As the new Director of the Arts Council, I am delighted to provide the introduction to our September Newsletter. 

We have decisions in this newsletter on a number of awards including the Artist in the Community scheme, round two; the Engaging with Architecture scheme and the Writers in Libraries scheme which provides funding for imaginative literary events in libraries across the country. Deis, our initiative for the traditional arts has allocated over €300,000 in grants to date this year.

There is also notice with regard to Splanc! TG4 and the Arts Council invite submissions for the 7th season of this television documentary scheme that supports the creative exploration of the arts.

There is a reminder about the Advanced Planning strand of the Arts Council's Touring and Dissemination of Work scheme with an application date coming up on Thursday, 6 October.

The Arts Council recently sought proposals for Arts Advisers through e-tenders and their names are provided in this month's edition. We are pleased that Arts Audiences, a partnership initiative of the Arts Council and Temple Bar Cultural Trust was the recipient with Google Ireland, of the Allianz Business to Arts Award for Creativity in the Workplace on the 12 September.

In the news from the arts community section there is a note about Music Network's Music Capital Scheme with an October deadline. News from the Cultural Contact Point Ireland (CCP) includes information about a public forum in Wexford on the 14 October. Part funded by CCP, the Forum will discuss and examine the future of public art in Ireland through the Per Cent for Art Scheme. There is also an Arts and Civil Society Symposium to be held in Cork on 20 and 21 October.

Finally the Council is very pleased to welcome this month, appointments made by Jimmy Deenihan TD, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, of three new members to the Arts Council. They are Dr Éimear O Connor, Mark O’Regan and Ciarán Walsh. Details of all Council members are provided on our main website www.artscouncil.ie

Yours sincerely

Orlaith McBride, Director

At a recent ceremony in Dublin Castle, Arts Audiences, a partnership initiative of the Arts Council and Temple Bar Cultural Trust was the recipient, with Google Ireland, of the Allianz Business to Arts Award for Creativity in the Workplace. 

Earlier in 2011, the Arts Council and the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht announced the Engaging with Architecture Scheme 2011, with the purpose of supporting projects to engage the public with architecture. Funding has now been awarded to the value of €70,000.

Twice a year the Arts Council offers grants to enable artists and communities to work together on projects. The scheme is open to artists from any of the following artforms: architecture, circus, street art and spectacle, dance, film, literature (Irish and English language), music, opera, theatre, visual arts and traditional arts. The initiative is designed to encourage meaningful collaborations. Decisions under the second round of the scheme have now been made.

The Arts Council recently sought proposals via www.etenders.gov.ie from practitioners wishing to provide services as Arts Advisers in a broad range of artforms and arts practice areas.   

TG4 and the Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon invite submissions for the 7th season of this innovative television documentary scheme that supports the creative exploration of the arts in Ireland. The deadline for submissions is 1pm on Friday, 11 November 2011.

Projects based in Cabra, Tallaght, Macroom and Waterford among others, were recently allocated funding under the Writers in Libraries Scheme which aims to provide funding for imaginative literary events in libraries across the country. 

The Arts Council's Deis Scheme continues to assist the traditional arts community in delivering a range of projects which aim to contribute to the preservation, promotion and transmission of our traditional music, song, dance and oral traditions. Over €300,000 has been allocated under the scheme to date this year. Examples of activity funded in 2011 are The Steeple Sessions, a series of Irish traditional music concerts at the Unitarian Church on St Stephen's Green in Dublin and Dublin Yarn Spinners which engage audiences with storytelling in the Traveller heritage.

A new Advanced Planning strand of the Arts Council's Touring and Dissemination of Work Scheme is being introduced with an application date on Thursday, 6 October 2011. It is intended that the purpose and criteria for this strand will complement the existing scheme.

In June 2008, the Arts Council, the Irma Trust and Music Network announced new supports for capital investment in music. The Music Capital Scheme was initially established as a 3-year pilot scheme (2008 – 2010), which formed part of a research initiative seeking to analyse the needs for support for capital investment in music as well as the optimum ways of providing this support. In response to the success of the pilot, in 2011, the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht has committed further funds to enable the continuation of the Scheme.

News from the Cultural Contact Point Ireland (CCP) includes information about an Arts and Civil Society Symposium to be held in Cork on 20 and 21 October. Hosted by Create, it will be aimed at artists, arts officers, arts organisations, voluntary and civil society organisations and policy makers with an interest in arts, culture and social change. Also included is information about a public forum in Wexford to be hosted by articulate on the 14 October. This forum, part funded by the CCP, will discuss and examine the future of public art in Ireland through the Per Cent for Art Scheme. The keynote speaker will be Sara Reisman, Director, Percent for Art, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. There is also information about the 2013 European Year of Active Citizenship.