Check out a thought provoking Guardian Theatre Blog entry.

A delegation from the Oireachtas Committee on Tourism and Culture will take part in a field visit to Sligo’s contemporary arts centre, The Model, on Monday, 19th July 2010.

The Model’s premises re-opened in May of this year following an extensive redevelopment programme.  The refurbished arts centre includes a purpose-built theatre and cinema space; new galleries; nine studio spaces, and a new restaurant.  Following the redevelopment, The Model aims to become Ireland’s leading centre for the contemporary arts.  It also hopes to enhance the tourism potential of the north-west region overall.

During Monday’s study tour, members of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Tourism, Culture, Sport, Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs will take part in a tour of The Model’s exhibition space and will have an opportunity to preview elements of its upcoming summer exhibition, entitled ‘The Living Ginger: The Characters of Jack B. Yeats’.  This exhibition – which will open on 24th July – will run alongside a showcase of Duncan Campbell’s film, ‘Make It New John’, which tells the story of the DeLorean car; its creator John DeLorean, and the workers of the Belfast-based car plant who built it.

A working lunch will be attended by Sligo’s County Manager, Hubert Kearns.  It is expected that much of the discussion will focus on the role of the arts in offering sustainable development potential for Sligo and the wider north-west region.

Monday’s programme will conclude with a visit to Sligo’s Trades Club, which is currently being revived as part of The Model’s off-site work.  Under this project, members from the local community are involved in mapping out future uses and activities for the former Trades Club, which closed in 2007 after 100 years.

Members of the media wishing to accompany the Oireachtas Committee to The Model can avail of organised transport to and from Dublin City Centre.  Departure for Sligo will be at 9.30am and arrival back to Dublin will be at 6pm approximately.

ENDS

CONTACT:  Catherine Heaney, DHR Communications @ 01-488 5808 / 087-2309835

A serenade by performer Little John Nee and a tango by members of the Galway Contempo Quartet marked a warm welcome to Galway for Minister for Culture Mary Hanafin yesterday. Ms Hanafin was in town for the first night of the Galway Arts Festival.

Read more on the Irish Times Website.

The NATIONAL CAMPAIGN FOR THE ARTS is delighted to support the recently formed Literature Alliance which is due to make a presentation to the Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Sport, Tourism Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs at 2pm this Wednesday 14 July. The delegates, who include Ireland´s first ever Laureate na nÓg, Siobhán Parkinson, will discuss the importance of promoting and supporting Irish writers and as well as reading among the public, especially children. 

Among those attending the meeting alongside Parkinson are Alan Hayes, Publishing Ireland, Joe Woods, Poetry Ireland, Sinead MacAodha, Ireland Literature Exchange, Samantha Holman, Irish Copyright Licensing Agency, Pat Cotter, Munster Literature Centre, Jack Harte, Irish Writers Centre and Mags Walsh, Children’s Books Ireland.  

Siobhán Parkinson is an Irish writer for both children and adults. On 10 May 2010 she was conferred by President of Ireland Mary McAleese as the first ever Laureate na nÓg (Children's Laureate), a position she will hold until 2012.  She has published more than twenty books since 1992, winning her numerous awards, and her books have been translated into multiple languages. She has written in both Irish and English, and also translates from German into English. 

Laureate na nÓg is an initiative of the Arts Council, with the support of Children’s Books Ireland, the Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs and Poetry Ireland. The honour has been established to engage young people with high quality children’s literature and to underline the importance of children’s literature in our cultural and imaginative life. Laureate na nÓg is also supported by Eason’s and by the Irish Times. 

Tania Banotti of the National Campaign for the Arts, said, “The National Campaign for the Arts came together as an unprecedented union of all the different art disciplines in Ireland with the unwavering agreement that the arts can play a vital role in Ireland´s economic and social recovery.  We continue to champion the equal role that all art forms have in maintaining Ireland´s collective wellbeing and international reputation and are wholly supportive of the Literature Alliance´s aim to advocate for both the well-known and emerging writers of Ireland.”

For further information on the presentation to the Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Sport, Tourism Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs please contact Mags Walsh, Children’s Books Ireland, 01 8727475/ 086 6053888

Dance Ireland has published a survey, titled DANCE COUNTS 2008, which is the first ever analysis of the membership activity and audiences of the representative body for professional dance in Ireland.

Survey respondents attracted performance audiences of more than 85,000 and dance class attendances in excess of 60,000. Their outreach activities reached an additional 26,000 people who would otherwise probably not have experienced dance.

In total, Dance Ireland members involved more than 170,000 members of the public in dance activities in 2008.

The survey also shows that Dance Ireland member respondents received public investment of approx €4million through the Arts Council in 2008, and generated spend of almost €7.5million on their dance activities in that year. They hired nearly 400 dancers and employed over 350 others, the vast majority on part-time/project specific work.

In a press release issued yesterday, Dance Ireland Chief Executive Paul Johnson noted “Dance Counts 2008 is the first piece of empirical evidence we have of a vibrant and healthy dance sector. While those working in the sector have always known this; we now have baseline statistics which demonstrate that dance is an important part of many people’s lives, provides employment and significantly is yielding fantastic value from State investment."

DANCE COUNTS 2008 is the first survey in a planned longitudinal study of dance activity in Ireland by Dance Ireland. Focusing on the years 2008 to 2012, DANCE COUNTS will build up an incredible snapshot of dance activity in Ireland, leading up to Dance Ireland’s official  21st year anniversary celebration in 2013.

Dance Counts 2008 can be viewed at www.danceireland.ie.