Council proposes to develop new plan for FilmOffaly
Offaly County Council is in the process of preparing a new five-year Arts Strategy for Offaly which consists of 13 target actions which includes developing a three-year plan for FilmOffaly.
Arts Officer Sally O'Leary said that they will also continue to support the delivery of the youth arts programme, the Youth Arts Commission's Hullabaloo Children's Arts Festival and Mini Movies, implement the arts infrastructure strategy through supports to Birr Theatre and Arts Centre, Esker Arts Centre, Lough Boora Discovery Park and Edenderry Library and help with developing Birr Courthouse.
The process for designing the Offaly Arts Strategy 2024-2028 'Celebrating Communities through Creativity' was conducted via public consultation and analysis of data gathered.
Ms O'Leary said that the council is also looking at developing partnerships by working with external organisations to explore different funding models.
“We'd explore additional partnerships through sources of funding to develop youth led programs in the county, through partnerships with venues and through the Offaly Youth services, so that we are able to hear the voice of young people and enable action and influence in the delivery of youth arts and we would work with the core arts infrastructure in the county to support development of programmes for young people and marginalized groups,” commented Ms O'Leary.
The Arts Office currently has a team of three staff members, An Arts Officer, an Assistant Arts Officer and a Clerical Officer. “The overall implementation of this strategy will depend on increasing resources for the Arts Office, so we will endeavour to explore the potential of contracting new staff members for specific areas of need such as FilmOffaly,” said Ms O'Leary.
They will also encourage key venues and organisations to promote arts through the Irish language.
The council has also engaged the services of John O'Brien, an independent arts consultant, to work alongside them to support and facilitate this work.
It will explore the potential for contracting new staff members to manage and deliver specific areas of need such as FilmOffaly and the % for Art Programme and explore potential funding opportunities for an additional staff member to take responsibility for programming the arts space in the new Edenderry Library.
Cllr John Clendennen said that he formally proposed the arts strategy for adoption.
Cllr Mark Hackett remarked that arts are an “integral part” of peoples' lives. “It's good for the mind and the soul and so the culture nights are excellent, long may the work continue.”
Cllr Peter Ormond thanked the arts office for a very insightful presentation. ”You probably won't even realize the amount of economic growth that comes off the back of what you do and I know you're fighting for money and looking for grants of things.” The Fianna Fáil councillor added that he thinks the council will see the benefits of this arts strategy in years to come.