Funding announced for arts centre in Carlow

An arts centre in Carlow is to receive funding of €220,000, it has been announced. 

The VISUAL Centre for Contemporary Art & the George Bernard Shaw Theatre is to receive the Arts Council funding. 

The Arts Council, the Irish government agency for developing the arts,  announced its Arts Centres decisions for 2023 on Wednesday.

Funding totaling €9,486,140 will be distributed to 42 organisations across all parts of the country.  
  
Maureen Kennelly, Director of the Arts Council, said: ‘The infrastructure of arts centres, jointly supported with local government, is essential in enabling people of all ages and backgrounds in every part of the country to experience the very best of the arts. It is also essential in providing resources to artists in the development of their work. In addition, we are delighted to increase our support to Ealaín na Gaeltachta which supports arts audiences and artists in Gaeltacht regions in partnership with Údarás na Gaeltachta’. 
  
The purpose of Arts Centre Funding is to invest in and support the infrastructure of Arts Centres required to sustain and develop the arts in Ireland.  Arts Centres support the creation, presentation and mediation of the arts across a range of artforms and arts practices, the Arts Council said.  They support professional, collaborative, voluntary and amateur arts practice, it added. 
  
In a space where artists and audiences meet, Arts Centres are vital to the sustainability of the arts nationally. The Arts Council currently provides programming and revenue supports to over fifty Arts Centres throughout the country.

A key part of the Arts Council strategy, Making Great Art Work, is to invest in public engagement.  This funding, along with the Arts Councils #LiveIs campaign, which launched at the end of 2022, looks at continuing to have audiences return in ever-greater numbers to live arts performances.   
 
Along with this stream of funding, the Arts Council will also make the following allocations: 
€19 million in individual artist awards which includes bursaries across all art forms, artist in residence schemes and new commissions.  This bracket also includes the agility award which was introduced in response to the pandemic.  

€28 million is allocated towards arts grant funding, project awards, festivals and touring ensuring that audiences throughout the country can experience the highest quality work.   

Over €4 million is allocated towards partnerships with each local authority and to Ealaín na Gaeltachta.   

€13 million will be invested in a range of developmental projects including Creative Schools, Creative Places, Creative Europe and Culture Night, and towards the Arts Council’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion plans.   

As announced last week, over €50 million is directed towards 107 strategically funded organisations.