A Halloween to remember at Douglas Court!

Down there in Douglas Court, something spooky stirred! 

Six schools and some local children threw themselves into Halloween art projects and gave delight to everyone. Carved and painted pumpkins, life-size witches, hooded figures, scary leggy creatures floating from the ceiling.

Surely Disneyland was never this good! Little doubt that Cork’s younger generation has creativity in spadefuls.

How did it all come about? Bartosz Mieszala, Property Director for The Douglas Court Partnership, explains.

“We started last year with only two schools, I guess it was hard to understand what we are really trying to achieve, as if you start thinking art installation in the shopping centre, you might get intimidated by the idea, but this year really shows that what truly matters is creativity, individuality and most importantly teamwork! 

"We have six schools participating this year, and we are very proud of how the project has grown. On displays across the mall, you can see spooky artwork from Scoil Bhride, St Mary’s, Gaelscoil na Duglaise, Colaiste Eamonn Ris, Crosshaven BNS, and our original participants, Douglas Community School and Regina Mundi College. We also have a pumpkin patch display where all the pumpkins were painted by local kids during our Saturday workshops.

"Watching the school creations come together has been incredible, and the results are fantastic. They’ve really brought Halloween to life in the shopping centre."

It’s a wonderful way to release the innate creativity of the younger generation, he enthuses. Each display is special in its own way and tells a different story through the creativity of the people involved.

“Customers love the fact that we didn’t go the way of a ‘soulless purchase display.’ Our idea is so different, exciting, and a platform where students can show off their work.

"We heard the same thing back from all the schools. The kids were so excited going into their classrooms to work on their projects and knowing they would be displayed in Douglas Court. They could come in with their families and show it off and say, 'We did that.' 

"Some families were engaging with our own team here even before we had it all on display, asking when it was all happening, which shows the enthusiasm that was generated.

"I love to think that we are giving these youngsters the confidence that whatever they do in their lives going forward will be good, that they have the right to be proud of what they do!” 

The art students at Regina Mundi College, who were one of the original participants last year, have once again brought their creativity into full play. 

Their original creations were Anthony the Pumpkin Man and Fidelma the Scarecrow, so this year they decided to enlarge the family by introducing a female pumpkin to keep Anthony company, and a highly entertaining interactive coffin prop named Ded Sheeran, which shoppers and visitors can utilise for selfie photos. 

That, needless to say, proved a great hit! It meant a lot of work after school in the evenings, but they’re a dedicated lot at Regina Mundi, and they gave up their free time willingly to create, collaborate, and see the idea through to completion. Challenging, yes, but hugely rewarding, was their unanimous verdict.

Pupils from both Junior and Senior Cycle classes at St.Mary’s School, Rochestown, have certainly been working hard this term to create their spooky artwork. 

They enjoyed the project immensely, they say, and learned so much along the way about the festival of Halloween. This led the senior Whitethorn class to choose the traditional Mexican celebration of Dia de las Meurtes as the central theme of their creation, aiming to produce a piece that would look both beautiful and scary in equal measure. 

Initial sketches, careful painting, and creating flowers from tissue paper all went into their work. Not to be outdone, the junior Hazel class created individual masks to demonstrate that uniqueness and individuality are both beautiful and important.

They hope their art will deliver the message that masks are great fun for dressing up at Halloween, but we should all work together to create a society where neurodivergent people don’t feel the need or pressure to mask every day. Good for you, Hazel class!

It was the first time that Scoil Bhríde took part, but they threw themselves into it with enthusiasm, every single class contributing something. Junior Infants crafted colourful Halloween masks, Senior Infants designed eerie haunted windows, 1st and 2nd classes built fantastic skeletons, 3rd and 4th classes painted bats, ghosts, and witches on large boards, 5th class created cheerful pumpkins, and 6th class designed impressive witches. 

A truly whole-school effort, filled with creativity, teamwork, and, they admit, just a bit of chaos! The experience has been inspiring and memorable for everybody, they say, and they are already looking forward to next year!

Oh yes, next year, laughs Alan Moreland, centre manager, seizing on the comment. 

“It’s going to be even bigger. We know that from the way the idea caught on and grew so much from last year to this. For next year, we welcome any school willing to participate, whether they are in our initial catchment area or not, and invite them to showcase their talent and creativity. 

"It’s truly wonderful that every school was different in its approach, variety of ideas and concepts. And the public simply loves it! Until they read the note at each exhibit, they just can’t believe that all this was done by the schools; the quality is so amazing.” 

Other Halloween activities in Douglas Court included storytelling, yoga with Happy Vibes Kids Camp, and pumpkin painting workshops, which all attracted large numbers of families.

“I want to thank all the schools involved for making this project so special and all the kids who contributed to our colourful pumpkin patch,” says Alan. 

Happy Halloween! 

For more great images, see Douglas Court Shopping Centre's Instagram page