Picture of Miriam Spollen Founder of ConnectionsArts Centre holding the 2022 Social Enterprise award. She has long brown hair and wears a black dress.

Connections Arts Centre was founded in April 2021 by Miriam Spollen and was a recipient of the Dublin Social Enterprise Award in 2021.

From her own personal experience and her time working in the disability sector, Miriam understands the positive and life-changing impact that the arts can have on people living with disabilities, many of whom struggle with exclusion and loneliness in an inaccessible society.

Connections Arts Centre’s mission is to assist people with disabilities to overcome barriers encountered every day, that lead to them being devalued and excluded from their communities. We do this by providing accessible arts, lifestyle, mentoring and training programmes that are inclusive of everybody.

— Miriam Spollen, Founder Connections Arts Centre

Three icons representing Connections Arts Centre's core pillars: Creativity, Community, and Change. Text below reads: 'Connections Arts Centre has 3 core pillars: Creativity, Community, and Change.

Three Core Pillars

A diverse group of students and members of the disability community proudly holding certificates, celebrating their achievements and inclusivity in education

What we Do:

Rathgar Classes:

We design and deliver arts, lifestyle and training programs at our central Dublin location in Christ Church, Rathgar. All our programme are designed and led based on the needs of the participants and are hosted by experienced facilitators. This makes them accessible to everyone in the community. Click here to learn more about our classes and book.

Minister Anne Rabbitte in a pink jacket, and a young man with Down Syndrome in a red shirt are looking at an iPad. They are surrounded by female Transition Year students in green uniforms, from Loreto High School Beaufort.

Connecting Artists Programme:

Connections Arts Centre initiates and manages community projects, that empower the disability community and foster their creativity. Check out our Connecting Artists programme here, Connecting Artists 22.

A group of young adults with intellectual disabilities sitting around a table with a large sheet of white paper discussing the theme and plot for the movie they are making.
A group of artists with disabilities proudly showcasing their art pieces from the Connecting Artist Program. Miriam O'Callaghan, TY and radio broadcaster, is positioned in the centre of the picture, surrounded by the artists and their diverse artwork

Creative TY Connections:

Creative TY Connections is an innovative training programme model where young adults with disabilities and TY students come together to develop their IT, interpersonal, social and life skills in a supported, safe space, empowering them to take the next steps towards meaningful employment. Click here to learn more about our creative TY programme.

Bespoke Programmes:

Connections Arts Centre works collaboratively with individual disability organisations to design bespoke programmes to suit their needs. By working with us, these organisations are in turn helping us to continue our work, supporting and empowering members of the wider disability community. Click here to find out more about our Bespoke Programmes.

Get Involved today

Icon; open head with a pencil, paint pad and light bulb, representing Creativity to encourage people to use the 'Contact Us' button below to find out more about skilled volunteering with Connections Arts Centre.

Skilled Volunteering

Project-based technical volunteering in program management, web-based projects, finance, and marketing.

An icon of tow hands shaking to encourage people to 'Learn More' about Sponsorship Options with Connections Arts Centre. button below.

Sponsorship Options

Invest in the sustainability and scalability of Connections Art Centre. We have a selection of sponsorship options for individuals and corporations.

An icon of a heart in a hand to support our 'Donate Now' button encouraging users to support our charity

Donate

All support is greatly welcome, and will help us to increase our impact

The Problem

Infographic depicting a group of 8 people, with 7 individuals represented in yellow and one in white, symbolizing that 22% of people in Ireland live with a disability

22%

of people in Ireland live with a disability

43%

of those people aged over 15 report some sort of depression

Infographic depicting a group of 8 people, 4 and a half people are in yellow, and three and a half in white, conveying that 43% of people living with a disability aged over 15 report some form of depression.

These statistics are a harsh reminder of the isolation and loneliness experienced by those in the Disability Community. Our mission is to address this problem by creating inclusive, safe spaces where our participants can explore, create, and connect through a creative process.

The Irish Examiner Newspaper; Artist Matthew Sexton proudly hold his striking painting of a black and whit dog, at the Connecting Artists 2023 exhibition in the Royal College of Surgeon.
The Star Newspaper; Miriam O' Callaghan TV & Radio Broadcast Journalist at the RCSI with Jessica Londi Artist, holding artwork created by Jessica
The Irish Sun Newspaper; Jessica Londi artist proudly hold her abstract self portrait painting at the Connecting Artists 2023 exhibition in the Royal College of Surgeon.
Irish Independent Newspaper; Miriam O Callaghan, TV and radio broadcaster is surrounded by the Connecting Artists 2023 finalist at the Royal College of Surgeons Exhibition. The artists proudly show off their final exhibition pieces.
Photo in The Herald newspaper, Minister Anne Rabbitte, and a young man with Down Syndrome are looking at an iPad. They are surrounded by female Transition Year students, from Loreto High School Beaufort.