ARTS COUNCIL CHAMPIONS INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS

The Arts Council of Northern Ireland has awarded almost £180,000 to 82 artists in Northern Ireland through its Support for the Individual Artist Programme.

The Support for the Individual Artist Programme (SIAP) includes General Arts Awards and a range of international schemes such as ‘Arts and Artists Abroad’, ‘Travel’ and ‘Self-arranged International Residencies’. These schemes offer enterprising opportunities for local artists to expand their professional horizons and further their careers by exporting work to an international market, honing skills, knowledge and expertise through work with top international counterparts.

Roisín McDonough, Arts Council Chief Executive, stressed the importance of specialised schemes to deliver support to individual artists: “Through the Support for the Individual Artist Programme, the Arts Council demonstrates its commitment to raising the status of artists in Northern Ireland. The schemes, ranging from allowances for arts equipment and research to international opportunities, are developed to best deploy funding in response to the individual needs of our artists. SIAP champions the importance of individual artistic expression in Northern Ireland.”

“Exposure to an international market raises the profile and reputation of Northern Irish arts as a whole, demonstrating in the world arena the artistic excellence to which the people of Northern Ireland have become accustomed,” she concluded.

One of the many highlights of this round of SIAP awards is the opportunity created for Cahoots NI to take its production, The Magic Hat, to South Korea in July 2004. Cahoots NI is a professional touring children’s theatre company based in Belfast and will be the first Irish theatre company to perform at the Seoul Performing Arts Festival for Young Audiences.

Paul McEneaney, Artistic Director of Cahoots NI, welcomed the prospect of performing under an international spotlight: “I’m thrilled that the company is now able to perform at the prestigious Seoul arts festival. We have successfully toured The Magic Hat around Northern Ireland, but it will be a challenging and rewarding experience to present our work before audiences from very different cultures.”

1. The Arts Council of Northern Ireland, in its five year arts plan (2001-2006), gives priority to extending opportunities for artists to develop their work and practice. The Support for the Individual Artist Programme (SIAP) offers a collection of schemes designed meet the needs of artists working in Northern Ireland.

2. Application deadlines for the majority of SIAP awards are in March and September.

3. Total funding allocation through SIAP for March 2004 applications is £179,018.00 going to 82 artists.

4. Full list of recipients is available on:
http://www.artscouncil-ni.org/award/recent/siapapril2004.htm

5. Cahoots NI received £13,500 through the ‘Arts and Artists Abroad’ scheme

6. Highlights of SIAP awards:
Belfast-based Cahoots NI - £13,500 to perform ‘The Magic Hat’ at Seoul Performing Arts Festival for Young Audiences;

Flax Art Studios in Belfast – £2,600 to present group exhibition of visual arts in Slovenia;

Maydown Youth Training Project Ltd in Derry City – £6,600 for Ulster Scots and Irish musicians to perform at Island of Ireland Peace Day in Belgium;

Clive Murphy – £2,900 for self-arranged artist’s residency in China;

Leontia Flynn – £2,500 for equipment and development of new poetry collection with Cape;

Gearoid Mac Lochlainn – £2,000 to develop CD project celebrating the Traveling Community;

Andrea Spencer – £5,000 for creation of architectural stained glass at Belfast City Hospital.