Northern Ireland

Eleven schools in Northern Ireland will each receive funding to hire professional artists.

£15,000 has been awarded by the Creative Schools Partnership, a combination of National Lottery, Education Authority and NI Executive funding, across the schools' proposals.

Projects include screenwriting, dance, photography, filmmaking and music composition. Grants will cover two years' work.

First Minister Paul Givan said: “This successful partnership has already seen hundreds of children engage with the programme within post-primary schools in urban villages areas.

“The young people have benefited from this innovative arts-based approach, which has supported curriculum learning and improved their educational outcomes.”

A quarter of Northern Ireland's arts workforce has been lost to Covid-19.

The number of people employed by arts organisations in the country fell 25% in the 2020/21 financial year, according to Arts Council Northern Ireland’s (ACNI) annual funding survey.

Covid restrictions meant just 59 in-person arts activities took place that year compared to 67,000 in 2019/20. Total income fell by £4.5m (9%) and earned income by £16m (69%).

Losses were offset by a 22% increase in income from public sources. ACNI delivered £12.9m in grants to 97 arts organisations last financial year, the same number as the year prior.

ACNI Director of Strategic Development and Partnerships Karly Greene said that though online events grew, they were no replacement for the income generated by live events.

“While we don’t yet know the long term impact these changes will have on the sector, this survey highlights a need for ongoing financial support and will be an important tool in helping us to strategically plan for the future."
 

Residents of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough are being asked to contribute their opinion on the local City of Culture 2025 bid.

An online survey asks locals what culture means to them, which cultural activities they engage in and their thoughts on three possible bid themes: traditions for the future, provoking thought, and healing.

Information from the survey will help develop the final bid to DCMS in February.

As Northern Ireland’s only representative on the City of Culture 2025 longlist, Armagh 2025 says it aims to make the shortlist of three cities. 

“Bidding for the title is already providing a positive focus for change, sparking a renewed sense of pride, and securing new initiatives and investment potential for the region,” Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Glenn Barr said.

The number of adults engaging in arts and culture in Northern Ireland has fallen once again.

Continuous Household Survey data for 2020/21 shows 81% of adults engaged in arts and culture in the last 12 months, compared to 87% in 2019/20. 

This year's figure represents the lowest recorded for engagement in arts and culture since 2008/09.

Despite the overall decrease, the number of adults using public libraries increased from 23% to 28%.

The number of adults visiting a museum or science centre remained stable at 37%.

This year's report is the first to record engagement against deprivation. 84% of adults living in Northern Ireland's least deprived areas engaged in arts and culture compared to 78% living in the most deprived areas.

Music and theatre venues are calling for Northern Ireland's Executive to end its one-metre social distancing rule.

The restriction has meant many venues are yet to reopen, with those hosting events saying they are not financially viable.

Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK without a full reopening date for indoor venues, or the ability to operate without capacity restrictions.

Stormont ministers are scheduled to meet on Thursday (23 September) to discuss further.

Concert promoter Joe Dougan said: "We urgently need our Executive to provide a full reopening date, remove social distancing requirements, and allow us to plan for the coming months. We are confident this can be done safely”.

A recovery funding programme for Northern Irish creatives has been opened by Arts Council of Northern Ireland (ACNI) and the Department for Communities.

ACNI Chief Executive Roisin McDonough said the £5m Creative Individuals Recovery Programme (CIRP) is designed to help creatives continue developing important skills.

It can help pay to create new work, hire facilities or equipment, improve professional skills or attend industry events.

Grants of up to £2,000 are available, with applications closing October 6.

“CIRP funding can help our creative individuals to positively contribute, as they did before the pandemic, to the significant cultural value of Northern Ireland as a great place to work, live and invest,“ McDonough said.

Northern Ireland's arts sector is feeling the effects of Brexit more than most.

A report by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland (ACNI) warns the country's arts and artists are becoming "less visible" internationally as companies struggle to tour, British arts suppliers are unwilling to ship to Northern Ireland and the small sector's voice is lost in cross-national negotiations.

It notes "anecdotal evidence" that arts organisations with the means to do so are establishing themselves in the Republic of Ireland to circumvent some of these issues and remain eligible for EU funding.

But ACNI says it has no way of substantiating how many organisations might be doing this - or whether they are at all. 

"The most we can say is that this is potentially more likely as a consequence of Brexit and the third party status of Northern Ireland-based arts and culture organisations.

"Creative Europe funding, in particular, has been an important source of funding for a number of organisations in Northern Ireland – especially touring and production organisations who will now find it more difficult to form creative partnerships across Europe.  This will impact on the diversity of product audiences will be exposed to and participants will be able to engage in."