Northern Ireland

An arts group planning to showcase African talent living in Northern Ireland and aid community cohesion has launched.

The collective, which aims to be a platform for artists, dancers and musicians, is being established by charity Africa House Northern Ireland which represents the interests of African organisations and individuals across the country.

Cuthbert Tura Arutura of Africa House said African artists felt they were unable to make an impact individually and secure work.

“We have seen that African and Irish people have a lot of shared experiences and art is a way to express that,” he said.

“This type of initiative addresses the isolation some arriving in Northern Ireland, and is also another way that people can network.

“It is all about empowerment.”

African and Northern Ireland artists will gather on Wednesday 5 October to mark the forming of the group at the Markets Community Centre in Belfast.

A total of £53,000 has been awarded to nine arts projects as part of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland’s Small Grants funding programme. 

The money will be used to support projects in Armagh, Bangor, Craigavon, Downpatrick and the Fermanagh area.

The Small Grants Programme offers up to £10,000 per applicant to support organisations in Northern Ireland running creative community-based projects, as part of an effort to increase engagement with the arts.

Roisin McDonough, Chief Executive of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, said the grants would support nine “fantastic” projects, “creating more opportunities for people to engage with the arts, from grassroots level projects through to professional productions”.

The nine organisations being funded are Armagh Pipers Club, Banbridge Music Society, Shore Collective, Music in Fermanagh, Mid-Armagh Community Network, North Down Community Network, Patrician Youth Centre and Harmony Community Trust.
 

New research shows that “the pandemic was a time to reassess museum purpose and find new ways of keeping relevant”, said Elizabeth Crooke, Professor of Museum and Heritage Studies at Ulster University.

Researchers at the university have spent two years investigating the sector’s response to the pandemic as part of the Museums, Crisis and Covid-19 initiative, funded by UK Research and Innovation. 

The research focused on how museums can contribute to community resilience and wellbeing. Its recommendations are expected to help support museums, funders and policymakers build on experience learned through the pandemic.

Three separate reports focus on distinct areas: museums and the pandemic (revisiting purposes and priorities); museums and community wellbeing; and museums, Covid and digital media (innovation, engagement and practice).

“This research project found evidence of an innovative and engaged museum sector, committed to new and established audiences,” said Crooke.

“The Northern Ireland museum sector has proved itself agile, able to adapt its services at the most challenging times.”

Crooke added that future priorities, informed by the project, include “reaching new audiences; addressing museum purposes for changed social, economic and political landscapes; and deepening museum links with communities and the issues that matter to them”.

Stella Byrne, Head of Investment  at the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Northern Ireland, said that the research “has helped the National Lottery Heritage Fund to better understand the infrastructure needs of the sector and tailor our emergency funding responses. It will also guide our future support for the sector”.

Young people aged 16 to 25 have helped to curate a new exhibition at Ulster Museum in Belfast, assembling objects that represent their experiences, interests and opinions.

The exhibition was spearheaded by Reimagine Remake Replay, a creative programme that has connected over 4,000 young people with heritage through creative media and the latest digital technologies. It is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Kick the Dust programme.

A group of young people who have been active in the programme were selected to work on the exhibition Power to the Young People. 

The exhibition is based on themes including climate justice, arts and wellbeing and LGBTQIA+ rights, which developed naturally as a reflection of the priorities, interests and concerns of the young co-curators. It took a year to put together and features creative activities and digital interactives including a VR experience, a bespoke AR app and projection mapping.

“The programme recognises that this age group is under-served within heritage and within museums, so, for us being here is not just about the content, it’s also about changing the experience,” Niamh Kelly, Project Assistant and Youth Ambassador for Reimagine Remake Replay, told the Belfast Telegraph.

“It’s about making it more of a space that reflects young people, where they actually can see something that not just appeals to them, but speaks to them and is something that they want to get involved in.”

Funding applications are now open for community groups, arts organisations and councils across Northern Ireland who wish to take part in the Arts and Older People Programme.

Established in 2010 by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, the programme challenges perceptions of what it means to be an older person. It is designed to tackle loneliness and promote positive mental health among older people through the arts.

The latest round of the programme, in partnership with the National Lottery, will award £200,000 of funding in grants of up to £10,000 to support projects benefitting older people.

“We know that taking part in arts activities can raise self-esteem, boost confidence and motivation, as well as help to relieve stress, loneliness, worries and pain,” said Lorraine Calderwood, Arts Programmes Officer of Arts Council of Northern Ireland. 

She said that recent rounds of the programme have “focused on delivering arts activity within care home settings, working with residents living with dementia and their carers,” and encouraged organisations across the region to apply.

To date, the programme has provided £2m of funding to community organisations and voluntary groups, resulting in the delivery of over 200 arts projects.

Applications for this latest round of funding will close on 7 July.

900 older people benefitted from an Arts Council of Northern Ireland programme in care homes last year.

The funder reports the fifth iteration of its scheme helped reduce isolation and loneliness and promote mental wellbeing. About half of the programme's projects delivered at least some of their work online, making it more widely available than it had been previously.

First piloted in 2009, it is a core National Lottery-funded programme worth £109,000 in 2021 and more than £2m over its lifespan.

"We know that taking part in arts activities can raise self-esteem, confidence and motivation, as well as help to relieve stress, worries and pain," Arts Programme Officer Lorraine Calderwood said.

An evaluation report this week demonstrates the scheme's positive effects and the "swift, innovative thinking" of those who delivered it, Calderwood added.

An arts-based community project aims to change behaviours towards climate change in Northern Ireland.

Led by Derry theatre The Playhouse, Artitude: Climate, Culture, Circularity has £150,000 from the National Lottery Community Fund to tackle environmental topics including waste and net zero targets.

The 18-month project will culminate in Artitude Festival 2023, timed to coincide with the 10th anniversary of Londonderry’s stint as the inaugural UK City of Culture.

Playhouse Chief Executive Kevin Murphy says research conducted throughout will help form new environmental targets for the area.

“This project will give a clear path to the future and help people who want to take action to know what to do. As a community, we are positively choosing to help sustain our planet’s climate.”