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Monday, December 13, 2010
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Proceedings of Consultation Seminar
SouthDublinArtsConsultation 2010
Looking ahead to a new strategy for a new era 2011-2015Public Consultation Seminar Proceedings
Fiona Delaney, Public Consultation Co-ordinator
Contents
Public Consultation Seminar: Details, Audience, Context, Content, Key Topics.
Background Seminar Proceedings.
Presentation 1: South Dublin Arts Consultation: Towards a new Arts Strategy.
Presentation 2: Position Paper ‘Cultural Entitlement and the Arts’.
Facilitated discussion 1: Themed breakout-discussions, as selected by participants.
Music: Artform Development.
Dance: Artform Development.
Youth Arts Future Focus.
Cultural Entitlement/Audience Development/ Arts Advocacy
Presentation 3: South Dublin County: Dance, Music & Youth Programme interaction
with mainstream education and other services.
Q&APanel: Louise Costello, Michael Fleming, Orla Scannell, Victoria Durrer and Fiona Delaney MC
Facilitated discussion 2: The Arts - Forging Sustainable Partnerships.
Close
Public Consultation Seminar
Wednesday 22nd September @ RuaRed, South Dublin Arts Centre, Tallaght. 10am-4pm.
Places, though limited, were free of charge.
The event was fully booked and attended by over 40 participants.
Target Audience
Artists, performers and creators of all disciplines; Arts, artform and cultural organisations; Individuals involved with or keen to get involved with the arts; Amateur, community and local organisations engaging with arts practice; Education, health and other service and training providers delivering arts programming and promoting access to the arts.
Context
This event was the keystone event in the Public Consultation process. It offered a unique opportunity to encounter a cross-section of the community over a day-long networking and discussion seminar, featuring a showcase of recent work generated in the county area.
Content
We asked participants to highlight their priorities for a strategic arts plan for the South Dublin County area; for feedback on key areas of interest e.g. Artform Development in Music and Dance; Youth Art Future Focus and sought a response to new ideas about Cultural Entitlement. Attendees were also asked to consider the theme of forging sustainable partnerships in the arts; identifying elements key to successful partnerships.
Key topics for discussion included
Participants were asked to select one topic @ break-out discussion
1.Youth arts: a focus for the future.
2.Artform development: music.
3.Artform development: dance.
4.Cultural entitlement, arts advocacy and audience development.
5.The arts, early childhood and primary education. (This strand was cancelled due to lack of interest – it is hoped that in association with the Childrens Services Committee a future Focus Group event may take place on the topic)
Background Information
South Dublin Arts Consultation on-line: log on to our on-line public consultation presence – for updates, feedback www.southdublinartsconsultation.blogspot.com
Participation in any or all of the public consultation events was free-of-charge.
Relevant Arts Office publications were available (at no cost) on the arts website http://arts.southdublin.ie including the previous five year Arts Strategy 2006-2010.
Seminar Attendees
Among those who attended there were:
o 8 who described themselves as an artist
o 9 describing themselves as an arts facilitator
o 3 who identified as an arts tutor or mentor
o 5 who described themselves as an arts administrator
o 2 who described themselves as a care/health or disability service professionals.
o 3 who work specifically in youth arts
Not everyone completed a Registration Form – so the information is used merely as an indication of the interests and background of some of the attendees.
When asked if they had any queries or concerns about taking part in the Consultation process, in the main respondents either had none or declined to respond. There were three comments however highlighting:
o Not personally - but I’m wondering about the reach of the process into the wider community.
o Would the multi-cultural aspect of the new Ireland be taken into consideration?
o Inclusion of disabled people.
When asked Do you see a new Arts Strategy having something to offer you/ your organisation? Responses included the following and seem largely to embrace ideas of partnership and inclusion:
o I am a beneficiary of the last strategy (I have a Studio @ Rua) it’s probably somebody else’s turn – although it would be good to feel a sense of involvement and development.
o Yes – opportunities for practice development, ideas for education.
o Continued artform development in dance, support for artists.
o Development of my work in arts & health and in the community
o Support the founding and development of dance in institutions for people with physical and learning disabilities
o Yes, a partner in delivering high-quality arts provision to young people.
o Just interested in future development and access for all to arts in the future - I work in Mental Health and have worked with youth, older persons, teenagers in the past.
o Youth Development in arts at every level – hoping for community based participation with a view to progression.
When asked if there were any concerns about a new Arts Strategy, respondents highlighted their core areas of concern and expressed the fear that cutbacks and funding would hamper or impair the ambition or scope of a new Arts Strategy:
o Yes, equality of cultural entitlement for the immigrant communities.
o Hope for youth service representation.
o Access to information about what’s happening in South Dublin culturally.
o Important to reflect on past work and how that might be developed.
o The practical implications of following through on strategies and sustaining projects through support.
o Funding, public perception/ understanding about the arts.
o Will funding have an impact on how the new strategy is compiled?
o Lack of resources to implement
Public Consultation Seminar Proceedings
Opening of Event by Mayor Eamonn Moloney, South Dublin County Council.
Showcase – multi-media compilation presentation
(5mins) Compiled by Tim Hunt, documentary film-maker at the request of Arts Office.
Presentation 1: South Dublin Arts Consultation: Towards a new Arts Strategy
by Fiona Delaney, Public Consultation Co-ordinator
As with all departments within a Local Authority, Public Consultation is key to developing local services which address the concerns and aspirations, and anticipate the future needs of the community. It is to this end that the South Dublin Arts Consultation 2010 has been undertaken. The time has come to develop a new 5 year Arts Strategy – 2011 -2016 and today we are taking part in a keynote event which seeks to research and inform the ideas which will become the bedrock of the new strategy.
My role as Public Consultation Co-ordinator has been to devise and oversee the implementation of a public consultation process tailor-made to the arts and cultural communities within South Dublin County. It is my hope that this process both reflects and challenges the orthodoxies of traditional emphases in service provision and development.
By this I mean that throughout the consultation process I have sought both to recognise and re-inforce the notion that spatial patterns and demographics influence the location and development of arts services. For example, in South Dublin County, Arts services in general, are based in the largest urban settlement- Tallaght (RuaRed, the Civic Theatre and the Arts Office itself are all based here - as is the new Arts and Health Centre in Tallaght Hospital). Similarly, South Dublin has a very young population within it’s boundary and a considerable portion of Arts programming has targeted young people, with the development of the Youth Arts Programme, NOISE website and recent school-based access programmes.
Population density and the pursuit of economies of scale are vital in deciding service location. And now that these centres and services are here – I have sought to showcase these facilities and services, highlighting their accessibility, relevance and their willingness to form temporary functioning partnerships.
In terms of challenging this orthodoxy however, it is apparent that Tallaght is not the only urban centre in the County, and that in fact, Tallaght could not even be considered to be a centre-point within the county – in that it is often difficult to access from other County hubs. If you live in some parts of Lucan or Clondalkin it is perhaps easier to get to the city centre, Ballyfermot or Blanchardstown than it is to get to Tallaght Cross. This point is taken up by one of the Public Consultation participants at a recent Artists Focus Group – who describes South Dublin as suffering from urban sprawl, and makes the point that this reality is one which impacts considerably on the cultural life of the County and it’s citizens.
Key themesThis Public Consultation has afforded an opportunity to open up a debate about what has been variously described as the ‘politics of funding’, ‘politics of placement’ and offers exciting remedies and alternative perspectives on the lack of facilities or quality initiatives in the outlying areas of the county.
For example, one of the outcomes of an Artists Focus event was to articulate the need to network artists at a very local level; to encourage the villages of Clondalkin, Lucan and the rural centres of South Dublin County to host artists network meetings; to devise and programme local Arts Festivals or Community Arts Festivals, showcasing and inviting in new and more established practitioners to engage with the local communities. In this way – the concept of a relevant, tangible artistic and cultural life develops, reaches out, includes and celebrates the talent that undoubtedly exists and has a place at the heart of every corner of South Dublin County.
This Consultation Process has listened throughout a series of consultations held with arts service beneficiaries to what their priorities are for the future. For young people already engaged with diverse arts practice the importance of maintaining a balance was stressed. Balance between working with professional artists; devising and showcasing personal work and having access to opportunities to try out new things. Communication about youth arts opportunities was highlighted as key to making the most of their creative and artistic experiences.
Marketing, communicating and networking were also discussed at an Arts Organisations Focus Event – as was the importance of promoting the over-arching concept of Cultural Entitlement; that is that citizens are entitled to and should benefit from cradle to the grave access to quality arts and cultural experiences.
Expansive themes were also highlighted at the Arts and Health event hosted by the new Arts and Health Centre at Adelaide & Meath Hospital in Tallaght, the idea that Arts and Heath has a role not simply within traditional Health settings but – out here in the community, where community well-being intersects with participation in activities and endeavours that are creative and self-expressed both in process and content – whether publicly on display or solely for personal pleasure and gain.
Feedback from those attending an Arts and Disability seminar hosted at Stewarts Hospital stressed the importance of access to a creative life for all members of our society, able-bodied, disabled, young and old. The imperative to remain open to collaborative and shared-practice in order to enhance opportunities in particular for those marginalised by physical and other constraints within the environment was recognised as vital to achieving an inclusive mandate.
Across the board – it was pointed out that the Arts Office should have a role in providing advocacy for the arts; promoting best practice, informing the wider community about the vibrancy, relevance and dynamism of the sector, making its presence felt across the geographic and demographic spread of the county.
This theme has been adopted in the setting of the Agenda for today’s event; with audio-visual showcases of work undertaken over the period of the last Arts Strategy; presentations dealing with new ideas and approaches to arts provision; and a practical overview of how current service provision interacts with mainstream education and other sectors to deliver high quality arts interventions within structured, effective and relevant partnerships – which underpin the success of sustainable arts service provision in the future.
During the break-out discussions we will focus on Cultural Entitlement / Audience Development / Arts Advocacy; Youth Arts Future Focus and Artform Development in the areas of Music and Dance and there will also be a broad-based discussion on the area of Arts and Sustainable Partnership.
These are themes that derive from discussions held with key stakeholders in the development of the new arts strategy. I hope that you find the proposed content, broad-ranging, appropriate and stimulating and I must say I look forward to engaging with you in the debate.
Access to the Public Consultation Process
In tandem with the face-to-face Focus events the Public Consultation process has had on ongoing on-line presence, where the outcomes of all of the Focus Group events are posted, where members of the public are invited to make a submission or comment on the position papers or other submissions that have been made to date. I would encourage you all to take a look at the site http://SouthDublinArtsConsultation.blogspot.com out of interest and to share your thoughts and comments online.
The outcomes of today’s event will also be posted on the blogspot site. If you wish to make any additional contributions you are welcome to. All submissions – both written and from facilitated meetings will be included in the final Public Consultation Report. The process for receipt of submissions remains open until the end of October 2010.
Purpose of the Public Consultation
From the outset – the Public Consultation process was seen to offer a number of potential benefits:
It was seen as drawing a line in the sand from which the Arts Office can look back at the period of the previous Arts Strategy and can also look ahead at the next five years. It is a chance to take stock, to evaluate and assess the strengths and weaknesses of existing structures and supports and to anticipate the future needs and interests of a diverse, dynamic and creative population.
The Arts Office, must address the needs of the public as audience and participants in the arts. It also has an imperative to address the needs of artists and creators, facilitating the development of new work, pushing the boundaries of form and context in order to support ongoing development of diverse and collaborative artforms.
In the past, individual artists have been supported in a variety of ways. Directly - through In Context and local arts programmes in Nth Clondalkin and West Tallaght, & through Bursary Awards and Arts Act Grants, and indirectly by supporting local arts organisations and agencies to support local talent including SDCC arts centres RUA and Civic, support organisations AltEnts, Tallaght Community Arts Centre, Down to Earth Theatre Company to name just a few.
Artform development has specifically been encouraged in two instances, dance and music by engaging a Dancer in Residence over a three year period and initiating by a Music Education Service within the county. It is for this reason that Dance and Music are two strands that have evolved sufficiently within the County Arts services to seek now to develop artform policy statements which it is hoped will underpin the future development of these artforms within the cultural life of the County.
Outcomes of the Consultation process to date
• So far a total of over 80 participants, who are actively engaged with the arts, have met with us and shared their views on the future priorities for a new South Dublin Arts Strategy.
• Of these 43 consider themselves artists, 16 as arts participants, with 26 identifying as administrators / other service professionals facilitating arts practice. (At least 5 identify with more than one category)
• They represent a cross-section of the community with over 90% living / working within the county boundary.
