By Siobhán Georghegan and Catherine Marshall, Karen E. Till, Eve Olney and Krini Kafiris, John Bissett, and Damien McGlynn

An epic collaboration with all new friends and partners for us: Cork, Ireland-based artist Kate O’ Shea, the organizations Common Ground, and Create and in Dublin, and Kate’s team of supporting writers (and it really did take a team to describe the depth of her practice and the social context for her work). The design of this booklet was a collaboration between Kate O’ Shea and Half Letter Press, with countless messages and photos and edits sent back and forth until we arrived at this printed result - a thick booklet printed on four different papers, two printing processes, a trip to the suburbs to buy surplus paper from some religious organization before it got scrapped when they moved to Texas, followed by Kate O’ Shea flying to Chicago to pick the booklet up from the bindery with us and to make some new prints together. This publication is a tremendously thoughtful exploration of what an artist residency can be, what community can be, and a hundred ways to pivot when some little thing like a global pandemic pops off at the start of your grand plans.

This booklet traces the richness and diversity of artist Kate O'Shea’s response to the Just City Counter Narrative Neighbourhood award 2020 - 2022. The residency—located in studio 468 and supported by Common Ground—was bolstered by a wide range of established community development organizations with a vibrant history of community-based cultural practice. Featuring contributions from Dr Karen E. Till, Dr Krini Kafiris & Dr Eve Olney of The Radical Institute, and John Bissett, this publication provides a vital primer for the role of the artist in place at a critical juncture of social change and the conditions needed to support collaborative art practice. From the back cover:

“In the early days of the pandemic, Kate O’ Shea established The Just City Collective. The group was formed initially as a reading group that met online weekly. It brought together community workers, artists, activists, and researchers from around the world exploring ideas and practices around spatial injustices in multiple cities. The reading group continued for 36 weeks. Different formations of this ecosystem became regular Yoga classes, dance classes, gatherings, the collaborative Halfway to Falling and inter-connected events Networks of Solidarity. Members of the collective continue to work collaboratively together.”