‘Artists in the Making’ exhibition to take place in Enniscorthy

An exhibition will take place in Enniscorthy Co. Wexford tomorrow, March 8th…

Higgle and Creative Places Enniscorthy launch an exhibition focused on children’s creative problem solving. The exhibition, which will take place at the Presentation Arts Centre in Enniscorthy (6pm to 8pm), will showcase the artwork of the children (of all abilities) who participated in this pilot project.

The Higgle pilot programme in Enniscorthy (October 2024 – February 2025) aimed to develop creative thinking skills in children by providing adaptable creative prompts that were flexible to the needs of the families who took part, what materials they had access to and what they had time to complete.

About the project:

Higgle, owned by Oylegate woman Grace Brennan, is an innovative, adaptable artistic prompt generator that enhances creative thinking in primary education, equipping students with essential skills for academic improvement. Higgle Values sustainability, down with cookie cutter art and promotes creative problem solving, collaboration and the idea that “there is no perfect way to do one thing’ but many ways to see one thing, many ways to look at a problem.

Higgle targets a growing market in the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and
Mathematics) education sector, with early interest from 220+ schools and support from notable organizations such as IADT – The Institute of Art Design and Technology, The Local Enterprise Office Wexford, NAPE (National Association for Primary education, UK), Enterprise Ireland, and The Arts Council through the Creative Places Enniscorthy.

Higgle and Creative Places Enniscorthy have worked together to trial the Higgle app in 10
households in the Enniscorthy area over a 4 month period. Parents did a varied amount of
engagement with their children, some continuously engaged with their child through brainstorming and testing materials, whereas some promoted solo creative play. One parent stated that it allowed them the benefit of engaging their child” the prompts provided a good problem-solving strategy to the work. And, it offered a hook for me to connect and be involved”.

There is a significant gap in creative thinking skills among children, as highlighted in a survey by Higgle, where 85% of teachers noted difficulties in academic subjects due to this deficiency. Current curriculum resources are insufficient, leading teachers to spend excessive time and personal funds on supplementary materials. Higgle addresses this by offering adaptable, easy-to-integrate creative prompts that support holistic and STEAM-based learning.

The Higgle programme piloted in Enniscorthy, allowed parents and children to trial materials, conduct brainstorms, think outside the box and articulate ideas. Children responded to prompts such as “how to get a giraffe across a river using recycled materials” where the parent was able to adapt the activity based on the materials they have access to at home and the type of artistic activity eg. paint, draw , build, that the child may have had the time or space to work on.

By creating adaptable artistic prompts, Higgle and Creative Places Enniscorthy aimed to increase creative play, build confidence and show that art does not have to be a costly or restricted hobby.

The Higgle Exhibition; ‘Artists in the Making’, showcases the creative process that the Higgle pilot programme participants have gone through to come up with new innovative ideas. The exhibition is open to the public and free to attend, with light refreshments available.

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