These focused encounters took place throughout the Summer from May – September, with opportunities for additional stakeholders to contribute, by written submission until the end of October. These encounters were established and promoted in partnership between the Arts Office and with key stakeholders. And as such had variety of aims and have served multiple purposes. While the events and their outcomes are summarised here, proceedings and findings from each are available in more detail at http://SouthDublinArtsConsultation.blogspot.com
Focus Events
1. Arts Team, SDCC Arts Office (7 attendees) 31st May, County Hall, Tallaght.
Outcome: It was agreed to devise a set of Position Papers which would be promoted and debated during the Consultation process.
Each Paper is available to view online at http://SouthDublinArtsConsultation.blogspot.com
2. Artists Focus Group (18 attendees) 14th July, Rua Red, Tallaght.
Outcome: To be followed up with the first South Dublin Artist’s Forum on the evening of Wednesday 29th September.
3. Youth Arts Focus Events (16 attendees) 28th / 29th August, Rua Red, Tallaght.
Music, Performing Arts & Film in association with NOISE & SDCC youth arts programme.
4. Arts & Health Focus Event (16 attendees) 25th August, Adelaide, Meath and National Childrens Hospital, Tallaght.
Outcome: Continued communication to be followed up by Arts & Health Centre @ Adelaide, Meath and National Childrens Hospital.
5. Arts Organisation Focus Group (8 attendees) 27th August, Rua Red, Tallaght.
Invited participants representing core-funded professional arts and cultural organisations/ venues. Outcome: To be followed up with further networking meetings around common themes and objectives.
6. Arts & Disability Seminar (20 attendees) 15th September, Stewart’s Hospital, Lucan. In association with the Arts & Disability Training Programme; SDCC, Clondalkin Partnership and Stewart’s Hospital.
Common themes arising from Focus events
o the strong desire for either further networking opportunities (the establishment of the new South Dublin Artists Forum and a South Dublin Arts/ Cultural Organisation Network)
o a call for the Arts Office to take on the role of delivering or developing appropriate communication/ marketing/ promotion/ advertising platform – whereby artists/ audiences / arts participants might discover what is happening across the county.
o The need to provide an Arts Directory was raised and the notion of having a quarterly arts bulletin which would feature news and reviews of arts activities across the county. There remains considerable debate as to whether an online or printed format is preferable.
Public Consultation Interim Findings
And so to sum up - So far the South Dublin Arts Consultation process has managed to:
• Challenge traditional relationships between communities and the Arts Office;
• Raise new ideas and frameworks for thinking about the arts in South Dublin County and further afield;
• Furnish the Arts Office with a substantial body of research which will continue to have relevance beyond the life of the Consultation process itself;
• Facilitate the initiation of at least two new networks 1) South Dublin Artists Forum and 2) an Arts and Cultural Organisation Strategic Alliance which I hope will live on beyond a first meeting;
• Recognise the call for the Arts Office to advance it’s role in communicating, marketing, promoting and advocating on behalf of the arts, artists and arts organisations;
• Brought to the attention of a wider public the idea of cultural entitlement – of the entitlement of every citizen to access, to participate in and to indulge in their own cultural life and that of the wider community.
Presentation 2: Position Paper ‘Cultural Entitlement and the Arts’
by Orla Scannell, Arts Officer, SDCC.
Introduction
This discussion paper is presented in the context of projecting into the future and visioning our cultural environment.
Cultural entitlement as an overarching concept for an arts strategy, or alternatively as a policy within the new strategy, was raised on a number of occasions during the course of this consultation process and as such it merits further exploration.
Many consider it part of a citizenship agenda, supporting childhood development. Others focus on cultural diversities and identities, access to cultural experiences or preparing future consumers of culture, but not necessarily participating in it.
The word entitlement, meaning a right, a privilege or a claim, is contentious in that it brings up issues about responsibility of the individual, of organisations providing cultural and educational services, of policy makers and planners. A basic definition of cultural entitlement is: the universal right to have access to high quality arts experiences.
Cultural Policy
Cultural policy is established internationally, e.g. the UN convention of the rights of the child entitles children to access arts and culture. It is incorporated into the EU treaties and delivered through the EU Commission.
National policy in Britain has established the concept of cultural entitlement and this has been adopted by a number of local authorities, largely in relation to the cultural entitlement of children and young people.
In Ireland the Arts Act 2003 requires each local authority to have an Arts Plan. South Dublin County Councils mission statement supports inclusive and participative decision making through the democratic process and it supports and sustains the cultural fabric of the county.
The arts strategy sits into the Councils Corporate Plan which is a broad based statement whereby the Council supports socially inclusive access to high quality arts experiences. It values its communities and individuals as cultural creators. It recognizes the need create an environment that supports a concentration of artists living and working in the county and the contribution the arts can make to the cultural identity of the county. This is reflected in the current arts strategy.
Support Systems
Cultural Entitlement is not only about policy, it’s also about support systems. Family plays an important role in increasing creative and cultural engagement. However there may be perceived barriers to visiting institutions such as cost, transport, and the unfamiliar environment. There is an argument that cultural experiences need to be made accessible to parents as well as to children, in local centres, through group experiences and community specific projects. Children have a positive effect on parents as they bring home their creative work from school or when there is a sharing of work through performances and exhibitions.
Creative learning in schools develops the skills of children and young people by raising their aspirations and achievements, and opening up more opportunities for their futures.Creative approaches to learning in schools supports the engagement of schools with artists and creative professionals and professional development support for teachers enables the delivery of the arts curriculum.
Cultural Learning and Technology
There is an understanding of cultural learning as a lifelong activity taking place in formal and informal learning and cultural settings providing opportunities for individuals and communities to achieve their creative potential. Libraries are an example of such cultural settings, supporting family literacy, access to literature and resources such as digital collections and technology. As technology continues to develop it creates opportunities to reach new audiences and for a broad range of people to become the creators and distributers of cultural content to virtual communities who share cultural values.
Cultural Entitlement in ContextCultural Entitlement can be explored in relation to specific sectors such as healthcare and disability, rural areas, older people and cultural diversity. The arts and health focus group which was part this public consultation process presented very clear feedback in relation to cultural entitlement in a healthcare context.
It identifies enhanced participation, ownership, promoting a sense of entitlement amongst the community, advocacy for the arts being part of our lives – across the social spectrum and dreaming the dream of access to quality arts facilities in healthcare settings. These ideas represent a perspective that is relevant to other contexts.
Rights and Responsibilities
Entitlements are a right and a privilege that come with expectations and responsibilities for individuals and organizations. This raises a number of questions. Will creating a right weaken the concept of responsibility and create a cultural of entitlement, a concept with negative connotations. Who will deliver this entitlement? Will it be adopted across arts organizations and other services? Is it sustainable – which reduces cultural entitlement to economics. Cultural rights would represent a radical departure from current policy which favors broadening access and enhancing opportunities for participation. Is cultural requirement the language and meaning that we require at this time in South Dublin County?
Facilitated discussion 1: Themed breakout-discussions – as selected by participants
(Music: Artform Development; Dance: Artform Development; Youth Arts Future Focus; Cultural Entitlement/Audience Development/ Arts Advocacy)Facilitated discussion 1: Art Form Development: Music
We began by identifying potential problem areas:
Lack of access to persons outside the School and Community structure to music education e.g. pre-school or adults not involved in community groups, how to reach them? Is outreach the appropriate response? Can we cater for / facilitate all parties who request involvement?
Nurturing existing creativity and talent; frustration was expressed at only taking groups/ individuals to a certain semi-professional level and not being able to nurture excellence after that or take things further, expertise and / or resources are there but as yet not taken to the next level.
A model or similar scheme is in existence in Fingal with the Ballymun enterprise, so there is a precedent already in place but unfortunately at this stage fostering excellence is not on a par with participation. However it was mentioned that on a more informal level or on a one to one basis it is happening, so we discussed the importance of less formal arrangements /partnerships also and the need for more flexibility and fluidity.
We also talked about the area of promotion and visibility, facilities need to be open and accessible to the community, events promoted and inviting as well as inclusive. This led to a discussion on the necessity to increase the scale of participation generally. The example was given of the RTE series ‘Music Can Change Your Life’ where 2 primary schools participated in violin lessons for the whole school- after this series was aired there was a huge response from other schools all around the Country wanting to do something similar, but the response has to be equal to the resources available, and the genuine interest of participants.
The discussion then moved on to participation in schools and the importance of a support structure within the school system, a liaison person is necessary, (which is wholly dependent on the enthusiasm and genuine interest of those involved), to develop music in the school curriculum. An understanding of the difficult position teachers are currently in was expressed.
An independent evaluation was suggested every 3 years or so to look at why participation works and thrives in some schools/areas and not in others. It was felt evaluation of all Council services relating to music was important for continued success and maintenance of quality in the provision of services.
Personal development through the Arts was discussed and the idea of mentorship or peer teaching which was thought to be the most sustainable model for the future success of Music Education. Getting the students to take on the role of liaison person or contact point and eventually in some cases teacher. This can promote responsibility, confidence/self esteem, integration, personal and professional development of the student as well as safeguarding the participation of the school in the music programme.
Facilitator: Denise Doorly
Facilitated discussion 1: Artform Development: Dance
Discussion began by addressing the issue of barriers to involvement in new dance experiences. It was felt that there are ‘gate keepers’ to be negotiated and that advocacy is required to break down assumptions and barriers.
It was agreed that dance opens possibilities, that dance involves seeing things in a different way, it involves – seeing, doing and observation. In general people don’t get to see/ experience different dance forms – aren’t exposed to diverse dance experiences which may enrich their understanding of dance and it’s potential in their cultural lives.
Training and support for staff supporting / managing dance programming was raised as a key issue. It would be beneficial for staff to experience dance, perhaps through workshops for staff. Questions were raised about how open liaison or support staff would be to these opportunities.
The issue of trust and dialogue between support staff & arts worker was discussed, and how important it is to recognise the multiple roles played by each in support of any programme engaging with a group within a pre-established setting (eg school, training centre, community /youth group). The importance of developing the working relationship between artist and a group, the group and the support staff, and the artists and the support staff should be highlighted. It is vital to name these relationships as key to the successful engagement of a group in a project.
Discussion then followed about the nature of dance as an artform, how it can be both exhilarating and uncomfortable: Dance is intimate. Dancing can encroach on someone else’s space. Dance involves physical closeness. Dance can challenge / highlight vulnerability. In light of this the rigour, professional training and relevant experience of the tutor / dance artist needs to be acknowledged.
In terms of advocating for new types of dance work and/ or new methodologies: it should be welcomed that dance professionals can often bring new approaches, that offer experimental learning opportunities. This may be through multi-disciplinary or cross-discipline programmes, using dance as a medium to explore visual arts practice or content, literature, ideology, geography, identity…. Experimental learning also takes place in the context where the individual’s own life experiences, experience of their physical environment offer opportunities to develop new dance practice. New learning may also take place by means of professional development or career development opportunities by internship / shadowing programmes.
Discussion then moved towards supporting the growth of dance as a cultural experience, widely available across the county and across age-groups and communities of interests. Important areas were identified as:
• Profiling / highlighting work in hand including the publicity & promotion of performances, showings and other opportunities to witness and participate in dance.
• Building community engagement with dance; addressing sustainability of programmes with local access; consideration of geography and transport needs are necessary in supporting sustainability.
• Dance awareness/ exposure through participation - supporting diversity of practice and approaches, genres and dancers.
• Support relevant and appropriate dance networking opportunities within the county including both face to face encounters and an on-line; promoting dialogue; sharing of practice & skills; information and opportunities; promoting work, feedback on projects; demonstration of both completed and work in-progress.
Facilitator: Sharon Harding
Facilitated discussion 1: Youth Arts Future Focus
General Comments
The discussion opened with an agreement that the arts need to cater for everyone from the ‘Cradle to Grave’ and that this needs to be inclusive of people with disabilities. It was felt that access to cultural activities is a right and this needs to be stated / highlighted. This means access to sustainable, local, quality arts initiatives.
In terms of Youth Arts within the County, the employment of a Youth Arts Co-ordinator has improved things greatly and it was felt that this needs to be sustained and further developed.
With regards to this Public Consultation process, more young people need to be consulted with in the Lucan and Clondalkin areas.
Ideas for the Future
There is a need to develop the opportunities that promote exposure of young people to artists and creative process. In particular, a mentoring programme with artists could be developed with more emphasis on solo arts i.e. visual arts and literature. It was suggested that the work of local artists and arts facilitators by promoted.
