#VibrantArts Campaign

We all know that the budget we are facing this year will be the toughest yet. That’s why we have to come out with one of our strongest messages ever.

It’s simple. But it’s true. 
The arts make Ireland vibrant. That’s why they are vital.

At every level of society, from the zest of festivals that animate every corner of Ireland to the heft of our global winners in music, theatre and literature, the arts have remained a pillar of Irish society and a beacon of light through the darkest days of the crisis. There are more dark days to be endured, but this is a resourceful, vibrant place and we’re coming through. Ask yourself what are the assets we possess as a society that will help us find our way. The arts are surely among them. Investment in the arts is about nurturing our creative spirit, encouraging our fervor for life, and most importantly about sustaining our capacity to imagine and the self- belief we need to pull us through. Support the vitality of the arts because there is life in Ireland yet.

Your call to action:
The #VibrantArts Campaign starts with YOU

This week artists, arts workers, arts organisations, institutions, collectives and attenders all over the country gear up for one of the most significant demonstrations of arts and cultural activity of the year — Culture Night on Friday 21 September. A record 34 towns, cities, counties and islands will demonstrate the vitality of the arts in one vibrant celebratory evening. We want you to give voice to this vibrancy by flooding the every possible channel – Twitter, facebook, websites etc – with facts and figures and testaments that evidence the vibrancy of the arts starting on Culture Night and running up until the Budget 2013.

Tell your vibrant story of Culture Night and beyond…

• Share your visitor figures
• Share who they are
• Share what they say about you
• Share how you make a difference
• Share your sights
• Share your sounds
• Share your smiles
• Share your tears
• Share why you’re vital
• Share your vibrancy

Let them be seen and heard: 

• Tweet us @Campaign4Arts your facts, figures, moments, insights, experiences, quotes, no holds barred – just tell us how much it all matters – to you, to your local businesses, to your community, to your audience, to your well-being, to your pocket, to your heart, to your mind, to your soul
• @Campaign4Arts #VibrantArts #NCFA
• Share them with us on facebook
• Post them on your website
• Post them on Youtube 
• Write them in a letter
• Get local press to tell your story, take your photo

But make sure you tag your contribution as #VibrantArts and #NCFA

We want to build an aggregate representation of the vibrancy of arts in Ireland at this moment in time, one generated from every corner of Ireland, from your own experience and evidence. This starts today: Culture Night 2012. But we want this campaign to grow and carry us forward to Budget 2013, leaving no-one in any doubt about the vibrancy of the arts nationwide, the value of the arts in our communities, and as a vital element in our recovery. 

Don’t forget to use our adverts, posters, logos etc. in your venue for Culture Night. 

Warmest wishes, Louise O’Reilly, National Co-ordinator. Sent on behalf of the steering committee: Tania Banotti, Valerie Connor, Loughlin Deegan, Vincent Dempsey, Gerard Howlin, Fiach Mac Conghail, Niamh O’Donnell.