The Arts Council of Northern Ireland (ACNI) has revealed the first two successful bids for its £1.5m Challenge Fund, which aims to boost local arts provision in 10 council areas outside Belfast.
Mid Ulster District Council has received financing for projects such as Seamus Heaney HomePlace, which celebrates the life of the Nobel Prize-winning poet, while Newry, Mourne and Down District Council has been allocated funding for the expansion of arts activities throughout the year, including festivals.
“Some councils have historically invested more generously in the arts than others,” says Nick Livingston, ACNI’s director of strategic development and head of policy and research.
The redrawing of council boundaries in 2013 and the transfer of some functions from the Stormont government to local authorities has also affected the funding landscape.
Historical imbalances
“The picture across Northern Ireland was inconsistent and we thought this was the perfect opportunity to redress the historical imbalances,” says Livingston. “We wanted to engage with the new councils and to encourage them to make a step change in their thinking in trying to ingrain the arts in a wider range of service and delivery functions.” He says the scheme is “completely non-prescriptive” and could have an impact on museums.
“The channels that will be used for the delivery of services, so as long as they are using arts as the vehicle, can engage with other service areas. So it might well be that a council would choose to augment a museum programme or a community outreach programme being run by a museum, using the Challenge Fund.”
The main criterion, Livingston says, is that arts organisations are the “agents for change”. He adds: “How it is delivered, we leave to the local councils.”
Mid Ulster District Council received £150,000 from the fund, which the local authority has matched. The money was partly spent on Seamus Heaney HomePlace, which attracted more than 2,500 visitors on its opening weekend in late September.
The council’s director of culture and leisure, Anne-Marie Campbell, says: “We’re very much a rural council area and this fund will help increase access to the arts in Mid Ulster.”
As well as contributing to the arts in general throughout the district, the money has boosted the arts funding programme at Seamus Heaney HomePlace and led to the employment of an arts officer.
“We’re bringing really high-quality performances into The Helicon [Seamus Heaney HomePlace’s performance space], which we would not be able to do otherwise,” says Campbell.
Community arts organisations have also been provided with financial support to develop their programmes and expand their audiences. An animation project is being used to engage local schools.
“It’s given us leverage to embark on programmes that we were struggling to do, sustaining the sector in Mid Ulster,” says Campbell.
She adds that a lack of infrastructure, including good transport links, prevents rural communities in Northern Ireland from accessing major venues.
“Our venue has a multi-purpose art forum space, which means we can produce programming that caters for a wide audience,” says Campbell. She points out that the funding climate is challenging but praised her council’s investment in Seamus Heaney HomePlace.
Under the Challenge Fund, local authorities can bid for up to £150,000 and must match the amount allocated with their own money. Applications are open until 31 March 2017.
The next issue of Museums Journal will include a feature on writers’ venues in Ireland.
Mid Ulster District Council has received financing for projects such as Seamus Heaney HomePlace, which celebrates the life of the Nobel Prize-winning poet, while Newry, Mourne and Down District Council has been allocated funding for the expansion of arts activities throughout the year, including festivals.
“Some councils have historically invested more generously in the arts than others,” says Nick Livingston, ACNI’s director of strategic development and head of policy and research.
The redrawing of council boundaries in 2013 and the transfer of some functions from the Stormont government to local authorities has also affected the funding landscape.
Historical imbalances
“The picture across Northern Ireland was inconsistent and we thought this was the perfect opportunity to redress the historical imbalances,” says Livingston. “We wanted to engage with the new councils and to encourage them to make a step change in their thinking in trying to ingrain the arts in a wider range of service and delivery functions.” He says the scheme is “completely non-prescriptive” and could have an impact on museums.
“The channels that will be used for the delivery of services, so as long as they are using arts as the vehicle, can engage with other service areas. So it might well be that a council would choose to augment a museum programme or a community outreach programme being run by a museum, using the Challenge Fund.”
The main criterion, Livingston says, is that arts organisations are the “agents for change”. He adds: “How it is delivered, we leave to the local councils.”
Mid Ulster District Council received £150,000 from the fund, which the local authority has matched. The money was partly spent on Seamus Heaney HomePlace, which attracted more than 2,500 visitors on its opening weekend in late September.
The council’s director of culture and leisure, Anne-Marie Campbell, says: “We’re very much a rural council area and this fund will help increase access to the arts in Mid Ulster.”
As well as contributing to the arts in general throughout the district, the money has boosted the arts funding programme at Seamus Heaney HomePlace and led to the employment of an arts officer.
“We’re bringing really high-quality performances into The Helicon [Seamus Heaney HomePlace’s performance space], which we would not be able to do otherwise,” says Campbell.
Community arts organisations have also been provided with financial support to develop their programmes and expand their audiences. An animation project is being used to engage local schools.
“It’s given us leverage to embark on programmes that we were struggling to do, sustaining the sector in Mid Ulster,” says Campbell.
She adds that a lack of infrastructure, including good transport links, prevents rural communities in Northern Ireland from accessing major venues.
“Our venue has a multi-purpose art forum space, which means we can produce programming that caters for a wide audience,” says Campbell. She points out that the funding climate is challenging but praised her council’s investment in Seamus Heaney HomePlace.
Under the Challenge Fund, local authorities can bid for up to £150,000 and must match the amount allocated with their own money. Applications are open until 31 March 2017.
The next issue of Museums Journal will include a feature on writers’ venues in Ireland.