It is important to raise awareness amongst young people of the arts as a profession and as a potential career choice.
Ongoing consultation with young people needs to be in place, keeping up to date with priorities for the young participants as their needs and priorities alter.
Access to local Council-owned premises for arts based activities needs to be made available (storage facilities is a big problem), in particular in light of the merging/closure of local Community Development Programmes’s which has impacted on local supports for some community-based arts initiatives.
It was suggested that an Arts Bus could work really well - given the suburban landscape of South Dublin.
In terms of county-wide arts facilities, it was felt that Rua Red and other community and youth accessible arts centres need to communicate more clearly to the wider community what their role is and what they can offer.
Support & training are needed for people involved in managing and supporting youth arts projects.
Facilitator: Marie Harding
Facilitated discussion 1: Cultural Entitlement/ Audience Development/Arts Advocacy
The discussion opened with a round table introduction by each member, brief description of their area of work, and their over-riding concerns with the themes of this discussion group.
We first addressed the title of the Discussion Paper: Cultural Entitlement. We discussed the contentiousness of the word ‘entitlement’, and its perceived associations with the negative phrasing ‘culture of entitlement’.
After discussing the problems of issues around responsibility associated with individuals, service providers, and policy makers it was agreed that the negativity associated with the word outweighed its value. We then endeavoured to find an alternative word.
The group identified three alternatives:
1. Cultural Inclusion
2. Cultural Democracy
3. Cultural Rights
After a brief discussion it was agreed that Cultural Rights came closest to what was intended by the group, i.e. that it was in line with accepted perceptions of Human Rights, i.e. as enshrined in the United Nations Charter of Human Rights.
This would mean that Cultural Rights are human rights that aim at assuring the enjoyment of culture and its components in conditions of equality, human dignity and non-discrimination.
We discussed the idea of promoting access to the arts as a universal right from the cradle to the grave. We spoke of all people within the South Dublin area having access to a cultural life and what were the problems in achieving this.
One major barrier was the urban sprawl of the area which sometimes meant that outlying areas are excluded from cultural activity at present. One recommended solution was better targeted networking and lobbying. Better networking involving face to face communication was seen as the best method of developing strong linkage leading to the exchange knowledge and experience.
Another difficulty identified, was the need for better planned and targeted advocacy for Irish immigrants having English as a second language, or very little English. Advocacy would mean that their artistic needs and experiences could be addressed proactively. This would mean immigrants would be made aware of their cultural rights and entitlements. Advocates could also aid sustainability.
In regards to the urban sprawl of the area it was commented that the economic down-turn had left many buildings vacant and these could be possibly utilized as artistic spaces.
Supporting arts development for children would have a knock on effect of trickling down to wider family networks, thereby engaging with parents, sibling, grandparents, and the wider family unit.
The idea of groups actively seeking sponsorship was brought up. The need for more information in this area was addressed and the idea of sharing of knowledge was identified. This could lead to arts groups being educated in methodologies to seek business advice and possibly sponsorship, thereby reducing the reliance on project funding which stalls many creative endeavours.
Repeatedly the need for more access to information about what arts activities are happening within the area was identified. The proactive exchange of knowledge, skills could be achieved through a programme of active linkage.
Facilitator: Yvonne Lynch
Afternoon Events
Showcase - multi-media compilation presentation
(5 mins) Compiled by Tim Hunt, documentary film-maker at the request of Arts Office.
Presentation 3: South Dublin County: Dance, Music & Youth Programme interaction with mainstream education and other services.
By Louise Costello - Dancer in Residence, Michael Fleming – Music Network Co-ordinator & Victoria Durrer – Youth Arts Co-ordinator.
YOUTH ARTS in formal education
Victoria Durrer, Youth Arts Co-Ordinator, SDCC
Youth Arts…. Active participation in any art-form where it is used as a means
of exploring creativity, imagination, emotional response
(Definition of youth arts, South Dublin County Council Youth Arts Policy, 2006)
Principles of best practice in Youth Arts:
o Meaningful: participation is in a form that they can understand and which means something to the individual as well as the group.
o Participatory: Is more than simply being involved; it is feeling part of the active work and the creative explorations undertaken. (The work process seeks to champion youth voice).
o Expressive: Because the particular art form is used to explore and express an individual’s own ideas, thoughts, emotions or understanding of the world around them
o Hands on
o Accessible: Because it is desirable to always have an Open Access Policy.
o Responsive: In that it meets the needs, ideas and the aspirations of young people involved.
o Respectful: In that through the creative process it fosters respect and appreciation of all the participants for each other and for the art form itself.
o Joyous
o Artistic: Because participation is by means of artistic and creative expression.
o Challenging: always pushing ourselves to learn more in new partnerships/collaborations.
Supporting access to & engagement in the creative arts for all young people…
Developing young artists and arts audiences:
• Voluntary involvement in the arts as individuals: through areas such as NOISE Festivals: Battle of the Bands, NOISEmoves, NOISE Flicks, signing up to the NOISE website; bursaries, youth arts groups.
• Formal Education: the focus of this presentation, particularly secondary schools though work is carried in other education settings such as National Learning Network and links with third level colleges.
• Youth Services: through work with youth workers and groups in youth services on individual arts projects, training initiatives for youth workers.
Arts education… “The mainstream teaching and learning of the arts as part of general education”(Arts Council, Points of Alignment, 2008)
Arts in education… the use of art and cultural techniques as the medium for teaching general subjects.
South Dublin County ARTS EDUCATION programmes:
Through funding, development, advice, support, partnership and training, promote rigour in development, planning and delivery
• Tenderfoot (2008 – present)
• Film development in schools (since 2006)
• Dancer in Residence (since 2007)
• Music Education Development (2008)
South Dublin County ARTS IN EDUCATION programmes:
Through funding, development, evaluation, support, partnership and training
• NOISE Projects (since 2008)
• Colà iste Brìde’s Green Gallery (2010)
• Creative Approaches for Learning (since 2009)
The benefits of these interventions have been summarised as:
o making an important contribution to the wider goal of developing creativity in our society and economy and helping to connect the school with the wider community
o increasing the accessibility of the arts and broaden arts audiences
o arts activities that connect cross-curricular subjects can promote active learning and help students make learning links and can aid independent learning and team/peer learning
o promoting critical and creative thinking, capability and adaptability and offering new avenues for problem solving for students
o team teaching can promote learning and reinvigorate enthusiasm—learn new techniques
Music in Formal EducationMichael Fleming, Music Education Co-ordinator, SDCC
Local Authority Music Programming in formal education …. Why?
“The young Irish person has the worst of all European musical ‘worlds’.”
(The MEND Report 1985)
2003, Music Network:
A National System of Local Music Education Services – Report of a Feasibility Study 2003. Pilot Projects in Donegal and Dublin established.
2007, Music Network established in South Dublin County:
Music Education Working Group established representing a broad-range of key partners in music education provision, including VEC and local Arts Office . The Music Education Service was founded in 2007/8 with the appointment of the Music Education Co-ordinator.
Supporting Curriculum Objectives: Primary Schools
o Current Activities
– Choir/Group Singing
– Percussion Group
– Strings Groups
o Curriculum Objectives
– Discover and explore the world of music in an interactive way.
– Develop skills of listening and responding to music.
– Enhance the understanding the musical elements of tempo, timbre and dynamics.
– Work collaboratively and co-operatively as a group.
Supporting Curriculum Objectives: Secondary Schools
o Current Activities
– Choir, Guitar, Piano, Singing, Mandolin Group
o Curriculum Objectives
– Composing
– Performing
– Listening
The benefits of these interventions have been summarised as supporting:
o Opportunities to learn an instrument that, for financial reasons, would otherwise be difficult
o The curriculum as theory learned in class is used in a practical way
o School attendance - particularly for students for whom school is not a positive experience
o Cross-nationality socialisation - Percussion club in particular fosters these opportunities
o Confidence, self-esteem, relaxation, discipline
o Development of aural and reading skills
A core aim of the Music Education Service is to promote sustainability:
A key to achieving this is in professional development for Teachers and Tutors. There are multiple opportunities tailored to the needs and aspirations of those taking part. These initiatives are run on an as needed basis by SDCC Arts Office, in association with the Schools in which our programmes are offered.
o Arts in the Curriculum Seminars
o Music Technology support training: St Aidan’s I.T. Initiative.
o Instrumental Tuition: St Peter Apostle Strings Group.
o Choir Conducting: Killinarden Community School Choir
In and Out of School: connecting opportunities for students to engage, perform and study music .
o Songwriting/Performance Development Courses: Suburban Sounds 2010
o Performance Opportunities: Ruaille Buaille 2010, Cultural Quarter Winter festival 2010
o Singing & Music Clubs 2010: Ronanstown Singing Club, Le Cheile Music Club
Dance in Schools
Louise Costello, Dancer in Residence, SDCC
Since March 2008 dance programmes in schools have been a major part of the Dance Residency, the activities have focused on: dance training; developing knowledge of dance as an art-form and connecting dance with subjects on the curriculum.
The benefits of the Dance in Schools programme are summarised as:
o Providing support to learning objectives across the curriculum
o Supporting active learning and creativity
o Nurturing talent and building confidence
o Enhancing emotional and physical wellbeing
oProviding access to and engagement in diverse cultural experiences
Creative Dance in Primary Schools:
Children explored curriculum areas such as geography, music, the seasons, science, the English language through movement and dance.
Dance Programmes in Secondary Schools:
A dance module for Transition Year students was piloted in three schools: Collinstown Park Community College, Firhouse Community College, Palmerstown Community School. The programme aims to place equal emphasis on creating, performing and appreciating dance.
The benefits of these interventions have been summarised as:
o Promoting creativity in teaching and learning
o Raising the profile of dance as an art-form
o Making connections between other art-forms, subject areas and dance
CASE STUDY… Moving Bodies @ Collinstown Park Community College.
Dance and Visual Art cross-curricular study supporting the Leaving Cert Art Curriculum.(Devised by Fiona Delaney. Tutors: Louise Costello & Liz Lawne. Class Teacher: MarieO’Connell)
Project:
In May 2009, a short 6-week project entitled ‘Moving Bodies’ was undertaken with Transition Year Art students at Collinstown Park Community College. Many of those participating had also participated in the Transition Yr Dance Programme previously.
The programme was devised in partnership with a local SDCC Nth Clondalkin Arts Development programme, the Dancer in Residence programme and with the Transition Yr and 5th yr Art Teacher at the School, and aimed to introduce and explore life-drawing techniques through dance, observation, embodiment, mark-making and composition.
The programme also involved a day out – with visits to IMMA and the National Gallery, which proved very popular with the young students.
Outcomes:
o The Art Teacher at Collinstown Park subsequently reported that the uptake for her 5th Year Art Class had doubled, and that she felt sure it was attributable to the confidence, skills and insights the students were afforded through participation in the Moving Bodies programme.
o Creative tasks and activitiesfrom the Moving Bodies Project were shared with teachers from other schools through the Creative Approaches training day.
In addition to access and tuition for participants, an important objective of the Dance Residency is to promote professional dance development:
A key to achieving this is been the establishment of a Foundation Course in Dance by the Laban Guild. This course has been organised by the Dance Residency and South Dublin County Sports Partnership and began in September 2010. The course offers to:
o Provide leadership skills in dance, Build confidence in dance practice, Outline good practice in dance delivery, Improve knowledge of dance education.
Q&APanel: Louise Costello, Michael Fleming, Orla Scannell, Victoria Durrer and Fiona Delaney MC.
Question 1: Will these education programmes be rolled out to all schools across the rest of South Dublin County?
Answers:
(MF) – The Music Education Service is very expensive, widespread roll out would be funding dependent. There are other priorities – for example establishing an instrument bank. It is hoped that a significant part of my programme’s future funding will come from philanthropic sources. So – the short answer is – it depends on the future funding situation.
(VD) – Information about our in-school arts programmes are made available to schools throughout the county on a widespread basis. Often the programmes begin in the schools that get back to us first. Another influential factor is the quality of the partnership with the school.
(OS) – After the recent RTE TV programme ‘Music Changes Lives’ interest in our in-school programmes increased. There is definitely a need for advocacy and information-sharing about the programmes we offer and their benefits. The model we have adopted with the Music Education Service is one which already exists in other local authority areas. The Dept. of Education is aware of these successes. It is a matter of whether they have the interest in pursuing widespread roll-out of similar programming.
(LC) – Being in an environment that’s supportive is very important to the success of an in-school arts programme. In relation to Dance – I would say that within the Irish education system it is something of a poor relation, while there is considerable interest from young people. It is only now emerging as a potential future the Junior or Leaving Cert subject.
