‘Stacked Up‘ Exhibition at Creative Spark, Downtown Hub, Dundalk
Stacked Up marks the vibrant culmination of a year-long journey supported by the Arts Council’s Art in Early Learning and Childcare scheme in collaboration with Louth County Childcare. Artists Jenny Slater and Caoimhe O’Dwyer are proud to invite you to experience a playful and imaginative world brought to life through a unique collection of interactive art boxes inspired by their own experiences in nature to inspire their young audiences. Over the past year, the unfolding story of this project has been tenderly and beautifully captured through the lens of Jenny Callanan, whose sensitive eye has documented its quiet magic and joyful moments with great care. Also on exhibition are the carefully curated collection of photographs showcasing some of our experiences in the community settings.
From July 2024 to May 2025, Jenny and Caoimhe immersed themselves in a creative dialogue with children aged 1 to 4, engaging in a series of sensory-rich workshops across créches, preschools, stay & play groups, and early years settings. With a deep respect for the imagination and expressive language of early childhood, their process centred on exploration, discovery, and play.
At the heart of Stacked Up are the custom-made Building Block art kits, conceived by the artists, designed and crafted at the FabLab in Creative Spark. These versatile, tactile objects served as tools for storytelling, visual aids, construction, and learning — and now take on new life as sculptural installations. Following the exhibition, each set will be gifted to the participating services, ensuring this creative journey continues.
Part of the wider Babble and Build initiative, this project champions the transformative role of the arts in early learning — embedding artists within the environments where our youngest citizens begin to shape their understanding of the world.
We welcomed friends, family and colleagues from preschools and créches from across the county to our exhibition launch on Thursday 1st May. A relaxed evening reception with guest speaker Sharon Manning from our collaborators from Louth County Childcare.
We hosted an immersive early years art workshop on Friday 16th May open to children aged 1- 4 and their caregivers. It was a great way to use our installation as a space for our interactive workshop of music, dance and visual art in the locality and showcase our wonderful art boxes.
Come, and stack up the fun with us…..
