Cohort 
2021

Mick O'Kelly, PhD, MFA, BFA

Artist

We need to build environments to support men and women negotiating dementia in their everyday lives. To produce spaces where a person feels at peace and create agency.

Current Work

Senior lecturer in the School of Art. Supervisor to PhD, MFA, BFA students in art practice and it's relationship to contemporary culture.

Personal Hero

Michael Asher

Words of Strength

Collaboration, endurance, challenging, make things happen

Vision

To bring together all transversal research platforms, skill-sets and know-how, build environments to support men and women negotiating dementia in their everyday lives. To produce spaces where a person feels at peace and create agency.

Strategy

Mick is developing an art practice that is more inclusive to people with cognitive impairment. He aims to gain a deeper understanding of brain health / dementia while working with carers, clinicians, researchers, mentors at GBHI, and to develop strategies for social inclusion.

Impact

Mick aims to learn about the dimensions of cognitive impairment and brain health in a clinical environment with GBHI experts, to participate in the collective discussion, and to develop a network of collaboration with Atlantic Fellows to address the challenges of dementia

Motivation

The number of women and men living with dementia in Ireland is increasing substantially. Art has the capacity to produce new knowledge and creative imaginings that can influence design solutions, care environments, and formation of policy.