Question 2: What are the opportunities open to Youth Services in the county?
Answers:
(MF) – Obviously the nature of this presentation was to focus on in-school programming, however there is a considerable cross-over between the Music programme and out of school and local youth services. Both Tallaght and Clondlakin Youth Services are benefiting from the expanding programme this year; there will also be opportunities through the future ensembles programme and across collaborative projects where music is just one part of a multi-disciplinary project (eg music for films) which take place with youth services and local youth groups.
(LC) – As Dancer in Residence I have a role mentoring dance groups in local youth services. I have also established a new Youth Contemporary Dance Co. – Animotion – based in Rua Red. In fact auditions are taking place this Saturday. I also take part in a number of projects which involve dance in youth service contexts.
(OS) – The Arts Office team bring a broad range of creative skills in developing youth arts partnerships – not just those of delivering workshops, but in terms of project development and planning.
(VD) – In addition to supporting the Arts Team members as Youth Arts Co-ordinator I have a lot of contact with youth services across the county, whether it is through the NOISE youth arts on-line and real-time programming and networking days for youth arts workers.
Question 3: What opportunities are available to adults?
Answers:
(VD) – There are opportunities available pitched at a variety of levels of interest; for example there is professional training offered to dance tutors with the Laban Guild.
(MF) – It is probably fair to say that this is a gap in the Music Education Network – however the original project brief was to form a functioning network that would improve access to music within mainstream education.
(LC) – During the term of my Dance Residency I have worked on a project-basis with numerous adult groups, active-retirement groups, inter-generational groups. Often this has been done in partnership with local arts and community organisations.
(O) – There has been a strong emphasis on youth arts activities over the course of the period of the last Arts Strategy, this was very much as a result of the Public Consultation process which was held at the time. 5 years ago, acknowledging the young demographic within the county, it was recognised that there was a gap in service provision and we took on a Youth Arts Co-ordinator, which has proved successful. Currently, in terms of services to adults we fund local amateur groups, arts organisations and community groups to provide services to their constituents. We also offer Arts Act Grants, Bursary Awards and Project funding, all of which are available to adults. The question now, in the current economic climate is how do we fund / tackle a gap in adult arts provision.
Facilitated discussion 2: The Arts - Forging Sustainable Partnerships.Facilitators: Marie Harding, Denise Doorly & Sharon Harding
Context & Background
o It is important to inform people about grants and other partnership enhancing opportunities. The Arts Office could seek new ways of promoting access to funding eg on social networking sites.
o Partnerships must seek to limit cross over and replication - map activities county-wide to avoid any schemes or programmes being replicated unintentionally.
o Successful partnership takes work and effort, reputation and results are built over time.
o Partnerships can also serve to inform and generate new ideas for ways of acquiring resources share/swap, premises, resources, expertise etc.
What Makes Partnerships Work Well?
Interaction:Shared understanding/ interaction - realistic and clear expectations on both sides
Openness to working together – commit & participate
Clear structures and defined roles & artist’s role defined
Good liaison system
Develop a collaborative and informed partnership
Prioritise good practice as both influence and aspiration
Make use of appropriate expertise eg advisory groups, local Arts Office and other agencies
Mutual interest - Why engage in partnership?
Recognition that there are different types of partnerships – one size doesn’t fit all
Team Players need to be involved, all working towards the same goal
Be flexible, understand it’s a process - know limitations
Communication:
Meetings should be informative
Different types of partnerships, practical, strategic, creative
Make appropriate use of information portals: social networking eg. Facebook, or dedicated arts websites: practice .ie
Language can be a challenge to understanding; often the same words are used to mean different things – this may only become clear when a problem arises
Undertaking training together
Benefits of strong partnership:
Learning exchange
Support
Sharing practice
Sharing resources
Contributing your part to the puzzle
Chance to talk and share priorities
Context for arts partnerships in South Dublin:
There is a need to prioritise sustainability
Broad-ranging cross-sectoral partnerships can prove beneficial
Often funding mitigates against ideal partnership circumstances - as they take time, it takes time to set up adequate mechanisms and time to engage. How will this be managed?
The proposed new Artist’s Forum could prove a useful resource.
Feedback: Representative from each table gives top priorities from each group
Close meeting: Fiona Delaney, Public Consultation Co-Ordinator & Orla Scannell, Arts Officer, SDCC.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Outcome of Arts Organisations Focus Group
The fifth of a series of public consultation focus groups was held in RUA RED South Dublin Arts Centre in Tallaght on Friday 27th July. The event targeted arts and cultural organisations operating within the county. Eight organisations participated, representing a cross-section of arts and cultural organisations, venue and artists workspace providers as well as programming and arts training/ mentorship providers.
The agenda was broad based, focusing on priorities and future needs for arts organisations working locally. Particular interest was laid on partnership as a sustainable strategy towards arts service provision and feedback was sought around the nature and role of partnership/ collaboration for each respondent’s organisation.
The outcomes of two facilitated Arts & Cultural Organisations Focus Group discussions are outlined below. These serve to summarise the key priorities and concerns for the cross-section of participants attending the event. These discussions while facilitated, were free-flowing.
The first, asked participants to identify what they consider important for successful collaboration or partnership between arts organisations? Below are the key concerns listed in order as they arose in discussion.
Tallaght Theatre Ltd.
- We work with amateur, student and professional groups. For our organisation, developing relationships bound by time and space limitations/restrictions is how I would characterise our partnerships.
- An additional facet to our approach to partnership is in audience development, advertising and marketing. Here, we link with other venues to offer good value to our audiences – offering deals between Tallaght Theatre, Civic and Rua Red.
Down to Earth Theatre Company
- Our venues tend to be public spaces and we have strong links with the local authorities to secure access to these.
- We would also like to draw on the audiences of other venues when communicating / marketing events and opportunities to participate in our shows.
- Advocacy for and wider recognition of contemporary circus as an artform is necessary. I would encourage the Arts Office to develop a contemporary circus strategy.
- In a partnership or a collaboration roles should be defined, whilst remaining flexible. Patience, communication and trust are vital. It is important to recognise the identity and remit of each partner when teasing out an opportunity to collaborate.
Civic Theatre
- No co-operation or partnership can happen without trust. This is developed over time, within the context of a working relationship.
- The Civic is not simply a venue, our priorities are to showcase quality events, to develop audiences, to co-produce work and to manage, develop and promote the theatre mentorship programme ‘Tenderfoot’ with Transition Year students (this also involves a work experience element where participants may volunteer as ushers and will get to see all of our shows free-of-charge).
- We [all arts organisations] must communicate our programme aims – and be clear that the arts are not a babysitting service, but have intrinsic value for participants of all ages.
- Working with schools is key to communication, publicity and information sharing.
- It is important to recognise that documentation, monitoring and evaluation are valuable throughout a programme – not just at the end.
- There is an issue with the reputation of ‘Tallaght’ as a venue or cultural hub. Some of our client groups have concerns over safety issues.
Tallaght Community Arts
- Collaboration/ partnership is for audience development – for getting the numbers up.
- It is for sharing costs
- It should be relevant to the work in hand and be complimentary.
- It is of assistance in outreach and communication with non-traditional audiences.
- It requires partners to really listen to each other in determining relevant issues and roles.
Alternative Entertainments
- Sometimes this discussion feels insular – we all know what we are talking about but do the people out there in the carpark know what we mean?
-Is it possible to share information between our organisations about approaches to outreach/ communication / audience development?
RUA RED
- Collaboration is really relevant to everything we do including our daily programming. We already work in collaboration with the Arts Office. The commercial and voluntary arts sectors are predominantly the type of organisations that use the centre.
- We are interested in audience development and how we can work together to increase engagement with the arts. What is the Arts Office role in enhancing cultural entitlement across Sth Dublin County?
Outcomes:
Common call for future joint strategy towards cultural entitlement:
• There followed a broadly agreed call from participants to see the new Arts Strategy present a policy which determines and promotes a universal / countywide approach to cultural entitlement that will encompasses issues of equality, accessibility and quality of opportunity/ output.
•It needs to be recognised within the new arts strategy and cultural entitlement policy that there are many publics and that amongst theses there are ‘the engaged and the non-engaged’.
•Interest was expressed by all attendees in taking part in further discussions on this topic, with the proviso that further discussions be action oriented and should seek to identify strategies.
The second discussion asked participants to identify gaps in arts service provision within the county. Summarised below, in the order in which they were discussed:
Public Services which affect access to local arts services:
On public transport – it was commented that the LUAS line poorly serves its community having inadequate access points to stations from the ‘walled’ estates along its routes.
On public safety – lighting and security around the ‘cultural hub’ at Tallaght is poor and problematic.
On dereliction at Tallaght new town centre – not only unattractive but dispiriting. Since some of the properties have been taken into NAMA the Council is developing a proposal for artists and arts collectives to access some of the ground floor vacant spaces. Other ideas include offering artists a 1 yr residency in vacant apartments. RUA RED, TCA and DTE are interested in joining this dialogue.
Communication and Marketing:
On sharing information - There is a difficulty finding out what is going on with other arts organisations. There is a great curiosity to discover what work is ongoing with other organisations in the area.
On Arts Office role as communicator –
o It would be helpful if there were an Arts Directory published by the Arts Office. It can be very beneficial for individuals and organisations to register and publish their details as it can be a way of finding work at festivals etc…
o Another useful publication might be a Community Arts Quarterly bulletin – seek a media partner in publishing, to reduce costs and improve circulation.
o A Cultural Network – offering face-to-face encounter, information sharing and debating current issues affecting the arts community locally.
o Establish a set of high-street cultural ‘shopfronts’ in the villages / townlands around the county, offering a noticeboard facility promoting arts activities, updating arts information.
o Develop a relevant and accessible on-line presence
o Seek cultural and business partners for some/all of these developments enhancing synergy and sustainability.
Large-scale Arts Incubation Spaces required:
On new thinking - new arts spaces required to facilitate the development of new large-scale street performance and spectacle, nurturing and challenging existing talent to devise new types of work.
Prioritising networking within a limited time resource:
On value for time invested - My role and time resources don’t often permit me to look at a county-wide arts service overview or strategy. I need to see that the time invested has a return.
Neglected communities in arts service provision:
What do we mean when we talk about ‘cradle to the grave’ access to the arts for all?
On working with primary years and education - There is a lack of visual arts literacy at primary level. Schools are not always aware that we are arts organisations that can help them to deliver this.
On working with disability services – there are so many facilities across the county catering mainly to adults who, it they were younger would be in mainstream education. What is cultural entitlement in relation to this constituency?
On working with older generations – How does this happen? Where is the place for inter-generational project work?
Audit, promote and evaluate existing facilities:
On RUA RED facilities – Needs of the artist community do not necessary match the space provision at RUA RED.
There is not a visual art literacy/ development plan for the county but the largest space at RUA RED is a double vaulted gallery.
The music rehearsal spaces are in high demand. Greater capacity is required in order to satisfy needs of contemporary musicians. However the music rehearsal spaces are not sound-proofed and do not have the capacity to cater for bands playing at the same time.
The dance studio is also in high demand – in fact three studios would be required to satisfy current demand.
There is also a waiting list for studio and incubation spaces.
On additional facilities needed within the county -
Additional multi-purpose spaces are required to fully achieve the potential of facilitating cross-cultural/ cross-disciplinary work and encounter.
To facilitate artform ‘literacy’ development – some sort of laboratory or workshop spaces are required, these should be amenable to (sometimes messy) new/work and skills development, affordable and of appropriate size to accommodate large-scale work.
Research into temporary spaces needed.
Networking and information sharing:
On partnership with the Arts Office – There is a need for ongoing input and feedback from arts organisations working on the ground, identifying priorities for the future.
On advocacy – We must all take the opportunity to advocate collectively on ‘arts literacy’ eg. In particular in early years and family engagement, schools and the primary curriculum.
Outcomes:
•It was agreed that further meetings in a similar discursive vein would be beneficial in co-ordinating a collective approach to key common issues.
•Attendees agree to assist in promoting and publicising forthcoming Public Consultation events.
Fiona Delaney
Public Consultation Co-ordinator
The agenda was broad based, focusing on priorities and future needs for arts organisations working locally. Particular interest was laid on partnership as a sustainable strategy towards arts service provision and feedback was sought around the nature and role of partnership/ collaboration for each respondent’s organisation.
The outcomes of two facilitated Arts & Cultural Organisations Focus Group discussions are outlined below. These serve to summarise the key priorities and concerns for the cross-section of participants attending the event. These discussions while facilitated, were free-flowing.
