provide practical resources for care staff, activities coordinators and visiting family members. Designed to be adapted to the needs and interests of individual residents, they enable creative engagement to continue beyond the artists' visits, embedding storytelling and artistic activity within the everyday life of the care homes.
The project also proposes an expanded understanding of the relationship between art, education and care. The idea of a school is deliberately open: rather than a conventional institution in which knowledge is transmitted from teacher to student, it describes a space of reciprocal learning in which every participant has something to contribute. Older people are recognised not simply as recipients of care, but as holders of knowledge, experience and stories that have personal, familial and cultural significance. Care staff, artists and family members become active participants in a shared process of discovery.
Presented at Studio Forum, KMD, University of Bergen, this exhibition offers an opportunity to reflect on the project's artistic methods, collaborative processes and practical outcomes. It asks how the arts can contribute to more attentive and imaginative approaches to care, and how creative resources might support relationships between residents, staff, families and the wider community.
Ultimately, The School of Generational Storytelling is concerned with creating the conditions in which stories can be shared, heard and valued. It recognises storytelling as both a cultural practice and an act of care: a way of preserving personal histories, strengthening connections between generations and affirming the continuing capacity for creativity throughout life. By bringing art into spaces of care, the project seeks to establish new forms of communication and connection, demonstrating how small creative encounters can make room for memory, imagination and human connection.
