By Bryan Smyth
bryan@TheCork.ie
Cork County Council has announced details of its 2020 funding for the Arts. There are a total of eight schemes with funding available to support a wide range of arts activity, including opportunities for Arts Organisations, Festivals, Community Groups, Schools and Artists seeking funding for projects and activities in the coming year. The closing date for applications for all strands is Friday, December 6th.
Announcing details of the funding opportunities, the County Mayor, Cllr. Christopher O’Sullivan said
“Each year Cork County Council provides funding for Arts from its own resources. Our funding supports a wide range of arts events such as festivals, performances, exhibitions and other publicly accessible arts programming. Many of the projects we fund also provide opportunities for the elderly or persons with a disability to enjoy positive creative activity in familiar local settings.”
There are eight schemes currently open for applications. The Arts Grants Scheme is the Council’s main scheme for funding events and activity.
The Municipal Districts Arts Development Fund provides grant assistance for new arts development initiatives, which can demonstrate strong community involvement.
Ronan McLoughlin of Inferno Fire show at the Samhain Festival in Clonakilty. Photographer credit Anna Groniecka
The Arts in Irish Fund aims to encourage organisations to introduce Irish language based Arts events or activities into their programmes. It also supports artists to make new work using the Irish Language.
Cork County Council provides funding to primary and post-primary schools through the Artists in Schools Scheme to enable schools to employ artists to work on extended arts programmes in the classroom.
The Council also supports artists to make new work or develop international opportunities for themselves through four bursary schemes Artist Bursary Schemes, Tyrone Guthrie Bursary, Ballinglen Arts Foundation Bursary and the International Touring and Exhibition Bursary.
Welcoming the announcement, the Chief Executive of Cork County Council Tim Lucey said:
“Our funding of the Arts is extremely important for the County. Participation in an arts activity promotes individual wellbeing, helps combat isolation and supports communities. It is also good for the local economy. Last year we supported some 38 arts festivals, ranging from large scale events to smaller festivals in rural villages. 170,000 people, comprising of both local audiences and visitors to the county, attended festival events supported by the Council. Collectively they estimated their activities to be worth in the region of €4.3m to the local economy. Our funding also provides work for artists and supports the huge number of voluntary arts organisations that are so important to community life.”
Applications for all schemes close on Friday, December 6th. All applications should be made online at www.corkcoco.ie