The first, asked participants to identify what they consider important for successful collaboration or partnership between arts organisations? Below are the key concerns listed in order as they arose in discussion.
Tallaght Theatre Ltd.
- We work with amateur, student and professional groups. For our organisation, developing relationships bound by time and space limitations/restrictions is how I would characterise our partnerships.
- An additional facet to our approach to partnership is in audience development, advertising and marketing. Here, we link with other venues to offer good value to our audiences – offering deals between Tallaght Theatre, Civic and Rua Red.
Down to Earth Theatre Company
- Our venues tend to be public spaces and we have strong links with the local authorities to secure access to these.
- We would also like to draw on the audiences of other venues when communicating / marketing events and opportunities to participate in our shows.
- Advocacy for and wider recognition of contemporary circus as an artform is necessary. I would encourage the Arts Office to develop a contemporary circus strategy.
- In a partnership or a collaboration roles should be defined, whilst remaining flexible. Patience, communication and trust are vital. It is important to recognise the identity and remit of each partner when teasing out an opportunity to collaborate.
Civic Theatre
- No co-operation or partnership can happen without trust. This is developed over time, within the context of a working relationship.
- The Civic is not simply a venue, our priorities are to showcase quality events, to develop audiences, to co-produce work and to manage, develop and promote the theatre mentorship programme ‘Tenderfoot’ with Transition Year students (this also involves a work experience element where participants may volunteer as ushers and will get to see all of our shows free-of-charge).
- We [all arts organisations] must communicate our programme aims – and be clear that the arts are not a babysitting service, but have intrinsic value for participants of all ages.
- Working with schools is key to communication, publicity and information sharing.
- It is important to recognise that documentation, monitoring and evaluation are valuable throughout a programme – not just at the end.
- There is an issue with the reputation of ‘Tallaght’ as a venue or cultural hub. Some of our client groups have concerns over safety issues.
Tallaght Community Arts
- Collaboration/ partnership is for audience development – for getting the numbers up.
- It is for sharing costs
- It should be relevant to the work in hand and be complimentary.
- It is of assistance in outreach and communication with non-traditional audiences.
- It requires partners to really listen to each other in determining relevant issues and roles.
Alternative Entertainments
- Sometimes this discussion feels insular – we all know what we are talking about but do the people out there in the carpark know what we mean?
-Is it possible to share information between our organisations about approaches to outreach/ communication / audience development?
RUA RED
- Collaboration is really relevant to everything we do including our daily programming. We already work in collaboration with the Arts Office. The commercial and voluntary arts sectors are predominantly the type of organisations that use the centre.
- We are interested in audience development and how we can work together to increase engagement with the arts. What is the Arts Office role in enhancing cultural entitlement across Sth Dublin County?
Outcomes:
Common call for future joint strategy towards cultural entitlement:
• There followed a broadly agreed call from participants to see the new Arts Strategy present a policy which determines and promotes a universal / countywide approach to cultural entitlement that will encompasses issues of equality, accessibility and quality of opportunity/ output.
•It needs to be recognised within the new arts strategy and cultural entitlement policy that there are many publics and that amongst theses there are ‘the engaged and the non-engaged’.
•Interest was expressed by all attendees in taking part in further discussions on this topic, with the proviso that further discussions be action oriented and should seek to identify strategies.
The second discussion asked participants to identify gaps in arts service provision within the county. Summarised below, in the order in which they were discussed:
Public Services which affect access to local arts services:
On public transport – it was commented that the LUAS line poorly serves its community having inadequate access points to stations from the ‘walled’ estates along its routes.
On public safety – lighting and security around the ‘cultural hub’ at Tallaght is poor and problematic.
On dereliction at Tallaght new town centre – not only unattractive but dispiriting. Since some of the properties have been taken into NAMA the Council is developing a proposal for artists and arts collectives to access some of the ground floor vacant spaces. Other ideas include offering artists a 1 yr residency in vacant apartments. RUA RED, TCA and DTE are interested in joining this dialogue.
Communication and Marketing:
On sharing information - There is a difficulty finding out what is going on with other arts organisations. There is a great curiosity to discover what work is ongoing with other organisations in the area.
On Arts Office role as communicator –
o It would be helpful if there were an Arts Directory published by the Arts Office. It can be very beneficial for individuals and organisations to register and publish their details as it can be a way of finding work at festivals etc…
o Another useful publication might be a Community Arts Quarterly bulletin – seek a media partner in publishing, to reduce costs and improve circulation.
o A Cultural Network – offering face-to-face encounter, information sharing and debating current issues affecting the arts community locally.
o Establish a set of high-street cultural ‘shopfronts’ in the villages / townlands around the county, offering a noticeboard facility promoting arts activities, updating arts information.
o Develop a relevant and accessible on-line presence
o Seek cultural and business partners for some/all of these developments enhancing synergy and sustainability.
Large-scale Arts Incubation Spaces required:
On new thinking - new arts spaces required to facilitate the development of new large-scale street performance and spectacle, nurturing and challenging existing talent to devise new types of work.
Prioritising networking within a limited time resource:
On value for time invested - My role and time resources don’t often permit me to look at a county-wide arts service overview or strategy. I need to see that the time invested has a return.
Neglected communities in arts service provision:
What do we mean when we talk about ‘cradle to the grave’ access to the arts for all?
On working with primary years and education - There is a lack of visual arts literacy at primary level. Schools are not always aware that we are arts organisations that can help them to deliver this.
On working with disability services – there are so many facilities across the county catering mainly to adults who, it they were younger would be in mainstream education. What is cultural entitlement in relation to this constituency?
On working with older generations – How does this happen? Where is the place for inter-generational project work?
Audit, promote and evaluate existing facilities:
On RUA RED facilities – Needs of the artist community do not necessary match the space provision at RUA RED.
There is not a visual art literacy/ development plan for the county but the largest space at RUA RED is a double vaulted gallery.
The music rehearsal spaces are in high demand. Greater capacity is required in order to satisfy needs of contemporary musicians. However the music rehearsal spaces are not sound-proofed and do not have the capacity to cater for bands playing at the same time.
The dance studio is also in high demand – in fact three studios would be required to satisfy current demand.
There is also a waiting list for studio and incubation spaces.
On additional facilities needed within the county -
Additional multi-purpose spaces are required to fully achieve the potential of facilitating cross-cultural/ cross-disciplinary work and encounter.
To facilitate artform ‘literacy’ development – some sort of laboratory or workshop spaces are required, these should be amenable to (sometimes messy) new/work and skills development, affordable and of appropriate size to accommodate large-scale work.
Research into temporary spaces needed.
Networking and information sharing:
On partnership with the Arts Office – There is a need for ongoing input and feedback from arts organisations working on the ground, identifying priorities for the future.
On advocacy – We must all take the opportunity to advocate collectively on ‘arts literacy’ eg. In particular in early years and family engagement, schools and the primary curriculum.
Outcomes:
•It was agreed that further meetings in a similar discursive vein would be beneficial in co-ordinating a collective approach to key common issues.
•Attendees agree to assist in promoting and publicising forthcoming Public Consultation events.
Fiona Delaney
Public Consultation Co-ordinator
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Cultural Entitlement
Discussion Paper
Introduction
This discussion paper is presented in the context of projecting into the future and visioning our cultural environment.
Cultural entitlement as an overarching concept for an arts strategy, or alternatively as a policy within the new strategy, was raised on a number of occasions during the course of this consultation process and as such it merits further exploration.
Many consider it part of a citizenship agenda, supporting childhood development. Others focus on cultural diversities and identities, access to cultural experiences or preparing future consumers of culture, but not necessarily participating in it.
The word entitlement, meaning a right, a privilege or a claim, is contentious in that it brings up issues about responsibility of the individual, of organisations providing cultural and educational services, of policy makers and planners. A basic definition of cultural entitlement is: the universal right to have access to high quality arts experiences.
Cultural Policy
Cultural policy is established internationally, e.g. the UN convention of the rights of the child entitles children to access arts and culture. It is incorporated into Europen treaties and delivered through the EU Commission.
National policy in Englang has established the concept of cultural entitlement and this has been adopted by a number of local authorities, largely in relation to the cultural entitlement of children and young people.
Scotland’s First Minister, Jack McConnell, presented in a vision statement that:
“We should make the development of our creative drive the next major enterprise for our society. Arts for all can be a reality, a democratic right and an achievement of the 21st century”.
In Ireland the Arts Act 2003 requires each local authority to have an Arts Plan. South Dublin County Councils mission statement supports inclusive and participative decision making through the democratic process and it supports and sustains the cultural fabric of the county.
The arts strategy sits into the Councils Corporate Plan which is a broad based statement whereby the Council supports socially inclusive access to high quality arts experiences. It values its communities and individuals as cultural creators. It recognizes the need create an environment that supports a concentration of artists living and working in the county and the contribution the arts can make to the cultural identity of the county. This is reflected in the current arts strategy.
Support Systems
Cultural Entitlement is not only about policy, it’s also about support systems. Family plays an important role in increasing creative and cultural engagement. However there may be perceived barriers to visiting institutions such as cost, transport, and the unfamiliar environment. There is an argument that cultural experiences need to be made accessible to parents as well as to children, in local centres, through group experiences and community specific projects. Children have a positive effect on parents as they bring home their creative work from school or when there is a sharing of work through performances and exhibitions.
Creative learning in schools develops the skills of children and young people by raising their aspirations and achievements, and opening up more opportunities for their futures.
Creative approaches to learning in schools supports the engagement of schools with artists and creative professionals and professional development support for teachers enables the delivery of the arts curriculum.
Cultural Learning and Technology
There is an understanding of cultural learning as a lifelong activity taking place in formal and informal learning and cultural settings providing opportunities for individuals and communities to achieve their creative potential. Libraries are an example of such cultural settings, supporting family literacy, access to literature and resources such as digital collections and technology.
As technology continues to develop it creates opportunities to reach new audiences and for a broad range of people to become the creators and distributers of cultural content to virtual communities who share cultural values.
Cultural Entitlement in Context
Cultural Entitlement can be explored in relation to specific sectors such as healthcare and disability, rural areas, older people and cultural diversity. The arts and health focus group which was part this public consultation process presented very clear feedback in relation to cultural entitlement in a healthcare context.
It identifies enhanced participation, ownership, promoting a sense of entitlement amongst the community, advocacy for the arts being part of our lives – across the social spectrum and dreaming the dream of access to quality arts facilities in healthcare settings. These ideas represent a perspective that is relevant to other contexts.
Rights and Responsibilities
Entitlements are a right and a privilege that come with expectations and responsibilities for individuals and organizations. This raises a number of questions. Will creating a right weaken the concept of responsibility and create a cultural of entitlement, a concept with negative connotations. Who will deliver this entitlement? Will it be adopted across arts organizations and other services? Is it sustainable – which reduces cultural entitlement to economics. Cultural rights would represent a radical departure from current policy which favors broadening access and enhancing opportunities for participation. Is cultural entitlement the language and meaning that we require at this time in South Dublin County?
Orla Scannell
Arts Officer
Introduction
This discussion paper is presented in the context of projecting into the future and visioning our cultural environment.
Cultural entitlement as an overarching concept for an arts strategy, or alternatively as a policy within the new strategy, was raised on a number of occasions during the course of this consultation process and as such it merits further exploration.
Many consider it part of a citizenship agenda, supporting childhood development. Others focus on cultural diversities and identities, access to cultural experiences or preparing future consumers of culture, but not necessarily participating in it.
The word entitlement, meaning a right, a privilege or a claim, is contentious in that it brings up issues about responsibility of the individual, of organisations providing cultural and educational services, of policy makers and planners. A basic definition of cultural entitlement is: the universal right to have access to high quality arts experiences.
Cultural Policy
Cultural policy is established internationally, e.g. the UN convention of the rights of the child entitles children to access arts and culture. It is incorporated into Europen treaties and delivered through the EU Commission.
National policy in Englang has established the concept of cultural entitlement and this has been adopted by a number of local authorities, largely in relation to the cultural entitlement of children and young people.
Scotland’s First Minister, Jack McConnell, presented in a vision statement that:
“We should make the development of our creative drive the next major enterprise for our society. Arts for all can be a reality, a democratic right and an achievement of the 21st century”.
In Ireland the Arts Act 2003 requires each local authority to have an Arts Plan. South Dublin County Councils mission statement supports inclusive and participative decision making through the democratic process and it supports and sustains the cultural fabric of the county.
