The Arts Council yesterday announced increased funding for arts organisations across Ireland for next year, with plans to fund 297 entities, 39 more than 2004.
Of the 410 applications received this year, 77 were first-time applicants, of which 18 have been successful. All applicants will be notified by e-mail this week.
The Arts Council received €61 million from the Government in this year's Budget, representing an increase of 16 per cent from 2003. The two sectors benefiting most are film and traditional arts, receiving 22 per cent and 19 per cent, respectively, of all funds.
The traditional arts have been the focus of much attention this year, and the Council has just completed interviews for the new post of a specialist in this area. The successful candidate will be announced in January.
There will also be significant additional provision for Aosdána, the affiliation of artists in Ireland, which was created in 1983. Until now, membership had been capped at 200 but it now rises to 210. Due to the death of Aosdána founder member, photographer Mr Fergus Bourke last October, and one additional currently unfilled seat, there will be a total of 12 new members elected next year.
A new departure for the Arts Council is the €1 million now available for one-off productions and projects by individual artists: the Council has never previously funded stand-alone productions.
The funding for artists' awards and bursaries increases to €3.8 million, with the deadline for the first round of applications set at January 21st. The Minor Capital Scheme, which covers repairs and new equipment, has increased 50 per cent, to €500,000. The Small Festivals scheme got a 40 per cent rise in its funding, and many new festivals are now being directed to this category as a point of entry for arts funding. This year, €15 million went to 67 organisations located outside Dublin.
Ms Mary Cloake, director of the Arts Council, said a number of meetings have been scheduled for next year to take place between February and April. These meetings will bring together the Council and the arts sector to develop a framework for the future of the arts in Ireland.
Ms Olive Braiden, Chair of the Arts Council, indicated that next year the council will be announcing their funding decisions later. She explained that council will be conducting its assessment process differently, which will thus take more time to complete.
Traditionally announced before Christmas, pushing the funding notification to January is likely to cause problems with some arts organisations, such as arts festivals, which need to plan programmes as far in advance as possible. This is a problem compounded by the fact that multi-year funding for festivals has ended, with festivals now having to apply year on year for funding. This is likely to be a key topic in the forthcoming meetings planned in the spring between the two sectors.
When all applicants have been notified, the results of this year's funding decisions will be posted this week on the council's website: www.artscouncil.ie
