Local Communities Receive £1/2 million from Re-imaging Communities Programme |
10/07/2007
The Deputy First Minister announced today that the first £500,000 has been allocated to 34 community based projects across Northern Ireland as part of the £3.3 million Re-imaging Communities Programme. This three year programme was first announced on 10th July 2006; it aims to help all communities in urban and rural areas tackle the visible signs of sectarianism and racism and to create a welcoming environment for everyone.
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The announcement, made by the Deputy First Minister at the Ormeau Baths Gallery in Belfast, reflects the remarkable progress being made in Northern Ireland. Through the Re-imaging Communities Programme, creative approaches are being applied to address negative imagery, and local communities are embracing the arts in a positive way to enable them to move forward.
Arts Council Chairman, Rosemary Kelly, paid tribute to all involved in the programme and commented on the importance of working collaboratively with partners to shape positive regeneration, “The Arts Council has been heartened by the many applications received from across Northern Ireland and will continue to encourage all communities to put forward submissions.
During the course of the year, as a consequence of the Re-imaging Communities Programme, artists and communities have become connected, some for the first time, but all with a focus on positively re-shaping our society and changing how we are seen by ourselves and others.
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In a very meaningful way they are all contributing to the regeneration of our neighbourhoods, our local economy and culture. Art has a key role to play in promoting community cohesion and we commend the continuing positive regeneration that is taking place across the region.”
The consortium supporting the new Re-Imaging Communities Programme is an initiative led by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. It comprises the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister, the Department for Social Development, the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure, the International Fund for Ireland, the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, the Community Relations Council and SOLACE.
For a selection of images of the Projects click here.
Further details on the Re-imaging Communities Programme can be obtained from the Arts Council on (028) 9038 5200.
AWARDS MADE TO COUNCILS
£11,840 – Ards Borough Council – Portavogie Mural Re-Definition
This project consisted of replacing a paramilitary mural with a more positive image which celebrates the local fishing industry. The project hopes to set in motion the process of making the County Down fishing community more welcoming for residents and visitors alike.
The community as a whole decided change was needed in the small village to portray that the area is proud of its history and wanted to share its heritage with the rest of Northern Ireland. The artwork was designed by local artists in partnership with young people from the local primary school.
£24,000 – Belfast City Council – Arts Based Feasibility Study
The aim of this project is to target community groups throughout Belfast by conducting a series of workshops managed by New Belfast Community Arts Initiative. These workshops will result in a strategic plan which Belfast City Council will take forward through the Re-imaging Communities Programme, contributing to capacity building within the community and improving community relations.
£10,990 – Dungannon District Council – Re-imaging Feasibility Study
This project will facilitate dialogue between the Council and the various community groups in the borough, concentrating on Neighbourhood Renewal areas, the town centre, and rural towns and villages. It will contribute to capacity building within the community and improving community relations.
£9,180 – Moyle District Council – Walkway Reclamation
This project will remove sectarian graffiti from the walkway to Main Street, working closely with the youth from the area. It will aid the reclamation of shared space and the building of community relations.
£49,820 – Newry and Mourne District Council –“Days at the North Street Flats”
This project will transform a graffiti covered wall which is overlooked by the main dual carriageway through the City, it will be enhanced with a series of semi-permanent wood based murals depicting designs selected by all sections of the community. It will help reclaim shared space, build capacity and facilitate good relations within the community as a whole.
The process involves the artists interviewing residents of the North Street flats as well as people who remember when this area was a vibrant community complete with local specialist’s shops such as butchers, sweet shops and hardware stores. One local lady interviewed by the artists reminisced about being able to buy a poke of sugar lumps for a few shillings on the understanding that the shop owner didn’t tell her mammy. This area is also very historical and close to the new Museum, with rumours that King Billy slept in one of the Water Street houses on his way to the Boyne.
£15,000 – Armagh City and District Council – ArmaghArt
This project will explore opportunities for creative expression in the council area. A professional arts consultant will work with established groups and organisations to devise arts based community action plans for all communities in the council area. The funding will help to inject the arts into communities that have little exposure to community arts activity.
£44,000 – Craigavon Council – Re-imaging Craigavon Communities
This project involves an artist conducting research across the 3 defined areas in Craigavon – Lurgan, Portadown, and Brownlow. The artists will be based at each of the three locations to identify potential art projects and assist the communities to take their ideas forward and to make a positive contribution to community cohesion and capacity building in the Borough.
