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The Strategic Development Department


The Strategic Development Department has lead responsibility for the Council�s research, policy development and planning roles.

The work of the Arts Council is based around 3 planning cycles : the Strategic Plan which sets out our overarching priorities across a 5-year period; the 3-year Corporate Plan which identifies specific objectives and performance targets; and an annual Business Plan which gives more detail on the actual activities which we will undertake to achieve our objectives and strategic aims.

The Council�s decision-making process with regards strategies and activities are fed by the research programme which is designed and implemented by the Department. The research programme covers an array of projects, from large scale public consultations on the future development of the arts sector to original research into the impact of the arts. We work with other departments of the Council: gathering information; identifying trends; evaluating programmes and generating evidence to help inform future policy and to support our advocacy of the arts.

The Department also has responsibility for the Council�s compliance with statutory requirements including equality legislation.




Find out about the research we conduct by clicking the links below:



Official Statistics
Publications and Information
Current Initiatives
Contact Us
Useful Links

Following the introduction of the Official Statistics Order for Northern Ireland on the 1 April 2012, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland became a provider of official statistics under the extended scope of the Statistics Registration and Service Act 2007.  More information, together with a publication timetable can be found by clicking here.

Publications and Information


Current

General Population Survey Findings

This report details the key findings from the 2012 General Population Survey, providing reliable estimates of adult engagement with the arts in Northern Ireland.  It presents findings relating to levels of attendance and participation, attitudes towards the arts, obstacles to engagement and the benefits gained from participation.

To download the report (PDF) click here

Arts and Older People

In June 2010 the Arts Council of Northern Ireland appointed Wallace Consulting to design an evaluation framework and undertake an ongoing evaluation of the Arts and Older People Programme throughout its lifetime.


This document provides an overview of progress towards the AOP’s aims and outcomes as reflected in its Logic Model at Interim stage. It summarises recent research and policy developments and presents an analysis of the work conducted to date. The implications for programme development are also discussed.

Evaluation of the Arts and Older People Programme - Interim Report (PDF)

Arts and Older People Strategy (PDF)

Creative Partnerships


‘Creative Partnerships’ is a guide for arts and cultural organisations in Northern Ireland to building international partnerships and accessing European funding

Creative Partnerships (PDF)

International Cultural Network Links (Excel)

 

 

Intercultural Arts Strategy

The principal aim of the Intercultural Arts Strategy is to create as many avenues as possible for minority ethnic communities to access and participate in the arts in Northern Ireland and further afield.  The Arts Council proposes to meet the creative and social needs of minority ethnic communities through a set of strategic themes which centre upon the artistic and social issues identified through the Arts Council’s research and consultation with the sector. 

The six strategic themes include:

Intercultural Engagement; Developing the Minority Ethnic Arts Infrastructure; Using the Arts to Develop Community Cohesion; Using the Arts to Increase Awareness of Diversity, and Developing Programmes that Use the Arts to Develop Good Relations and as a Vehicle to Tackle Racism.

To view the Intercultural Arts Strategy ( PDF) click here

 

To view the Screening Document of the Intercultural Arts Strategy please click here

To view the EQIA Consultation Document of the of the Intercultural Arts Strategy please click here

To view the Draft Intercultural Arts Strategy please click here

To view the EQIA Outcome Report please click here

The Intercultural Arts Strategy will shortly be launched and thereafter will be published on our website.



 

Regularly Funded Organisation Survey 2011/2012

The Regularly Funded Organisation Survey provides statistics on the financial, operational and artistic activities of arts organisations in receipt of regular funding from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. The information helps the Arts Council monitor the performance of funded organisations, evaluate output and inform policy decisions. At the same time, it provides funded organisations with a benchmark against which to compare activity against.

Download a copy of the 2011/2012 survey results

PDF Version

Word

Rich Text Format

 

  • Survey on the Impact of the current economic climate on Regularly Funded Organisations (Word, PDF)


  • Research into the Living and Working conditions of Professional Artists

Full Version (PDF)    Summary Version (PDF)

This report and summary was jointly commissioned by Arts Council of Northern Ireland and An Chomhairle Ealaíon in April 2009 to examine the living and working conditions of professional artists on the island of Ireland.  The brief was:

  • To gather data on the socio-economic conditions of professional artists, enabling each Council to track trends and changes over time
  • To provide an overview of changes in the macro-environment to set the context analysis of the living and working conditions of professional artists
  • To conduct a comparative international analysis of the socio-economic conditions of professional artists in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
  • To identify innovative measures in evidence internationally which might be applied or advocated for to support the professional artist

This independent research was led by Hibernian Consulting and included the support of Dr. Clare McAndrew, an international expert on arts and the economy and Insight Solutions, a statistical consulting firm that delivered the survey component of the research.

The research was overseen by a Steering Group including representatives from both Arts Council of Northern Ireland and An Chomhairle Ealaíon and was led by an independent project manager. 

As part of the research, the Arts Councils will be seeking the support of individual artists and arts organisations to ensure that the research conducted is accurate and representative of the complex and diverse nature of their living and working conditions.  To this end, the Arts Council will be contacting organisations working in the sector to gather information on artists supported. 

The fieldwork is expected to be completed by January 2010, with a final report to be produced by the summer of that year.  Updates on the progress of the research will be provided during the lifetime of the assignment with the findings to be widely disseminated.  Further information on the proposed research can be found by contacting Graeme Stevenson on gstevenson@artscouncil-ni.org

  • Digest of Arts Statistics 2010 (PDF)

The Digest provides a compilation of statistical information designed to reflect current consumption, economic and social trends, sourced from both government and private sources and drawing especially on the results from independent surveys and activities undertaken by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.


  • Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA): Arts and Older People strategy.

    Outcome EQIA Report (Rich Text, PDF and Word)

    Final Version of the Arts and Older People Strategy (Rich Text, PDF and Word)


  • Strategic Stocktake 2010. Arts Council mid-term review (Word, Rich Text, PDF)

    Three years on from the launch of its five-year strategy, Creative Connections, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland has spoken to key stakeholders to assess the impact of work undertaken so far.

  • Executive Summary of the Sectoral Dramaturgy
    Project Evaluation     (Rich Text, PDF)

  • Charity Commission Information

  • Arts Council submission to CAL Funding Inquiry February 2009 (PDF)

  • Grant Distribution Analysis 2003-08 ( PDF )
    Grant Distribution Analysis 2003-08 Executive Summary ( PDF )

  • Cultural Olympiad Big Ideas Workshops

    Over one hundred people, include representatives from the arts, sports, community, business, cultural and youth sectors, attended the Cultural Olympiad BIG IDEAS workshops at a variety of locations throughout Northern Ireland.

    Each workshop highlighted the latest information about the Cultural Olympiad, its themes and project criteria and most importantly gave local people the chance to meet others and get involved in generating BIG IDEAS which will be used to develop ways to showcase Northern Ireland in the run-up to 2012 Olympic Games.

    A range of BIG IDEAS were developed as a result and early on in the process it became clear that the workshops themselves were emerging as vehicles for forming the kind of cross-genre relationships that the Cultural Olympiad wishes to generate. Throughout the sessions there was genuine enthusiasm for the BIG IDEAS that were being generated and for working with new groups and sectors.

    To read the Cultural Olympiad Consultation Summary Report June 2008 click here (PDF)


  • Arts and Culture in Northern Ireland 2007 (Arts Council of Northern Ireland)

    Arts and Culture in Northern Ireland 2007 is the second dedicated study undertaken in recent times to collect and analyse information on consumption, behaviour and public attitudes towards the arts. The study provides a comparison with the 2004 baseline survey and enables key questions to be examined by demographic.

  • Barriers to Disabled People's Participation In and Access to the Arts in Northern Ireland (Arts Council of Northern Ireland)

    Undertaken by Ipsos MORI, this is the first large scale research study in Northern Ireland to use the social model of disability. This concept was interpreted at the fieldwork stage through a range of qualitative and quantitative methods, including a door-to-door survey of 500 people with disabilities, focus groups with disabled people who attend or participate in the arts and face-to-face interviews with arts venue managers.

    Since completion, the research has been used to inform the Arts Council’s new Five Year Plan Creative Connections and to support a range of policy and development work within the field of Arts and Disability.

  • The Disability Strategy and Action Plan 2007 - 2008 (Rich Text or PDF)
    (Arts Council of Northern Ireland)

  • Local Authority Arts Expenditure Survey 2003-4 and 2004-5
    (Arts Council of Northern Ireland)
  • Review of the Support for the Individual Artist Programme (SIAP) 2004
    (Arts Council of Northern Ireland, 2004)

    Download Summary
    In order to ensure that the Support for Individual Artists Programme (SIAP) remains relevant to the professional needs of the arts sector, an independent review was conducted by BearingPoint in 2004 to determine its Value for Money.
    Key considerations for this research included: establishing efficiency and effectiveness; conducting a comparison with similar UK schemes to identify ‘best practice’ and establishing relevance within changing political, social and economic contexts.

  • Research into the Actual and Perceived Barriers to Publicly Funded Arts
    in Northern Ireland     (Arts Council of Northern Ireland, July 2005)

    Download Summary
    The Arts Council for Northern Ireland recognises the need to remove barriers that prevent people, in particular young people, those with disabilities, people from ethnic minority groups and those who are socially excluded from taking part in the arts. This report provides compelling evidence of the barriers faced by bringing together research from a number of primary and secondary sources.

  • Arts Council Client Satisfaction Survey 2005
    (Arts Council of Northern Ireland, March 2006)

    Download Summary
    This report presents the findings of a Client Satisfaction Survey carried out among Arts Council of Northern Ireland (ACNI) operational contacts during quarter 4 of 2005 and January 2006. The aim of the survey was to establish a measurable baseline of client satisfaction relating to key areas of the Council and its activity.

  • An Analysis of 2006 / 2007 Governance Survey

  • Mentoring Development Project
  • Review of Musical Instruments for Bands Scheme
    (Arts Council of Northern Ireland, February 2006)

    Download Summary
    The Musical Instruments for Bands Scheme was first introduced by the Arts Council in 1994. In November 1996 the Lottery Department of the Arts Council instituted a moratorium on capital equipment awards to individual bands. In 2000 the scheme was reviewed for the purposes of establishing a policy for future ACNI National Lottery funding to the band sector based on the identified needs of the sector. Following on from the review, the Arts Council launched a new scheme in 2002. This Review was undertaken after the Scheme had been suspended in Spring 2005.

Archive:




 


Current Initiatives
  • The Arts Council is working with Local Councils to evaluate the impact of the Art of Regeneration programme at an individual and community level.
  • We are contributing to regional and national research and policy initiatives through involvement on advisory panels and steering groups.
  • The Arts Council provides the arts sector with key statistics on current participation and attendance levels in cultural activity for advocacy and policy purposes.


Contact Us

Further information on any of the Council’s Research Plan can be obtained by contacting

Graeme Stevenson
Northern Ireland Arts Council
MacNeice House
77 Malone Road
Belfast . BT9 6AQ
Tel: 028 9038 5202



Email: gstevenson@artscouncil-ni.org