02/08/2012

The Arts Council has announced it is to fund a place on a prestigious international programme, designed to train and mentor future cultural leaders.

2012/13 Arts Council of Northern Ireland Fellow Rachel Kennedy

Dundrum based Rachel Kennedy, Arts Officer for Down District Council, will officially take up her role on the Clore Leadership Programme in September. Rachel is one of 29 individuals from across the UK selected to take part on the specialist leadership development course, which is supported by a range of national and international cultural bodies.

As the only representative from here on the programme, Arts Council Chief Executive, Roisin McDonough, congratulated Rachel on securing the 2012/13 Arts Council of Northern Ireland Fellowship.

She said: “The Clore Leadership Programme offers tailored development opportunities for promising individuals working within the cultural sector. By nurturing their skills and ambition, the course provides the critical building blocks needed to develop the career potential of our future cultural leaders. Rachel is a well known name within the arts sector here and I’ve no doubt that this fellowship will benefit not only her but the local arts community as a whole.”

Rachel Kennedy has been working in the arts for more than 10 years. In addition to her role at Down District Council, she is currently a Board Member for the Northern Irish Theatre Association and Vice Chair of Replay Theatre Company.

As the Arts Council of Northern Ireland Fellow she will take part in a tailor-made programme lasting approximately 8 months. The Clore Leadership Programme works closely with each Fellow to design their learning experience according to individual needs and aspirations. In addition to residential courses, conferences and study visits, each Fellow undertakes a three month secondment to an organisation beyond their previous experiences and receives mentoring from a senior leader and support from a professional coach.

Commenting on the programme, Rachel said: “I am absolutely delighted to have been awarded a place on the Clore Leadership Programme.  The programme offers unrivalled tailored professional development, the opportunity to experience working in a different organisation to my own, and the exciting prospect of meeting and getting to know the mentors, teachers and other Fellows on the programme.  I expect it will be very challenging, but very rewarding and I’m looking forward to getting started in September.”

Founded in 2003, the Clore Leadership Programme is an initiative of the Clore Duffield Foundation, which aims to strengthen leadership across a wide range of cultural activities. This includes the visual and performing arts, film and digital media, heritage, museums, libraries and archives, creative industries and cultural policy. It offers training, Fellowships and Short Courses for individual leaders. Since September 2004, 231 cultural leaders from the UK and abroad have been awarded Clore Fellowships.

The major funding partners for the Clore Leadership Programme in 2012/13 are: the Clore Duffield Foundation; Arts Council of Northern Ireland; Arts Council England; Arts Council of Wales; Arts and Humanities Research Council; Creative Scotland; Dancers’ Careers Development; the Foreign and Commonwealth Office through the Association of Commonwealth Universities; Gatsby Charitable Foundation; Home Affairs Bureau of the Government of Hong Kong Specialist Administrative Region through the Hong Kong Arts Development Council; the Linbury Trust; National Endowment of Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA); Paul Hamlyn Foundation and the Wellcome Trust.