£18,300 – Derry City Council – Art and Re-imaging Feasibility Study
An extensive consultant led feasibility study will be conducted within the Derry City Council area in order to identify possible partners and areas in need of re-imaging. The proposal has the vision of a shared future at its heart and all projects leading from this work will link into Derry City Council’s Good Relations Strategy.
£11,700 – Larne District Council – Feasibility Study for Larne Borough
This proposal includes the engagement of a number of artists to facilitate arts based workshops aimed at identifying types of appropriate projects. Study visits will be conducted to explore “best practices” culminating in a community convention to share learning experiences. These actions will build capacity within the Borough and contribute to community cohesion.
£14,580 – Lisburn City Council – Re-imaging Communities Needs Analysis
A team of community based artists will work alongside a dedicated consultant to bring forward an independent research plan that will guide and inform any future Lisburn City Council projects under re-imaging communities. The consultant will be directed by a council led working party. This project seeks to build community cohesion whilst linking into the Council’s arts and good relations strategies.
£18,266 - Magherafelt District Council - Swatragh Wall Mural
This Project includes the re-imaging of an existing dilapidated mural and offensive graffiti in the village of Swatragh. Workshops will be carried out in the area with a range of organisations including the Polish community, to agree a final design which will be applied by a team of professional artists. This project contributes to tackling the visible signs of sectarianism and racism and enables the community to reclaim a shared space.
AWARDS MADE TO COMMUNITY ORGANISATIONS
ANTRIM
£9,910 – Inter Estate Partnership – Re-imaging of Ballycraigy Housing Estate
Artist led workshops will facilitate the removal of paramilitary imagery from the estate and, following the community workshops, create two sculptures to enhance the landscape of this community.
ANTRIM
£59,005 – Mosside Development Group – Mosside Image Project
This project will re-image Mosside through one extensive arts based intervention. Following extensive community consultations paramilitary murals and flags will be removed and kerbs cleaned of “colour”. The flagpole in the centre of the village will be removed and a village banner will be designed to replace divisive imagery and a sculpture created for the horseshoe clodding pitch.
ARMAGH
£9,800 – Darkley and District Community Association – Re-Imaging Darkley Project
Arts based community workshops will enable communities to work with a professional artist to design and construct a series of mural panels that will be placed on the main road through Darkley. The purpose of this is to help promote the village in a positive light.
BALLYMENA
£15,000 – Kells and Connor Improvement Committee – Public Art sculpture at Station Road
This project includes the commissioning of a landmark sculpture to sit on the main Kells to Ballymena thoroughfare – the subject of which will be chosen following community consultation. All flags and territorial markings to be removed as part of the process.
BALLYMENA
£9,077 – Broughshane and District Community Association - Broughshane Banner Project Community-wide workshops will produce subject matter for banners to be placed throughout the village.
BALLYMENA
£22,690 - Broughshane and District Community Association - Broughshane Butterfly Garden Project –The completion of the butterfly themed artwork will be affixed to a permanent site in order to create a shared space. Shrubs that encourage bird / insect life will be planted. Two hundred and fifty metal butterflies will be constructed for the wall and painted by local children from all communities.
BALLYMENA
£5,500 – Dunclug Partnership – Engagement of facilitator
This feasibility study will identify arts based projects to resolve Dunclug’s problems of territory marking and breakdown in community relations.
BALLYMENA
£15,000 – Harryville Partnership Initiative – Braidwater Spinning Mill Project
Community based workshops will be conducted to design and create a series of mosaics in the park adjoining Harryville chapel. The remaining signs of sectarianism in the area such as illegal flags and graffiti will also be removed as part of the work.
CRUMLIN
£9,500 – Crumlin Together - Creation of Shared Space in Crumlin
This project consists of an arts based consultative process involving over 40 local community groups. It is aimed at freeing up shared spaces in the town and welcoming all traditions, including ethnic minorities. Sectarian and racist graffiti will be removed as part of the project, contributing to better community relations and the creation of shared space.
DOWNPATRICK
£15,000 – Ballyhornan and District Community Association – Kates Green Project
A total of five sculptures will be created following a number of community workshops that will celebrate fishing heritage. These will be placed at Kate’s Green – a former RAF base that has been vandalized and remains derelict. The community hopes this will act as a catalyst for further regeneration of the area and encourage all the community to avail of the new shared space.
EAST BELFAST
£27,600 – Glentoran Football Club – Children’s mural project
A series of cross community workshops will be conducted to agree designs for large scale mural to be displayed on outside wall of the Oval – an area currently covered in territorial colour and sectarian graffiti: local youths will then take part in the completion of the mural during this summer.
