A couple of things have caught my eye recently that have one thing in common – they are ridiculously cheap or free, brimful of creativity and enthusiasm, and staged by volunteers.

This weekend you can put the finishing touches to your piece of art, ready to submit on Monday to the collective show of peacock philanthropy that is next week’s Free Art Friday. Or you can spend a fiver and go to the Project Theatre tonight, tomorrow or Saturday and watch 4 new pieces of work each night in Project Brand New.

For Free Art Friday, artists create a painting, sketch, sculpture or installation and leave it on the street. The piece can then be picked up by anyone and claim it as their own. Let’s hope it doesn’t rain. I hear that already the busy little bees on the regular “Make and Do” night at Panti Bar have contributed their work to the day. Finders are encouraged to email the artist and tell them how and where they found it. It only needs to be no bigger than 24×24″ (60cm) and with a completed ‘Free Art Friday’ label on the back, and handed in this coming Monday. Details here.

At the Project, each piece lasts anywhere between 10-20 minutes with a short break between, includes live art, clowns, opera, dance, a musical version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Benshi theatre, a recorder ensemble, sound artists, examinations of friendship, glass houses, guided tours and more. It includes a mix of very established theatre practitioners and young people at the start of their careers. Tickets are just €5 and can be bought here.