The arts strategy sits into the Councils Corporate Plan which is a broad based statement whereby the Council supports socially inclusive access to high quality arts experiences. It values its communities and individuals as cultural creators. It recognizes the need create an environment that supports a concentration of artists living and working in the county and the contribution the arts can make to the cultural identity of the county. This is reflected in the current arts strategy.
Support Systems
Cultural Entitlement is not only about policy, it’s also about support systems. Family plays an important role in increasing creative and cultural engagement. However there may be perceived barriers to visiting institutions such as cost, transport, and the unfamiliar environment. There is an argument that cultural experiences need to be made accessible to parents as well as to children, in local centres, through group experiences and community specific projects. Children have a positive effect on parents as they bring home their creative work from school or when there is a sharing of work through performances and exhibitions.
Creative learning in schools develops the skills of children and young people by raising their aspirations and achievements, and opening up more opportunities for their futures.
Creative approaches to learning in schools supports the engagement of schools with artists and creative professionals and professional development support for teachers enables the delivery of the arts curriculum.
Cultural Learning and Technology
There is an understanding of cultural learning as a lifelong activity taking place in formal and informal learning and cultural settings providing opportunities for individuals and communities to achieve their creative potential. Libraries are an example of such cultural settings, supporting family literacy, access to literature and resources such as digital collections and technology.
As technology continues to develop it creates opportunities to reach new audiences and for a broad range of people to become the creators and distributers of cultural content to virtual communities who share cultural values.
Cultural Entitlement in Context
Cultural Entitlement can be explored in relation to specific sectors such as healthcare and disability, rural areas, older people and cultural diversity. The arts and health focus group which was part this public consultation process presented very clear feedback in relation to cultural entitlement in a healthcare context.
It identifies enhanced participation, ownership, promoting a sense of entitlement amongst the community, advocacy for the arts being part of our lives – across the social spectrum and dreaming the dream of access to quality arts facilities in healthcare settings. These ideas represent a perspective that is relevant to other contexts.
Rights and Responsibilities
Entitlements are a right and a privilege that come with expectations and responsibilities for individuals and organizations. This raises a number of questions. Will creating a right weaken the concept of responsibility and create a cultural of entitlement, a concept with negative connotations. Who will deliver this entitlement? Will it be adopted across arts organizations and other services? Is it sustainable – which reduces cultural entitlement to economics. Cultural rights would represent a radical departure from current policy which favors broadening access and enhancing opportunities for participation. Is cultural entitlement the language and meaning that we require at this time in South Dublin County?
Orla Scannell
Arts Officer
Friday, September 17, 2010
Outcome of Arts and Health Focus Group
The fourth of a series of public consultation focus groups was held on the 25th August in the Education Centre at the Adelaide and Meath Hospital in Tallaght. The event targeted arts and health practitioners and facilitators operating within the county. Sixteen attended, representing a cross-section of arts and health organisations, arts and health practitioners as well as health service professionals.
The agenda was broad based, focusing on priorities and future needs for the arts and health sector.
The outcome of the facilitated Arts & Health Focus Group discussion is outlined below under a series of themes or headings. These serve to summarise the key priorities and concerns for the cross-section of participants attending the event. The discussion while facilitated, was free-flowing.
‘What role could the arts play in our health services in the county?’ was the original title for the discussion, however it soon became apparent that attendees felt strongly that arts and health should not be only be seen to take place within health service centres but rather has a much broader remit and scope. One which needs to be properly described, documented and advocated for.
Advocacy
•Advocacy on behalf of arts and health is required. An arts and health remit encompasses more than arts opportunities in healthcare settings.
•Arts and health is about general wellbeing – and is important in the community as well as in specific healthcare settings.
•Arts and health offers the opportunity for art to become part of people’s lifestyle – that health professionals would, as part of their professional remit, direct people towards creative opportunities.
•Arts and health can reinforce positive mental health and attitude.
•Expand ideas about what art is and has the capacity to fulfil, combating prejudice and ignorance about the arts generally.
•The new SDCC arts strategy must seek to define and promote a position in relation to arts and health.
Developing Role for Arts and Health Centre @ AMHT
•Have a responsive ear to ideas from outside the hospital walls, from the surrounding communities. Establish an outreach structure and seek to network with local community groups.
•Continue to enhance the experience for those seeking treatment or visiting hospitals; improving the environment – art on the walls, artists working within waiting rooms and on wards etc…
•Acknowledge existing successful programme and extend it to community and home care services.
•Promote best practice in arts and health – advocate and publicise the benefits and breadth of scope of the sector.
•Establish easily accessible information points and an information network.
•Define the objectives and strategy of the programme; monitor and evaluate.
Recognise that arts and health offers both benefits and opportunities for health professionals and staff in healthcare settings.
•Music in the Atrium, children in waiting rooms engaging with arts means children, family members and staff less stressed – also some of the work is exhibited appropriately – enhancing the environment for everyone.
•Establish a staff culture club.
•Exploit opportunities for creative connections between staff, patients and artists.
•Healthcare settings offer an opportunity to engage creatively with families/parents/children – sustaining notions of cultural entitlement.
•In partnership with healthcare professionals seek to develop new ideas about the role of the arts in healthcare and in life.
Cultural entitlement
•Exploit the potential of collaborative practice in order to enhance participation, a sense of ownership and group cohesion.
•Promote and encourage a sense of cultural entitlement amongst the community – inside and out of formal healthcare settings.
•Arts and health advocates are also ambassadors for the arts being part of your life – across the social spectrum.
•Dream the stupid dreams! – the arts and health centre @ AMHT could come to include music rooms, recording facilities, and art and studios. That those in residential or long-term treatment can benefit from ongoing access to top quality creative opportunities in excellent facilities.
Arts and Health & mainstream education•
Include arts and health in training for art teachers and in-service training days. Arts and health is an excellent theme for art teachers – eg in Transition Yr.
•Promote arts and health practice in schools in RAPID areas – a vehicle to promote health, well-being, positive mental health and attitude, participation and empowerment in the mainstream education system.
Creative Arts Therapies•
The creative arts therapies are quite divided from arts and health. There is and should be room for cross-over.
•Ask GPs to consider prescribing a creative therapy as a treatment for depression and other illnesses.
•The creative therapies offer a potential career.
•Art therapists are not yet recognised as a ‘profession’ by the HSE.
Arts and health professionals
•Promote the integration of voluntary and paid arts and health workers within the hospital.
•Advocate for more paid positions for arts and health workers.
Vision for Arts and Health Centre
•The hospital here is like a small town on fare day. People come here with a common purpose ‘health’.
•When you bring art into the hospital – you are bringing art into the community.
•Pathways can be created from here out into the community.
•For people who are in treatment or who are healing and who experience a positive arts and health initiative the process can be an enlightening one – a sort of AA; Artists Anonymous – ‘I used to be a patient but I am an artist now’. This is empowering and life-enhancing.
Networking and information-sharing
•Forger strong links with appropriate arts and community organisations.
•Establish an arts and health database.
•Pursue collaborative projects; seek out intergenerational opportunities of working; youth group involvement..
•Seek to communicate in an arts literate fashion – publicising arts and health practice by visual and other means.
•Local authority and others must develop a pro-active and diverse approach to hearing feedback from diverse communities. Develop an ‘art ear’ consulting without words eg film, visual art etc…
Outcomes:
•Attendees agreed to share contact information.
•It is likely further meetings will be held in association with the new Arts and Health Centre at the Adelaide and Meath Hospital in Tallaght.
•A number of attendees expressed an interest in attending the first Artist’s Forum meeting on 29th September at Rua Red.
Fiona Delaney
Public Consultation Co-ordinator
The agenda was broad based, focusing on priorities and future needs for the arts and health sector.
The outcome of the facilitated Arts & Health Focus Group discussion is outlined below under a series of themes or headings. These serve to summarise the key priorities and concerns for the cross-section of participants attending the event. The discussion while facilitated, was free-flowing.
‘What role could the arts play in our health services in the county?’ was the original title for the discussion, however it soon became apparent that attendees felt strongly that arts and health should not be only be seen to take place within health service centres but rather has a much broader remit and scope. One which needs to be properly described, documented and advocated for.
Advocacy
•Advocacy on behalf of arts and health is required. An arts and health remit encompasses more than arts opportunities in healthcare settings.
•Arts and health is about general wellbeing – and is important in the community as well as in specific healthcare settings.
•Arts and health offers the opportunity for art to become part of people’s lifestyle – that health professionals would, as part of their professional remit, direct people towards creative opportunities.
•Arts and health can reinforce positive mental health and attitude.
•Expand ideas about what art is and has the capacity to fulfil, combating prejudice and ignorance about the arts generally.
•The new SDCC arts strategy must seek to define and promote a position in relation to arts and health.
Developing Role for Arts and Health Centre @ AMHT
•Have a responsive ear to ideas from outside the hospital walls, from the surrounding communities. Establish an outreach structure and seek to network with local community groups.
•Continue to enhance the experience for those seeking treatment or visiting hospitals; improving the environment – art on the walls, artists working within waiting rooms and on wards etc…
•Acknowledge existing successful programme and extend it to community and home care services.
•Promote best practice in arts and health – advocate and publicise the benefits and breadth of scope of the sector.
•Establish easily accessible information points and an information network.
•Define the objectives and strategy of the programme; monitor and evaluate.
Recognise that arts and health offers both benefits and opportunities for health professionals and staff in healthcare settings.
•Music in the Atrium, children in waiting rooms engaging with arts means children, family members and staff less stressed – also some of the work is exhibited appropriately – enhancing the environment for everyone.
•Establish a staff culture club.
•Exploit opportunities for creative connections between staff, patients and artists.
•Healthcare settings offer an opportunity to engage creatively with families/parents/children – sustaining notions of cultural entitlement.
•In partnership with healthcare professionals seek to develop new ideas about the role of the arts in healthcare and in life.
Cultural entitlement
•Exploit the potential of collaborative practice in order to enhance participation, a sense of ownership and group cohesion.
•Promote and encourage a sense of cultural entitlement amongst the community – inside and out of formal healthcare settings.
•Arts and health advocates are also ambassadors for the arts being part of your life – across the social spectrum.
•Dream the stupid dreams! – the arts and health centre @ AMHT could come to include music rooms, recording facilities, and art and studios. That those in residential or long-term treatment can benefit from ongoing access to top quality creative opportunities in excellent facilities.
Arts and Health & mainstream education•
Include arts and health in training for art teachers and in-service training days. Arts and health is an excellent theme for art teachers – eg in Transition Yr.
•Promote arts and health practice in schools in RAPID areas – a vehicle to promote health, well-being, positive mental health and attitude, participation and empowerment in the mainstream education system.
Creative Arts Therapies•
The creative arts therapies are quite divided from arts and health. There is and should be room for cross-over.
•Ask GPs to consider prescribing a creative therapy as a treatment for depression and other illnesses.
•The creative therapies offer a potential career.
•Art therapists are not yet recognised as a ‘profession’ by the HSE.
Arts and health professionals
•Promote the integration of voluntary and paid arts and health workers within the hospital.
•Advocate for more paid positions for arts and health workers.
Vision for Arts and Health Centre
•The hospital here is like a small town on fare day. People come here with a common purpose ‘health’.
•When you bring art into the hospital – you are bringing art into the community.
•Pathways can be created from here out into the community.
•For people who are in treatment or who are healing and who experience a positive arts and health initiative the process can be an enlightening one – a sort of AA; Artists Anonymous – ‘I used to be a patient but I am an artist now’. This is empowering and life-enhancing.
Networking and information-sharing
•Forger strong links with appropriate arts and community organisations.
•Establish an arts and health database.
•Pursue collaborative projects; seek out intergenerational opportunities of working; youth group involvement..
•Seek to communicate in an arts literate fashion – publicising arts and health practice by visual and other means.
•Local authority and others must develop a pro-active and diverse approach to hearing feedback from diverse communities. Develop an ‘art ear’ consulting without words eg film, visual art etc…
Outcomes:
•Attendees agreed to share contact information.
•It is likely further meetings will be held in association with the new Arts and Health Centre at the Adelaide and Meath Hospital in Tallaght.
•A number of attendees expressed an interest in attending the first Artist’s Forum meeting on 29th September at Rua Red.
Fiona Delaney
Public Consultation Co-ordinator
Youth Arts Position Paper
Youth Arts Position Paper
Victoria Durrer, Youth Arts Co-ordinator,
South Dublin County Council
Context
South Dublin County Council strives to support the provision of youth arts activities that champion the voices of young people in the development of their own creativity. The foundation of the youth arts programme is inclusive and collaborative practice, underpinned by youth-leadership and high quality arts experiences.
