Who we are

History of the Arts Council

The Arts Council of Northern Ireland is the lead development agency for the arts in Northern Ireland.

We are the main support for artists and arts organisations throughout the region, offering a broad range of funding opportunities through our Treasury and National Lottery funds.

Enshrined in our priorities and strategies is the principle that the arts enrich the lives of everyone in Northern Ireland.

On this website you’ll discover all about who we are and what we do – from our funding programmes, policies and strategic plans to latest initiatives, breaking news and information about members of our staff and Council.

The Mission of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland is

Inspiring the Imagination, Building the Future

The Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure was created as a Department of the Northern Ireland Executive, established as part of the "Good Friday" Agreement.

The Arts Council of Northern Ireland is the prime distributor of public support for the arts. It was established in 1962 as a successor to the Committee for the Encouragement of Music and the Arts (CEMA) which had operated since 1942. ‘The Arts Council of Northern Ireland (1994)’, a company limited by guarantee, ceased activity in August 1995.

The Arts Council became a statutory body on 1st September 1995. Its functions are set out in Article 4 (1) of the Arts Council (Northern Ireland) Order 1995:

to develop and improve the knowledge, appreciation and practice of the arts;
to increase public access to, and participation in, the arts;
to encourage and assist:

the provision of arts facilities and events; &
co-ordination and efficient use of resources for the arts;

to assist the provision of administrative services and training for or by any body providing facilities for, or in connection with, the arts;
to advise the Department and other government departments, district councils and other bodies on matters relating to the arts and such other functions as are conferred on the Council by any other statutory provision.
to allocate funds made available by central government and the National Lottery for the arts;
to advocate the causes of the arts to central and local government and the public generally;
to advise the public and private sectors on artistic matters;
to assist artists and arts-activists.

In addition, the Arts Council has statutory functions under the National Lottery Act 1993 as ammended by the National Lottery Act 1998.

CONDUCT OF BUSINESS

In setting up a statutory body rather than a voluntary body, the government emphasised both the importance of the arts to society in Northern Ireland and the centrality of the Arts Council itself in the development of the arts. This was reinforced by the appointment of a new Council which is composed of people with a considerable degree of knowledge and experience in one or more art forms and related fields. The Council does not devolve responsibility down to committees, as was previously the case, but consults panels of external advisers before making decisions regarding grants, awards, scholarships and bursaries.

Amanda Dunsmore, Mark Carruthers, Maggie Cronin and Alan Titley. Photograph by Michael Morgan