About Us

Sanctuaryartists is an organization set up by artist Annabelle Hulbert, with the primary goal of bringing to the publics awareness the charitable work of the Metropolitan Sanctuary for Sick Children Neyri Kenya.

Through different art based projects, that span the spectrum of creative output from the visual arts, applied arts, film and media, writing and poetry, composition and music, acting and theatre; selected artists from across the world will explore the theme ‘Sanctuary’ exhibiting nationally and internationally in traditional and non traditional venues.

Sanctuaryartists is also the trade name under which crafts are made on site at the Sanctuary for Sick children.  Sanctuaryartists.org have set up a workshop at the Sanctuary, giving mothers of servilly disabled and terminally sick children employment in a comfortable and safe working enviroment for themselves and their children, empowering them to raise funds through the products sold to help finance the Sanctuary, which meets the needs of many disabled and terminally ill in the surrounding areas and the slums.



Christmas Blog

Greetings from Kenya! It has really been a busy time in the workshop lately! The women were all delighted to be getting extra hours for the last couple of months, preparing our first Christmas ever line of products. I am sure any who see them will agree they look absolutely fantastic and the women and I are really pleased with them! Products include Christmas cards, tree hangings and notelet gift sets. The range has all been made using our own paper product in varieties of banana leaf paper, sugarcane paper, eucalyptus tree paper and also our fantastic coloured rag paper! The bright coloured paper made from old cotton rags mixed with the natural vegetation tones work beautifully together.

For any interested in purchasing the products please see pricing and and point of sale information below. Another great idea we have this year is the opportunity to buy a gift card instead of a Christmas present for your loved one. The gift cards include buying a cardboard chair for a disabled child for £20, run the bakery for a day for £25 feeding up to 600 people here with bread, and feed a family for a week for £10. This will be a great opportunity to do something worthwhile in the spirit of giving and helping those less fortunate than ourselves.. what Christmas is all about after all! The cardboard chairs and standing frames have been very successful here... instead of disabled children lying on a old mattress or floor.. they are up sitting upright, looking around them..  supported posturally to minimise deformity, feeding better, breathing better, using their hands better.. and above all, sitting with their families for the first time, which is so important to enhance their quality of life. We continue to have a waiting list now of around 50 chairs to be made so please continue to support this worthy cause. One little boy Mureithi we brought a chair to  a few weeks ago simply laid in a bed all day long, biting his hands.. he now sits up in his chair out in the fresh air while mum works outside, and engages with those around him. Truly wonderful!

Am really looking forward to going home this Christmas in 10 sleeps time!! So am going to be flat out cutting more chair panels over the next week to keep the women going in my absence.. all worth it though.. going to be a better Christmas for many disabled children and their families this year. We need all the support we can get to ensure that all our Christmas products will sell this season and if it does, it will keep these women in work and support their families for the next 12 months - what a privilege! And what high end beautiful cards.. Thank you all for your interest and support.

Products -

Gift Box (including 6 notelets, envelopes, tags, and decorative hanging wrapped in tissue) = £10.95
Christmas cards set of 10 = £10.95
Christmas cards individual = £2.20
Tree hanging = £2.50
Tree hangings set of 4 = £8.00

Artists Arriving!

Well there is a real buzz of excitement at the Sanctuary over the last few weeks as myself and the paper making team made our final preparations for the arrival of the oversea's artists tomorrow evening!  We have been gathering all the random items required for the various art mediums to be employed during the residency, which can be a real challenge out here, but thankfully we seem to be well organised!  The residency starts officially on Thursday and the team of staff at the Sanctuary cannot wait. We have been getting well stocked up on all sorts of pulp and cotton and pressed flowers and leaves, and have several hundred large sheets of pre made paper made from bananna leaf, sugar cane and napier grass, among others - all ready for whatever the artists may choose to do with it on their collaborative project. We have finished around 140 large bowls out of paper for the exhibition in the Nairobi national Museum and are thrilled to have organised for the full team of staff at the Sanctuary to go up for the opening on Tuesday 26th July. Most of the women in the workshop have never left their village never mind been to a city like Nairobi so it should be a really exciting day of new beginnings for many, and I trust the women will really get a sense of achievement up there when they see the work of their own hands on display in their National Museum. In much anticipation.

Jolene

First Trip

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My first trip to Kenya to visit the Metropolitan Sanctuary for Sick Children was back in 2009. I had received a self-arranged residency award from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland to go and for me it was going to be a trip of freedom!  

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Latest News

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Hello welcome to the Sanctuaryartists blog! Jolene here, blogging from Kenya on her first official post! Well, firstly thank you for visiting our site! Our workshop is now up and running just under 6 months now and its gone from strength to strength. 

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Where to Buy?

Online @

www.sanctuaryartists.org/store

 

Whitewell Metropolitan Tabernacle Belfast

@ Kenya Desk

 

Angelstar Brides

1b Castlestreet, Carrickfergus,

Co. Antrim, BT38 7BE

http://www.angelstarbrides.com

 

Goosebumps

6 The Square, Ballyclare

Northern Ireland, BT39 1BB