In March, members of the Arts Council and the executive met with the Joint Committee on Arts, Sport, Tourism, Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs.  The subject up for discussion was arts funding, and particularly maintaining arts funding during the economic downturn. We include information on this lively discussion in the newsletter.

We are pleased to announce two additional ethical resources for artists and arts organisations working with children and young people.  The resources build on the Guidelines for the protection and welfare of children and young people and were published in response to requests from the arts sector. These important new resources were developed in consultation with individual artists, arts organisations, the Health Service Executive Keeping Safe Information and Advice Persons.

Elsewhere in the newsletter, we have an update on the Touring Experiment, an action research project designed to inform and shape future policy for touring in the Republic of Ireland, and we  remind readers of the new public art website which should go live at the end of April.   

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

Mary Cloake
Director

On the 11 March, Mary Cloake, Director; Pat Moylan, Chairman; Alan Stanford and Philip King, Members of the Arts Council met with the Joint Committee on Arts, Sport, Tourism, Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. 

Building on Guidelines for the protection and welfare of children and young people in the arts sector, we are pleased to introduce two new resources for artists and arts organisations working with children and young people.

We update you on the situation with the Touring Experiment, an action research project designed to inform and shape future policy for touring in the Republic of Ireland.

We remind you of plans to develop the new public art website, and include information on how to receive the new publicart.ie newsletter.   

Opportunities in the arts community in March include an invitation to apply for a position in the Dance Theatre of Ireland; a design contest for a major public art project in Belfast; details on how to apply for an award of free incubation/workspace at THE LAB; an invitation by Mayo County Council to develop proposals for a new public art commission; and information about an open selection call for the Éigse Carlow Arts Festival.   

News from the CCP in March includes: details of how to apply to a Europe wide art contest for young people; a call for proposals for a pilot mobility project; information on a new call published on access to local culture, protection and the promotion of cultural diversity, and finally news on a new contact for the Cultural Contact Point.