L’DERRY
£14,650 – Lincoln Courts Youth and Community Association – Community Garden Project
Working with *Groundwork NI, arts based workshops are being held in order to generate creative ideas for the provision of a shared community based garden at the community house.
Located in the Waterside area the community as a whole are working together to create a shared space that will be used by all residents. A decision on the final design will be confirmed and announced at a community open day planned for 28th July.
L’DERRY
£5,900 – Ballymagroarty/Hazelbank Community Partnership
Creative community consultation will be conducted with young people living in the area, following a recent piece of research which states that 95% of the community want to see their area physically improved. This improvement includes the removal of flags and kerbstone painting which has already been undertaken in partnership with the Housing Executive. A local artist will engage with young people to find alternative ways of celebrating culture and identity in a positive manner.
NEWTOWNABBEY
£6,610 – Monkstown Youth for Christ – The Monkstown Murals Project
Community youth workshops will design and create two murals, one of which will replace an existing paramilitary mural on the main thoroughfare through Monkstown.
Local young people have worked in partnership with professional artists to create positive imagery in an area that is dominated by paramilitary images.
NEWTOWNARDS
£12,482 – Scrabo Residents Association – Mural redefinition and creation of garden of remembrance
This project involves the re-imaging of an existing World War 1 mural to include a remembrance garden for all and the complete removal of an offensive mural from within the estate.
NEWTOWNARDS
£3,950 – Cloughey and District Community Association – Community Sculpture
This project comprises of the production of a community sculpture as the final phase of the Cloughey remembrance garden project. This has enabled communities to work together to create a shared space and to improve the environment by planting traditional flora.
SOUTH BELFAST
£18,100 - Greater Village Regeneration Trust – “Now and Then”
This project includes the creation of street furniture designed as a result of cross community workshops held for people from the Village and St. James areas. One piece will be located in each community, establishing a common thread from one area to the other.
SOUTH BELFAST
£14,200 - Greater Village Regeneration Trust – “Reflect”
This project involves the creation of three sculptural pieces in a small community garden and, in parallel, the removal of an illegally erected memorial which will enhance a new play park currently in construction.
SOUTH BELFAST
£13,620 - Greater Village Regeneration Trust – “Hope”
This project includes the removal of graffiti and a paramilitary mural from Nubia Park, facilitating the creation of a community space with seating and a central art piece. The design of the artwork will be the outcome from a number of community based workshops facilitated by a professional artist.
SOUTH BELFAST
£11,975 - Greater Village Regeneration Trust – Streetscapes
This project involves the local community creating nine pieces of art from recycled wood to be placed throughout the community. Two paramilitary murals and accompanying graffiti will be removed and replaced with these new expressions of culture and identity.
WEST BELFAST
£30,890 – Greater Shankill Community Council
Community garden at Blackmountain Grove –A community garden and sculpture will be designed in conjunction with the local community. Paramilitary murals in the area will be removed as part of this project aiding good community relations in the community.
WEST BELFAST
£7,010 – An Munia Tober - Childrens’ Arts Project
Workshops involving children from settled and travelling communities will participate in a series of art works to be affixed to railings at Mona By-Pass site and at the Gort Na Mona primary school. This project supports cultural diversity and will develop community relations between all sections of the community who live and work in that area.
WEST BELFAST
£5,000 – An Nasc - An Leitheoir (The Reader)
This project will facilitate a consultation with a wide range of communities to explore the potential of developing a large piece of public art which will celebrate the Irish language. This consultative process will be led by *Groundwork NI.
The Protestant, Unionist and Loyalty community will be included in this consultation which will contribute to the improvement of community relations.
*GROUNDWORK NORTHERN IRELAND, is a not-for-profit organisation working for sustainable neighbourhood renewal through environmental regeneration in areas of high social and economic need. Groundwork Northern Ireland has been appointed to deliver Technical Assistance for the Re-imaging Communities Programme.
Technical Assistance may be required to enable community and voluntary groups as well as local Councils to access funding and to deliver interventions through this Programme. The Shared Communities consortium has awarded a number of projects additional support through Groundwork NI including Tullycarnet Action Group Initiative Trust and Upper Andersonstown Community Forum.
Technical Assistance may include:
• Facilitation of community dialogue both within and between communities including hard to reach communities
• Project planning and management
• Project delivery including artist support
• Guidance and support for communities with weak infrastructure and low capacity
• Consultation with relevant public bodies and agencies i.e. District Councils, DOE, ACNI, NIHE, DRD, etc.
• Assisting with the monitoring and evaluation of projects
• Specialist knowledge in areas of design, implementation and maintenance of artworks
