Arts (F0501- F0502

every April, the Summer Reading Challenge/”Summer Stars” in July -August and Children’s Book Festival in October. The newly established “Family Time at your Library” in December will see family focused reading events take place at family friendly times across the branch network. In 2020, an initiative aimed at providing support to adult literacy learners will be explored. Other library initiatives such as “Work Matters” – business and employment support services and “Healthy Ireland” programming continued in 2019 and will expand again in 2020. Both the Creative Ireland Programme with a budget of €120k continues to be promoted and supported by the Library team as is the Decade of Centenaries Programme – both continuing until 2022.

Arts (F0501- F0502)

2019 saw Clare County Council enter an 8 year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Arts Council, through the Framework for Collaboration process. The MOU identifies strategic areas of arts programming earmarked for concentrated development. These programmes will include an Education Programme/Artist in Schools Scheme and the expansion of Clare Youth Theatre and the ongoing development of the Embrace Arts and Disability Programme. Art forms targeted for development include the Visual Arts and Traditional Arts and particular attention will be focussed on the provision of youth arts and on cultural diversity. Following the success of The Vision Symphony in 2019, the Arts office will be developing another integrated disability project. Boga Boga is a dance project featuring over 60 people of mixed abilities, with some of the participants being trained in integrated dance techniques, thereby creating a lasting legacy to build on in Clare communities in 2020.

In 2020, the Arts Office will continue to support Arts and Health projects in Raheen Hospital, Tuamgraney and St. Joseph’s Hospital, Ennis with the support of the Health Service Executive (HSE). Over 30 exhibitions are programmed for Ennis, Scariff and Kilkee. Participation will take place in national initiatives such as Culture Night, Cruinniú na nÓg and Creative Ireland programmes. A film residency will take place in Cultúrlann Sweeney in Kilkee, along with an annual full programme of events. Three public art commissions will be completed early next year in the County in contemporary art, music, and dance (in Kilnaboy and West Clare) which is intended to link in with the Galway 2020 Capital of Culture Programme. Work will continue to support artists, organisations, festivals and communities through grants schemes and bursaries, as well as professional development initiatives for those involved in the Creative Industries.

The Arts Office will also continue to work closely with the Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board (LCETB) on the continued development of Music Generation Clare and the new Creative Youth Partnership. Support will continue to be offered to the Western Regional Audio Visual Producers Fund (WRAP) to encourage film production in the county and with further links with Film Limerick.