The youth arts programme is diverse, offering a range of performance, exhibition and showcasing opportunities for young people whilst actively promoting an atmosphere where sharing skills and learning from one another’s practice are a part of the creative experience. Opportunities to work with professional artists are paramount and we believe that by fostering creative and artistic relationships, young people may learn to develop skills for pursuing future pathways in the arts.
Background:
In 2006, South Dublin County Council’s Arts Office published its first Youth Arts Policy. Arising from consultation with youth and arts organisations in the area, this Policy contained a series of recommendations for supporting and further developing best practice in youth arts within the County.
To date, the Art Office has achieved the following:
•Hired a Youth Arts Coordinator to oversee the execution of the new Youth Arts Policy.
•Increased opportunities for young people to work with professional artists both by managing youth arts initiatives directly and supporting youth organisations/ schools and community groups to deliver high standard youth arts programming.
•Participated in and encouraged collaboration and partnership across organisations for the development of youth arts initiatives.
•Initiated new partnerships with appropriate individuals and organisations, further developing youth arts practice locally.
•Championed the voices and leadership of young people in youth arts activities, projects, groups, and policy development.
•Promoted greater communication and sharing across the youth arts sector both within and outside of the County.
•Promoted the use of various civic venues, including community centres and libraries, as youth arts facilities.
•Promoted the sustainability of youth arts initiatives through the development of training programmes, assistance with documentation and evaluation of projects and support groups in gaining funding from national and regional bodies.
In addition, the Arts Office has striven to:
•Encourage and action inclusive youth arts activities.
•Build young audiences for arts through school and youth service-based projects and professional development initiatives for teachers and youth workers.
•Support the establishment of a new youth dance company ‘Animotion’, based in RuaRed, South Dublin Arts Centre.
•Support the growth of the Arts Office’s Music Education Service to include service delivery outside of mainstream 2nd level education.
•Promote the sustainability of projects initiated through partnership working and relevant training initiatives.
NOISE South Dublin – a web-based youth arts community.
A major feature of the Youth Arts programme at South Dublin County is the interactive, youth-member based NOISE South Dublin website, providing young people within the County opportunities to present new work, connect with their peers, and engage in arts practice linked with new media and technology through taking part in on-line projects. NOISE South Dublin is found at www.noisesouthdublin.com
NOISE South Dublin has run a number of festivals in ‘real time’ which have also had an on-line presence through the website. These festivals provide young people with direct interaction with industry professionals, through opportunities for feedback on work created, opportunities to learn about career pathways, and the chance to hear from professionals working in the fields of music, dance and film.
•NOISE Flics Youth Film Festival
•NOISEmoves Youth Dance Festival
•NOISE Battle of the Bands
It also offers an opportunity to gain feedback from professionals in the field through the NOISE South Dublin artist in residence scheme and offers a stimulating and diverse programme of youth-related, youth-created, arts work to inspire, encourage and challenge the young members of the site. These residencies take place both on and off line with area school groups and youth services and often include opportunities for young people to publicly exhibit work outside of the virtual world.
NOISE South Dublin delivers on a number of priorities of the County’s youth arts policy:
•Inform and communicate with young people and others about current youth arts opportunities.
•Provide access to appropriate exhibition, performance and showcasing opportunities.
•Advocate for top quality, youth-lead, arts initiatives.
Arising from a series of Youth Focus Groups held in July 2010, attended by 16 young artists and young participants in diverse youth arts activities; music, performing arts, visual art and film – a number of key priorities were identified for the future of Youth Arts in South Dublin County. These are summarised below. If you would like to comment and/or contribute to the debate please do so on this blogsite.
South Dublin Arts Consultation - Registration of Interests – Youth Arts
There were 16 participants in total who attended three youth focus group meetings, the first was dealing with Performing arts, the second with music and the third with film.
Breakdown of participant information:• 4 female / 12 male.
•7 age 15 or less/ 9 age 16 or more. Average age 16 yrs: oldest 20, youngest 13.
•All participants are resident in SDCC area.
•14 have an email address. All said they use the internet, but some more often than others.
•2 are members of NOISE South Dublin youth arts website.
•8 said they had taken part in an activity organised by or associated with SDCC Arts Office.
The organisers of the activities are identified as:
•Local youth club,
•School,
•Home,
•local dance class,
•Encore,
•Music teachers,
•NOISE,
•TYFM,
•Gig organisers,
•Irish Association of Youth Orchestras,
•Dancing School,
•Youth Art Co-ordinator or the mentor of that project,
•Hobbies and personal interest
•Civic Theatre (Tenderfoot),
•Me and my friends,
•Rua Red,
•TCA
•TYS
Previous and current arts activities undertaken by participants:
Music 9 Songwriting 5 Visual Art 4
Dance 4 Choreography 3 Photography 3
Drama 9 Writing 4 Sculpture 0 Other performance 2
Filmmaking 10 Painting 0 Art Project participant 1
Audience member 6 Multi-media/digital arts 3
Other: please describe 0
•Film-making, Music and Drama are the most common activities.
•Being an audience member and song-writing are the next most popular, with Dance, Visual Art and Writing following closely.
•Choreography, Photography, Digital Arts have a specialised following.
Activities the participants hope to explore in the future:
Music 13 Songwriting 7 Visual Art 5
Dance 3 Choreography 3 Photography 8
Drama 9 Writing 9 Sculpture 1 Other performance 1Filmmaking 10 Painting 1 Art Project participant 0
Audience member 2 Multi-media/digital arts 3
Other: please describe Animation, Animation and sketching, Musical Theatre
•Within this group of participants, Music is certainly the most popular area for future exploration, followed on by Film-making, Writing and Drama. Photography is next, followed closely by Songwriting and Visual Art.
•Dance, Choreography and Digital Media offer equal interest, followed on by being an audience member, Sculpture, Painting and other types of performance.
•Other areas of interest not on the list were Animation, Sketching and Musical Theatre.
When asked to name issues which affect their participation in arts activities:
• Enjoyment
• Novelty
• Cost
• Access to practice space
• Time/ availability
• Access to Information
• Lack of organization eg classical music for young people.
• Access to equipment and expertise
• More freedom within group
• Facilities
• Funds
Priorities for a future focus in Youth Arts:
Participants were offered a set of multiple choice themes and asked to rank the ‘Main themes’ 1-5 in order of importance. Under each main theme there is set of ‘examples’ which were also ranked in order of importance. Listed in order of the participant’s priorities:
1. Access to high quality arts experiences with professional artists.
•Opportunity to collaborate with professional artists on projects eg film, dance, music, digital media
•Work experience in the arts
•Sharing skills by teaching other young people
2. Opportunities for artistic development for young artists of all disciplines.
•Exhibiting/showcasing your own work
•Improving skills through classes and workshops & Entering competitions
•Master classes with professional artists, learning about their work and how they may have started out
3. Development of local arts clubs/workspaces appropriate to young people in the county.
•Youth Arts groups such as dance, film and music, in your area.
•Arts & cultural centres in your area.
4. Communication / regular information about arts events across the county.
•A website
•A printed newsletter
5. Opportunities to share ideas from different artforms, different communities and different cultural backgrounds.
•Exploring different cultures eg studying reggae music, or fashion from different countries or cultures.
•Taking part in multi-disciplinary projects eg dance & film
•Meeting and collaborating with other groups eg IWA and Foroige joint project
When asked if they had any questions about taking part in this Public Consultation process, only two responded:
•How much will the new activities cost?
•Will taking part in this actually have any effect on independent film makers like myself?
Victoria Durrer, Youth Arts Co-ordinator,
South Dublin County Council
Context
South Dublin County Council strives to support the provision of youth arts activities that champion the voices of young people in the development of their own creativity. The foundation of the youth arts programme is inclusive and collaborative practice, underpinned by youth-leadership and high quality arts experiences.
The youth arts programme is diverse, offering a range of performance, exhibition and showcasing opportunities for young people whilst actively promoting an atmosphere where sharing skills and learning from one another’s practice are a part of the creative experience. Opportunities to work with professional artists are paramount and we believe that by fostering creative and artistic relationships, young people may learn to develop skills for pursuing future pathways in the arts.
Background:
In 2006, South Dublin County Council’s Arts Office published its first Youth Arts Policy. Arising from consultation with youth and arts organisations in the area, this Policy contained a series of recommendations for supporting and further developing best practice in youth arts within the County.
To date, the Art Office has achieved the following:
•Hired a Youth Arts Coordinator to oversee the execution of the new Youth Arts Policy.
•Increased opportunities for young people to work with professional artists both by managing youth arts initiatives directly and supporting youth organisations/ schools and community groups to deliver high standard youth arts programming.
•Participated in and encouraged collaboration and partnership across organisations for the development of youth arts initiatives.
•Initiated new partnerships with appropriate individuals and organisations, further developing youth arts practice locally.
•Championed the voices and leadership of young people in youth arts activities, projects, groups, and policy development.
•Promoted greater communication and sharing across the youth arts sector both within and outside of the County.
•Promoted the use of various civic venues, including community centres and libraries, as youth arts facilities.
•Promoted the sustainability of youth arts initiatives through the development of training programmes, assistance with documentation and evaluation of projects and support groups in gaining funding from national and regional bodies.
In addition, the Arts Office has striven to:
•Encourage and action inclusive youth arts activities.
•Build young audiences for arts through school and youth service-based projects and professional development initiatives for teachers and youth workers.
•Support the establishment of a new youth dance company ‘Animotion’, based in RuaRed, South Dublin Arts Centre.
•Support the growth of the Arts Office’s Music Education Service to include service delivery outside of mainstream 2nd level education.
•Promote the sustainability of projects initiated through partnership working and relevant training initiatives.
NOISE South Dublin – a web-based youth arts community.
A major feature of the Youth Arts programme at South Dublin County is the interactive, youth-member based NOISE South Dublin website, providing young people within the County opportunities to present new work, connect with their peers, and engage in arts practice linked with new media and technology through taking part in on-line projects. NOISE South Dublin is found at www.noisesouthdublin.com
NOISE South Dublin has run a number of festivals in ‘real time’ which have also had an on-line presence through the website. These festivals provide young people with direct interaction with industry professionals, through opportunities for feedback on work created, opportunities to learn about career pathways, and the chance to hear from professionals working in the fields of music, dance and film.
•NOISE Flics Youth Film Festival
•NOISEmoves Youth Dance Festival
•NOISE Battle of the Bands
It also offers an opportunity to gain feedback from professionals in the field through the NOISE South Dublin artist in residence scheme and offers a stimulating and diverse programme of youth-related, youth-created, arts work to inspire, encourage and challenge the young members of the site. These residencies take place both on and off line with area school groups and youth services and often include opportunities for young people to publicly exhibit work outside of the virtual world.
NOISE South Dublin delivers on a number of priorities of the County’s youth arts policy:
•Inform and communicate with young people and others about current youth arts opportunities.
•Provide access to appropriate exhibition, performance and showcasing opportunities.
•Advocate for top quality, youth-lead, arts initiatives.
Arising from a series of Youth Focus Groups held in July 2010, attended by 16 young artists and young participants in diverse youth arts activities; music, performing arts, visual art and film – a number of key priorities were identified for the future of Youth Arts in South Dublin County. These are summarised below. If you would like to comment and/or contribute to the debate please do so on this blogsite.
South Dublin Arts Consultation - Registration of Interests – Youth Arts
There were 16 participants in total who attended three youth focus group meetings, the first was dealing with Performing arts, the second with music and the third with film.
Breakdown of participant information:• 4 female / 12 male.
•7 age 15 or less/ 9 age 16 or more. Average age 16 yrs: oldest 20, youngest 13.
•All participants are resident in SDCC area.
•14 have an email address. All said they use the internet, but some more often than others.
•2 are members of NOISE South Dublin youth arts website.
•8 said they had taken part in an activity organised by or associated with SDCC Arts Office.
The organisers of the activities are identified as:
•Local youth club,
•School,
•Home,
•local dance class,
•Encore,
•Music teachers,
•NOISE,
•TYFM,
•Gig organisers,
•Irish Association of Youth Orchestras,
•Dancing School,
•Youth Art Co-ordinator or the mentor of that project,
•Hobbies and personal interest
•Civic Theatre (Tenderfoot),
•Me and my friends,
•Rua Red,
•TCA
•TYS
Previous and current arts activities undertaken by participants:
Music 9 Songwriting 5 Visual Art 4
Dance 4 Choreography 3 Photography 3
Drama 9 Writing 4 Sculpture 0 Other performance 2
Filmmaking 10 Painting 0 Art Project participant 1
Audience member 6 Multi-media/digital arts 3
Other: please describe 0
•Film-making, Music and Drama are the most common activities.
