Arts Office - Review of 2003

The County Sligo Arts Plan 2002-2005 ‘The Brightening Air’ holds a broad and inclusive vision for arts development in the county. The Arts Office is continuing to implement the plan and meet the long-term goals which articulate the strategic role of the Sligo local authorities both in terms of the Arts Office’s programme, and the broader role played by the County Council in supporting artists, arts organisations and arts development generally both directly and indirectly.

The Arts Office has initiated and developed a number of programmes in the area of Arts and Health, working with a number of organisations such as the North Western Health Board, Sligo Sports & Recreation Partnership, Active Age Groups, St Anne’s Community Centre to improve the quality of people’s experience of arts in these contexts. For example the Office co-ordinated a very successful programme of events in the county during May as part of Bealtaine, the festival which celebrates creativity in older age.

Arts in both formal and informal education contexts forms a large part of the work of the Arts Office including the professional development of those involved in various capacities - artists, workers, voluntary groups and organisations. Programmes include:

• The Vogler Quartet in Sligo Music Education Programmes in Schools and Sligo Academy of Music
• An Advisory/Mentoring Scheme for Sligobased groups active in drama, writing and art and programmes for visual artists and dance teachers.
• Based on the successful model of the Vogler Music Education Programme, the office is collaborating with well-known traditional musician Colm O’Donnell to deliver a Traditional Music Education Programme in 8 National Schools over the coming school year.

County Sligo Youth Theatre comes under the remit of the Arts Office. This organisation for the youth of the county aged between 12 and 21 has developed considerably in recent times and now has its own office and employs a Leader in the Factory Performance Space. The Youth Theatre presents a number of their own productions annually as well as taking part in other community initiatives.

The 5-year Vogler Quartet in Sligo Residency Programme will be ongoing until June 2004. In delivering this programme, the Quartet, the Partners and the Facilitators continue to work closely with local music groups, schools/educational institutions, community centres and venues in the key areas of performance, music education and instrumental tuition. In addition to the Music Education Programme mentioned above, which is developing models of arts curriculum support of national relevance, the residency has seen highly successful events as part of the Con Brio Sligo Music Series and the Vogler Spring Festival, an annual event over the May Bank Holiday Weekend. Vogler Quartet performances for the remainder of 2003 will be in the Con Brio Sligo Music Series and the Model Arts and Niland Gallery Lunchtime Series in October and December.

In 2003 the Arts Office introduced a new Projects Fund Scheme for the development and production of a significant artistic project. 5 such projects were successful in this first year of the Scheme, in the areas of music, multi-disciplinary and the visual arts. And in 2003, €184,000 was provided by the members of Sligo County Council in direct grant aid to professional arts organisations, community arts events and small residency bursaries to individuals.

The Arts Office is also responsible for managing Sligo Local Authorities’ Public Art Programme, in consultation with relevant departments.

The Arts Office produces Sligo Events Quarterly, a quarterly publication which services to inform the public and assist arts organisations in publicising their events.