We start the year off with a new strategic overview Developing the Arts in Ireland: Arts Council Strategic Overview 2011 – 2013 and confident that, despite all the challenges, 2011 will be a good year for arts.

This month's newsletter has some exciting updates from Arts Audiences, including the expansion of its partnership with Google Ireland.  An information session with Google staffers will be held in February and the New Media Mentoring Scheme, which provides mentoring to arts organisations hoping to build relationships with audiences online, will run again this year. Arts Audiences also invite applications for the Build Your Audience Scheme which will be of interest to all who are keen to focus on cultural tourism and how to attract domestic and international visitors.

Also in this month’s edition the Department of Tourism, Culture and Sport, in partnership with the Arts Council, announces grants for the Visual Artists’ Workspaces Minor Capital Grants 2010.  Grants of up to €15,000 were awarded to purchase/maintain essential equipment for the benefit of artists and/or to undertake improvements to the quality of the artists’ workspace. We also include the decisions for the latest rounds of Deis and the Music Capital Scheme 2010.

A reminder on the deadline for the next round of the Small Arts Festivals and Events Scheme is also included in this edition.

Finally, the newsletter rounds off with our regular article on news from the arts community and international opportunities from the Cultural Contact Point. 

Mary Cloake,

Director

Arts Audiences are delighted that their partnership with Google which began last year has been expanded. An information session with Google staff on online marketing and making the most of online tools will be held in February and the Media Mentoring Scheme will be held again this year.

Arts Audiences are delighted to invite applications for the new Build your Audience Scheme, which will concentrate on helping arts organisations with their cultural tourism efforts.

The Department of Tourism, Culture and Sport, in partnership with the Arts Council, announces grants for the Visual Artists’ Workspaces Minor Capital Grants 2010.

Deis is a proposal-based scheme which is aimed at encouraging and facilitating the traditional arts community to seek funding from the Arts Council for a range of projects.

The Arts Council in association with Music Network has announced the results of the Music Capital Scheme 2010, an initiative designed to provide support for the purchase of musical instruments.

The Small Arts Festivals and Events Scheme is open to organisations that organise and promote festivals or events with a clear artistic purpose that will take place in the calendar year 2011.

News from the arts community in January includes an opportunity from Arts and Health Coordinators Ireland who wish to appoint an Artist Liaison to work on an initiative in arts and health; Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru, a Welsh language theatre company are seeking an Artistic Director; we have information on a traditional arts promotional opportunity from Fáilte Ireland and finally Donegal Gaeltacht gallery, An Gailearaí have launched a visual arts competition on the theme of 'A Visual Sense of the Gaeltacht'.

News from the CCP in January includes: a call to join We are more, a Europe-wide arts advocacy campaign; an update on the Workplan for Culture 2011 – 2014; information on international residency opportunities for choreographers; a call for participation in Tandem which will provide institutions an insight into the cultural scenes of Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova; details of a training course on using creative methods (arts and music) for inclusion of social excluded youth; a call for proposals for the Interreg IVB North West Europe (NWE) Programme; information on Europa Nostra Annual Congress in Amsterdam and finally a declaration on European Cultural Heritage at a conference in Bruges.