OUR PLANS 2015-2020
Boldly different
New York performance legend PENNY ARCADE Outburst 2013 Photo: Anne Ramsey
INTRODUCTION Outburst has achieved a lot in its toddler years. It came into the world making a lot of noise, followed soon after by a joyful tapdance. And, like all great LGBTQ youth before it, we’re now screaming into teendom, wanting to run away with the cool people, the open-minded, the brave - the artists. This is our first published strategic plan. We’ve always had a clear head about who we are and what we want to do and now we want everyone who reads this to join us, help us and challenge us, as we go forward generating change and debate through lots of beautiful moments. We want to declare our goals, be publically responsible for achieving them and be the bold, risk-taking arts organisation we set out to be. Creativity is a great catalyst for change. As we move into a future that promises greater equality but that still sees queer people at home and abroad facing challenges, we as a community need to work to make that change. We believe the Arts are a key tool in doing this. At Outburst, we are very passionate about the use of the word Queer. We are asked about it a lot. Apart from the fact Queer culture has a very long and rich history, for us it is also about recognising that in an age of equality we must not forget the value of difference. We can be different but equal. The Arts and the LGBTQ community are the champions of that message and celebrating difference will always be at the core of what we do. We look forward to every one of you, in each of your characterful glory, being on the rest of this journey with us as we jive forward.
Cian Smyth Chairperson OUTBURST ARTS
FOREWORD FROM THE ARTS COUNCIL OF NORTHERN IRELAND
The arts help us to define ourselves in the eyes of others. They give us the tools to influence and shape perceptions and attitudes about us. The arts also help us to define how we see ourselves, giving us the confidence to explore as well as express and celebrate our individuality, our difference, our belongingness. The Outburst Queer Arts Festival channels these creative energies into an explosive week of art that showcases the best of LGBTQ creativity and, in doing so, promotes the LGBTQ community, its values and experience, to the wider community of Northern Ireland. The arts thrive on risk and risk takers - people with the vision to understand an idea, the talent to give shape and substance to it and the resolve and persistence to bring that idea to life. The authors of this Strategic Plan have been doing just that with the annual Outburst arts festival. Now, through the Strategic Plan, they bring vision and values into sharp focus, adding structure and impetus to the longer-term development of LGBTQ arts in Northern Ireland. We need risk takers like Outburst to champion the arts and strengthen the voice of the LGBTQ community in Northern Ireland. They help enlighten minds to the possibility of, indeed the imperative for, true respect and equality for all. By the same token, talented, tenacious visionaries need the backing of organisations that are prepared to invest in risk and potential. That in our eyes is one of the principal purposes of public funding for the arts - to make things possible that may not otherwise happen or happen only in a much diminished way. We are proud to offer our support to Outburst and the development of a Strategic Plan that will help to guide the direction of Northern Ireland’s LGBTQ arts to greater heights over the years ahead.
Roisin McDonough Chief Executive ARTS COUNCIL OF NORTHERN IRELAND
Gordon Crawford in TheatreofplucK’s DIVIDED, RADICAL & GORGEOUS (D.R.A.G.) Outburst 2011 Photo: Simon Crawford
VISION Outburst Arts is the world’s boldest arts organisation, celebrating the best in local and global queer arts for everyone and leading social change through the creative celebration of difference.
VALUES
BoLD QUeER
tRansFormaTive
inspiriNG EthiCal
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Twiggy Pucci Garçon in Claire Hall’s HOUSE at the MAC 2015 Photo: Anne Ramsey
Outburst Arts leads a creative global conversation about equality and difference. We promote change through the arts amongst our most isolated communities and individuals, and deliver an annual festival of the best queer art to inspire everyone.
MISSION
Edinburgh First Award Winner, Bryony Kimmings Outburst 2013 Photo: Anne Ramsey
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1. The London Gay Men’s Chorus flash mob performance at Cornmarket in 2010. 2. Theatre Director Alyson Campbell with playwright Lachlan Philpott and TheatreofplucK’s Niall Rea at The Trouble With Harry post-performance discussion, The MAC 2013. 3. Lord Mayor Máirtín Ó Muilleoir with photographer Anne Ramsey at her 2013 Outburst retrospective in Red Barn Gallery. 4. Canadian singer Rae Spoon perfoms at the Outburst Queer Country Music night, 2008. 5. TenX9 storytellers. 6. Zine Workshop with Belfast Feminist Network. 7. We Are Human exhibition about transgender identity, at bus stops in Belfast, 2013. 8. Nando Messias takes to the streets with a brass band for The Sissy’s Progress, 2015. 9. Scorch by Stacey Gregg at the MAC, 2015. 10. The cast of Youth Action’s Children Will Listen, 2012 11. Book reading and discussion exploring homophobic bullying in schools, in asscoiation with the teachers’ trade unions, Black Box 2012. 12. Cartoon by acclaimed comic artist Roberta Gregory for our 2009 queer cartoon exhibition.
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AIMS & OBJECTIVES 1. Deliver an annual queer arts festival.
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Objective 1: Grow audiences by 30% without compromising accessibility and diversity of programming Objective 2: Build partnerships that (a) support visibility and inclusion for local and international queer artistic talent and (b) support isolated and marginalised voices in our LGBTQ communities. Objective 3: Raise awareness of both Ouburst’s work and local talent in the UK and Ireland and across the world.
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2. Inspire excellence and grow confidence through artistic engagement. Objective 1: Deliver outside of Belfast
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Objective 2: Promote at least projects exploring the most marginalised voices in the queer community. Objective 3: Commission queer art works.
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(L-R) Director Maggie Cronin, Mervyn Reid from Contact and Joan Dempster from Arts Council of Northern Ireland at Hang in There, a play exploring the aftermath of suicide, at Outburst 2013. After its success at Outburst, the play was performed at the annual Contact conference on suicide prevention.
3. Build organisational capacity in a sustainable way that is always led by our values. Objective 1: Externally and internally evaluate the first ten years of Outburst Arts. Objective 2: Secure funding that supports the core organisation to build capacity for delivering this five year plan. Objective 3: Deliver a business plan and associated documents designed to grow opportunities for individual giving, social enterprise and alternative sources of fundraising
Brenda Murphy’s 2014 hit comedy about lesbian parenthood, Baby It’s Cold Outside, was commissioned by Outburst in 2011 through an award from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.
Belfast comedian, Gemma Hutton Outburst 2012 Photo: Anne Ramsey
David Hoyle, Ulster Museum Outburst 2014 Photo: Anne Ramsey
What do you think about our plans for Outburst? Your ideas are really important to the future development of the festival and our projects. Say hello. Email: hello@outburstarts.com Outburst Arts
@OutburstArts
www.outburstarts.com