A new artistic vision for a new Northern Ireland |
29/01/2007
The Arts Council today (Monday 29th January) launched a new plan for the arts in Northern Ireland, establishing the course that the arts will take over the next five years. The plan, entitled ‘Creative Connections’, is driven by a bold vision to work to place arts and culture at the heart of Northern Ireland’s social, economic and creative life.
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Arts Council Chairman Rosemary Kelly said,
“This strategy has been developed over a period of review and deliberation both within the Council, and through wide ranging consultation with the sector.
The vision we have set out is considered and appropriate, planned to keep pace with the artistic and cultural expectations of a modern society; and it is designed to make a real contribution to the social, economic and cultural re-generation of Northern Ireland.
Delivering on this Five Year Strategy will require Government to invest in arts and culture in Northern Ireland in a way which provides parity of treatment with other parts of the United Kingdom and Ireland. Our request to Government is to raise the per capita spend on the arts from £6 to £10, which is an increase of approximately £20m for the 2008 to 2011 funding horizon.
This investment is crucial if we are to develop further our seed bed of artistic talent and innovation and if Northern Ireland is to continue to develop creatively and to make a meaningful place for itself in the global economy.
The arts are increasingly recognised in other places as a catalyst for community development and regeneration of civic pride. Successful artists have the potential to make the world talk about Northern Ireland for all the right reasons and to promote an image of a confident and creative place in which to live, work and do business. This is an already vibrant sector which deserves to be nurtured and which is already a potent force in enhancing the image of Northern Ireland abroad. Now is the time to build on what we have” Rosemary Kelly concluded.
The Arts Council’s new plan outlines a series of innovative schemes to contribute to the development of cultural tourism, the creative industries and entrepreneurial skills for artists, as well as building on the success of Northern Ireland’s existing artists and arts organizations.
The transformation of neighbourhoods through public art commissions and street-scaping; and arts venues such as the recently refurbished Grand Opera House and the new City Arts Centre in Belfast, also form part of the plan to bring economic prosperity and renewed vitality to the night life of our towns and cities.
The Arts Council wants to build on the success of Creative Youth Partnerships which brings school children together with all sorts of artists, including writers, actors and musicians, and extend it beyond the school gates into the most disadvantaged communities.
Making the most of groundbreaking opportunities for our artists and arts organisations to showcase their work at prestigious world festivals such as the Venice Biennale art fair and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington DC, has already begun to elevate Northern Ireland’s international image, which is in turn helping to attract visitors and investors.
In summary the Arts Council pledges to continue to work in close partnership with artists, arts organisations, and other agencies in using all the resources available to it to create a new and culturally rich Northern Ireland.
Click here to view the Arts Council strategy web page
Arts Council Chairman's speech Rich Text PDF
Note: This press release was issued before further reductions in funding to the arts were announced
Click here to visit the Campaigning for the Arts web pages for more information