•Being an audience member and song-writing are the next most popular, with Dance, Visual Art and Writing following closely.
•Choreography, Photography, Digital Arts have a specialised following.
Activities the participants hope to explore in the future:
Music 13 Songwriting 7 Visual Art 5
Dance 3 Choreography 3 Photography 8
Drama 9 Writing 9 Sculpture 1 Other performance 1Filmmaking 10 Painting 1 Art Project participant 0
Audience member 2 Multi-media/digital arts 3
Other: please describe Animation, Animation and sketching, Musical Theatre
•Within this group of participants, Music is certainly the most popular area for future exploration, followed on by Film-making, Writing and Drama. Photography is next, followed closely by Songwriting and Visual Art.
•Dance, Choreography and Digital Media offer equal interest, followed on by being an audience member, Sculpture, Painting and other types of performance.
•Other areas of interest not on the list were Animation, Sketching and Musical Theatre.
When asked to name issues which affect their participation in arts activities:
• Enjoyment
• Novelty
• Cost
• Access to practice space
• Time/ availability
• Access to Information
• Lack of organization eg classical music for young people.
• Access to equipment and expertise
• More freedom within group
• Facilities
• Funds
Priorities for a future focus in Youth Arts:
Participants were offered a set of multiple choice themes and asked to rank the ‘Main themes’ 1-5 in order of importance. Under each main theme there is set of ‘examples’ which were also ranked in order of importance. Listed in order of the participant’s priorities:
1. Access to high quality arts experiences with professional artists.
•Opportunity to collaborate with professional artists on projects eg film, dance, music, digital media
•Work experience in the arts
•Sharing skills by teaching other young people
2. Opportunities for artistic development for young artists of all disciplines.
•Exhibiting/showcasing your own work
•Improving skills through classes and workshops & Entering competitions
•Master classes with professional artists, learning about their work and how they may have started out
3. Development of local arts clubs/workspaces appropriate to young people in the county.
•Youth Arts groups such as dance, film and music, in your area.
•Arts & cultural centres in your area.
4. Communication / regular information about arts events across the county.
•A website
•A printed newsletter
5. Opportunities to share ideas from different artforms, different communities and different cultural backgrounds.
•Exploring different cultures eg studying reggae music, or fashion from different countries or cultures.
•Taking part in multi-disciplinary projects eg dance & film
•Meeting and collaborating with other groups eg IWA and Foroige joint project
When asked if they had any questions about taking part in this Public Consultation process, only two responded:
•How much will the new activities cost?
•Will taking part in this actually have any effect on independent film makers like myself?
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Dance Position Paper
Dance Position Paper
Louise Costelloe, Dancer in Residence
South Dublin County Council
Context
Dance is a developing art-form in Ireland. Interest in classes and performances has grown considerably over the last 10 years and many different styles and types of dance activity can be seen at a local and national level. There is an emerging awareness of the benefits of participation in dance from a creative, physical and social perspective.
Investment – Dance Residency
South Dublin County Council’s Dance Residency followed a model for contemporary dance development created by the Arts Offices and Sports Partnerships of Westmeath and Roscommon. This three year dance residency, which began in March 2008 has so far supported a growth in dance activity through:
•Piloting a transition year module in dance which has taken place in three secondary schools, Firhouse Community School, Palmerstown Community School and Collinstown Park Community College
•Setting up and developing a youth dance company, ANIMOTION, which is supported by the Arts Office, to provide training and performance opportunities within and outside the county for young dancers
•Providing classes in the community in schools, youth services and sports centres
•Establishing NOISEmoves Youth Dance Festival as a platform for young dancers in the county and as audience development initiative, a link to footage from the 2010 festival can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E077cwkIeaY
•Consultancy and support for venues, VEC Sports Officers and the Sports Partnership in programming dance
•Access to professional dance artists for participants in programmes
•Promoting dance education for teachers through the Laban Foundation Course in Dance and inclusion in the Creative Approaches Arts Education strand in the Arts Office
•Developing links to other organisations who can support dance as an art-form/activity such as RUA RED, Tallaght Community Arts, South Dublin Libraries, An Cosan and the Sports Partnership. This has been actively nurtured through performance projects and continued consultation.
Investment - Infrastructure
The Civic Theatre includes contemporary dance and ballet in its yearly programming and also hosts the NOISEmoves Youth Dance Festival. It is the performance space most suited to dance in the County owing to its size and facilities. The South Dublin Arts Centre, RUA RED has a purpose built dance studio designed to the highest standard. The centre hosts private dance classes as well as the Youth Dance Company. Several community centres have purpose built dance studios and spaces which include St. Marks Community Centre, Fettercairn and Brookfield Youth and Community Centre, Brookfield. Four VEC schools have a dance studio in the adjoining Sports Centre which was part funded by South Dublin County Council, these are Killinarden Community School, Palmerstown Community School, Collinstown Park Community College and Tallaght Community School. They are also used for evening and private classes.
Bursary Award
South Dublin County has a yearly Artist’s Bursary award that has recently included dancers and choreographers as recipients.
Dance Education
Dance is a recent arrival on the primary and Junior Cycle curricula and is not an exam subject as yet. A dance module has been developed through the residency that meets the requirements of the current curriculum and has been delivered to Transition Year and second year students. This year the Dancer in Residence and Sports Partnership has funded a Laban Guild Foundation Course in Dance in order to provide an opportunity for PE Teachers and youth leaders involved in dance a chance to expand their dance skills and gather ideas for delivering this aspect of the curriculum.
Creative Approaches – dance has been included in this art-in-education strand that explores curriculum links and the arts. This has been an initiative of the Arts Office.
The Youth Dance Company aims to provide a space for young dancers to continue training and to provide connections to professional dance experiences.
Dance in the Community
The dancer in residence has worked with an Active Retired Group in Firhouse and the educational centre An Cosan to provide classes in community dance focusing on physical and emotional wellbeing and social connections. In 2010 the Sports Officer for Clondalkin ran a very successful inter-generational project bringing together an Active Retired Group from Clondalkin with Transition Years from Colaiste Bride and Moyle Park Schools to learn and perform ballroom dances. While the main focus on the residency has been in developing youth dance, access for older people is being supported though consultancy with RUA RED, the Council’s Sports Officers and the Sports Partnership.
Cultural Access
Throughout the dance residency opportunities have been developed to provide access to high quality dance performances and experiences. This included workshops and dance talks from Coisceim Dance Theatre as part of their performances in the Civic Theatre, participation in the “Open House” events sponsored by Dance Ireland and Dublin Youth Dance Company for ANIMOTION students which bring together dancers from youth dance companies around Dublin to share their work, guest workshops from professional dance artists and the Gallery Project in RUA RED in which participants worked with a visual artist and choreographer exploring and developing performances from an installation the gallery. Dance workshops and courses were also provided with a particular focus on integrated dance and arts in health in Scoil Mochua, Clondalkin (Part of the Central Remedial Clinic) and ABACUS Kilnamanagh. (A dedicated school for children on the autistic spectrum).
Dance Policy Proposition
With regard to the continuing development of dance as an art-form in the county, South Dublin Arts Office aims to:
•Support the sustainability of youth dance in the county
•Establish and continue to support opportunities for young dancers to showcase their work, develop their skills and engage with different styles and forms of dance.
•Support the sustainability of dance as part of school programmes, ensuring high quality provision
•Maximise access to dance performances and experiences that reflect diversity of interests, activity and ability
•Encourage and support the programming of dance in venues throughout the county
•Foster professional development opportunities for dance artists and companies within the county
Louise Costelloe, Dancer in Residence
South Dublin County Council
Context
Dance is a developing art-form in Ireland. Interest in classes and performances has grown considerably over the last 10 years and many different styles and types of dance activity can be seen at a local and national level. There is an emerging awareness of the benefits of participation in dance from a creative, physical and social perspective.
Investment – Dance Residency
South Dublin County Council’s Dance Residency followed a model for contemporary dance development created by the Arts Offices and Sports Partnerships of Westmeath and Roscommon. This three year dance residency, which began in March 2008 has so far supported a growth in dance activity through:
•Piloting a transition year module in dance which has taken place in three secondary schools, Firhouse Community School, Palmerstown Community School and Collinstown Park Community College
•Setting up and developing a youth dance company, ANIMOTION, which is supported by the Arts Office, to provide training and performance opportunities within and outside the county for young dancers
•Providing classes in the community in schools, youth services and sports centres
•Establishing NOISEmoves Youth Dance Festival as a platform for young dancers in the county and as audience development initiative, a link to footage from the 2010 festival can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E077cwkIeaY
•Consultancy and support for venues, VEC Sports Officers and the Sports Partnership in programming dance
•Access to professional dance artists for participants in programmes
•Promoting dance education for teachers through the Laban Foundation Course in Dance and inclusion in the Creative Approaches Arts Education strand in the Arts Office
•Developing links to other organisations who can support dance as an art-form/activity such as RUA RED, Tallaght Community Arts, South Dublin Libraries, An Cosan and the Sports Partnership. This has been actively nurtured through performance projects and continued consultation.
Investment - Infrastructure
The Civic Theatre includes contemporary dance and ballet in its yearly programming and also hosts the NOISEmoves Youth Dance Festival. It is the performance space most suited to dance in the County owing to its size and facilities. The South Dublin Arts Centre, RUA RED has a purpose built dance studio designed to the highest standard. The centre hosts private dance classes as well as the Youth Dance Company. Several community centres have purpose built dance studios and spaces which include St. Marks Community Centre, Fettercairn and Brookfield Youth and Community Centre, Brookfield. Four VEC schools have a dance studio in the adjoining Sports Centre which was part funded by South Dublin County Council, these are Killinarden Community School, Palmerstown Community School, Collinstown Park Community College and Tallaght Community School. They are also used for evening and private classes.
Bursary Award
South Dublin County has a yearly Artist’s Bursary award that has recently included dancers and choreographers as recipients.
Dance Education
Dance is a recent arrival on the primary and Junior Cycle curricula and is not an exam subject as yet. A dance module has been developed through the residency that meets the requirements of the current curriculum and has been delivered to Transition Year and second year students. This year the Dancer in Residence and Sports Partnership has funded a Laban Guild Foundation Course in Dance in order to provide an opportunity for PE Teachers and youth leaders involved in dance a chance to expand their dance skills and gather ideas for delivering this aspect of the curriculum.
Creative Approaches – dance has been included in this art-in-education strand that explores curriculum links and the arts. This has been an initiative of the Arts Office.
The Youth Dance Company aims to provide a space for young dancers to continue training and to provide connections to professional dance experiences.
Dance in the Community
The dancer in residence has worked with an Active Retired Group in Firhouse and the educational centre An Cosan to provide classes in community dance focusing on physical and emotional wellbeing and social connections. In 2010 the Sports Officer for Clondalkin ran a very successful inter-generational project bringing together an Active Retired Group from Clondalkin with Transition Years from Colaiste Bride and Moyle Park Schools to learn and perform ballroom dances. While the main focus on the residency has been in developing youth dance, access for older people is being supported though consultancy with RUA RED, the Council’s Sports Officers and the Sports Partnership.
Cultural Access
Throughout the dance residency opportunities have been developed to provide access to high quality dance performances and experiences. This included workshops and dance talks from Coisceim Dance Theatre as part of their performances in the Civic Theatre, participation in the “Open House” events sponsored by Dance Ireland and Dublin Youth Dance Company for ANIMOTION students which bring together dancers from youth dance companies around Dublin to share their work, guest workshops from professional dance artists and the Gallery Project in RUA RED in which participants worked with a visual artist and choreographer exploring and developing performances from an installation the gallery. Dance workshops and courses were also provided with a particular focus on integrated dance and arts in health in Scoil Mochua, Clondalkin (Part of the Central Remedial Clinic) and ABACUS Kilnamanagh. (A dedicated school for children on the autistic spectrum).
Dance Policy Proposition
With regard to the continuing development of dance as an art-form in the county, South Dublin Arts Office aims to:
•Support the sustainability of youth dance in the county
•Establish and continue to support opportunities for young dancers to showcase their work, develop their skills and engage with different styles and forms of dance.
•Support the sustainability of dance as part of school programmes, ensuring high quality provision
•Maximise access to dance performances and experiences that reflect diversity of interests, activity and ability
•Encourage and support the programming of dance in venues throughout the county
•Foster professional development opportunities for dance artists and companies within the county
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