Community Arts

Artform News

22nd July 2010
Arts Council Safeguarding Policy

9th August 2010
Community Arts News

Artform Definition

The Arts Council of Northern Ireland is one of the key funders of community arts practice in Northern Ireland. Since 1972 we have supported the development of the sector through exchequer funding and from 1994 through Lottery funds.

Community Arts provide opportunities for communities and individuals to develop skills as artists, as well as opportunities for artists to explore ways of transferring those skills.

Through its process, community arts maximises access, participation, authorship and ownership in collective arts practice.

The Council aims to sustain existing levels of excellence in community arts while encouraging new growth.

Current initiatives

Arts & Older People Programme

The Arts Council is developing a pioneering new programme, in partnership with The Atlantic Philanthropies, to greatly extend opportunities for older people to engage with the arts.

The three-year programme of large and smaller-scale arts projects, which will be launched in June 2010, will provide older people with new opportunities to explore creatively the issues that they have identified as most important to them, particularly in the areas of health and social justice. Key themes of the artist-led programme will include isolation and loneliness, social inclusion, poverty, dementia, and working to strengthen the voice of older people in society.

A steering group of age sector organisations such as Age NI, Engage with Age, Age Sector Platform, the Changing Ageing Partnership as well as the WEA and the Rural Community Network, will ensure that the arts projects accurately reflect the concerns of the participating groups of older people.  

The Arts for Older People Programme aims to engage with older people through the full range of arts, craft, theatre, dance, carnival, poetry, reminiscence, short stories, and so on, to develop new skills, challenge the stereotypes of older people and discover new forms of expression.

If you would like to find out more about the programme or become involved, please contact Fionnuala Walsh at the Arts Council, T: 028 9038 5200; E: fwalsh@artscouncil-ni.org

Publications and Information


Artform Policy Document (PDF)

Safeguarding Policy (PDF)

Audiences NI - ‘Barriers to Access to the Arts and to Intercultural Arts Engagement as Experienced by the Chinese and Indian Communities in NI’ (June 2007) ; John Edmund, Maureen Macken, Chris Palmer (PDF)

Third Sector Strategy for Communities and Local Government, Discussion Paper
June 2007 (PDF)

2009 Traveller Focus Week. Cultural diversity and the arts

Contact Us

Further information on any of the Council’s funding programmes and/or its strategic interests in Community Arts may be obtained from:

Joan Dempster / Christabel Williamson
Arts Development Officer (Community Arts and Social Inclusion)
Arts Council of Northern Ireland
MacNeice House
77 Malone Road
Belfast. BT9 6AQ
Tel: 028 9038 5269 / 028 9038 5277
Email: jdempster@artscouncil-ni.org / cwilliamson@artscouncil-ni.org

Relevant Links

Community Arts Forum

N.I. Council for Voluntary Action

N.I. Council for Ethnic Minorities

New Belfast Community Arts Initiative

Community Arts Network