Arts Audiences has published marketing consultant Annette Nugent’s guide to how arts organisations might begin working with the local and national tourism sector to increase tourist attendance at arts/cultural venues and events. The guide covers information on the who and what of cultural tourism in Ireland and practical approaches for including visitors in audience development strategies. This guide has been published as part of Arts Audiences Build Your Audience scheme, which focussed on cultural tourism in 2011. Click here to access the guide: (www.artsaudiences.ie

If you have recently been involved in a public commission, percent for art project, socially engaged project or any other form of ‘art outside the gallery’ we would like you to email us the information for publication in the Visual Artists News Sheet. Send images (3-4MB in size) and a short text (no more than around 300 words) in the following format:

-Artists name
-Title of work
-Commissioning body
-Date advertised
-Date sited / carried out.
-Budget
-Commission type
-Project Partners
-Brief description of the work

Send your info to Publications Assistant, Lily Power at: lily@visualartists.ie

The Artists Resale Right, which entitles artists to a royalty payment whenever their works are resold on the art market has been extended to the heirs and beneficiaries of deceased artists. On Thursday 29th of December last, the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD announced that the Artists Resale Right will extend to heirs of artists and last for 70 years after the death of the artist, under a statutory instrument which came into effect on the 1st of January 2012.

The inclusion of heirs in this scheme is of huge importance and is a cause for celebration for artists and their families. The Resale Right entitles artists to a royalty payment when their original works of art are resold by art dealers, galleries or auction houses for €3,000 or more. It gives artists an ongoing stake in the value of their work and recognises that work is often sold cheaply at the beginning of an artist’s career, and then substantially increases in value as it moves through the art market. This royalty system has been in place in Ireland for living artists since June 2006 and it has allowed many artists, including young and unestablished artists, to receive royalties for the first time.  Being able to bequeath the resale right to loved ones or to favourite causes is a strong incentive for artists to keep producing work.

The Irish Visual Artists Rights Organisation (IVARO) manages the resale right on behalf of its members. See www.ivaro.ie for more information.

On Friday the 9th of December, the Lower Shankill Community Association formally welcomed the new landmark sculpture, ‘Remember, Respect, Resolution’, created by artist Lesley Cherry. The new 4.70m high, stainless steel triptych, is part of the second phase of the Lower Shankill’s successful Re-imaging project, funded by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, through the Shared Communities Consortium.

The sculpture replaces a contentious mural of Oliver Cromwell, which had been situated in the estate for several years. Artist Lesley Cherry said, I have built up a good working relationship with the community, having been involved in the first phase of Re-imaging in 2009. Following on from this, I worked on their previous artwork titled, Nothing About Us, Without Us, Is For Us, which was a direct comment on the community’s views regarding the regeneration of the area. With this sculpture, the feelings of the community are again transferred through an artwork, by using strong, positive text. The use of steel references the industrial heritage of the city, and the clean simple lines, add to the positive and clear message that the sculpture conveys. I also recognise the hard work and negotiation that goes on behind the scenes in securing the removal of contentious murals and how the LSCA and the Re-imaging Fund have played a major role in continuing to address the issues surrounding paramilitary murals and slogans in a post conflict society.

The Re-imaging Programme is funded by the Shared Communities Consortium, led by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, and comprising OFMDFM, DSD, DCAL, Community Relations Council, PSNI, SOLACE (Society of Local Authority and Chief Executives), The Department of Justice, International Fund for Ireland and NI Housing Executive. The project was also assisted by Springvale Learning.

Mr Bob Collins has been announced as the new Chair of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. His appointment was effective from December 2011 and runs for four years. Collins replaces outgoing chairman Rosemary Kelly OBE, and with the new Board, will oversee the Arts Council as the lead development agency for the arts in Northern Ireland.

Mr. Collins has been Chief Commissioner of the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland since August 2005. He is also Chair of the Broadcasting Authority Ireland and was previously employed as Director-General at RTE. He will join the Arts Council Board, along with five other newly appointed board members.

In addition, six new board members have been appointed to serve on the Board: Bob Collins (Chair), David Alderdice, Anna Carragher, Noelle McAlinden, Katherine McCloskey and Paul Mullan

They will be joined by reappointed members: : Damien Coyle, Vice-Chairman, Paul Seawright, Professor Ian Montgomery, David Irvine, Janine Walker and Brian Sore.

Council members have been appointed for four years to the end of November 2015.

The recipients of the Fire Station Digital Media Residencies for the period January – July 2012 are: Alan James Burns, Jessica Conway, Caroline Doolin and Linda Quinlan. They will have full access to the Resource Centre, part-time resource area staff and access at a subsidised rate to all the digital media equipment. Further information can be found on www.firestation.ie/facilities.

Visual Artists Ireland today announced the expansion of support services for professional visual artists in Northern Ireland.  First established in 1980, Visual Artists Ireland is the representative and support body for professional visual artists in Ireland.  Building upon the support shown by The Arts Council of Northern Ireland, VAI has consistently looked at the needs of artists and delivers services to support art makers in their careers in a timely and efficient manner.

Under the title “for Visual Artists in Northern Ireland” the new services include a dedicated new website http://www.visualartists-ni.org which provides information on visual arts events and opportunities in Northern Ireland, other parts of the UK, and internationally.  The site also contains knowledge and support on a variety of legal, financial and career matters that have been developed in partnership with Artquest (London).  It is accompanied by a new Twitter service #4VisArtsNI so that the public can keep up to date on the visual arts.

Also announced today are a series of new initiatives such as affordable insurance for artists, an international studio exchange programme, as well as equipment hire facilities and a professional development programme platform. VAI is pleased to be working with Belfast Exposed and the Digital Artists Studios, Belfast on the project.  Further partner organisations and existing services are contained on the website.

To mark the occasion, Visual Artists Ireland in partnership with the Digital Artists Studios are happy to announce a New Media Residency for Northern Ireland Artists.  Further details of this will be released later in the year in the form of a call for applications.

Wednesday 30th November, 2011: An Taoiseach Enda Kenny TD accompanied by Jimmy Deenihan TD Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, today launched the online Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 exhibition on the website of the National Archives, Bishop Street, Dublin 8

The Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed in the aftermath of the truce which ended the War of Independence (1919–1921) was regarded by signatory Michael Collins as a stepping stone to freedom. The Treaty was acquired by the National Archives of Ireland from the Department of the Taoiseach in 2002 and has never before been made available for public consultation, either in its original form or online.

The Treaty document that forms the centerpiece of this exhibition is completely unique in that it is the original Irish document. Additional documents will be released on-line, on a daily basis culminating in the Treaty signing of Tuesday 6th December, 1921 mirroring events which took place 90 years ago.

The exhibition also includes footage from British Pathé newsclip of the delegations outside of Buckingham Palace.

www.nationalarchives.ie
www.ahg.gov.ie

Solomon Fine Art, previously known as the Solomon Gallery and situated in the Powerscourt Centre in Dublin, has announced the opening of a new gallery space in Balfe Street, next door to the Westbury Hotel in the heart of the city centre.

The new gallery opened on 24 October with a group exhibition of bronze sculpture and a small selection of fine art prints by Andy Warhol (1928–1987), Damien Hirst and Roy Lichenstein. Exhibition continues until 8 November 2011

www.solomonfineart.ie
Open: Monday-Friday, 10am-5.30pm and Saturdays, 10am-1pm

Stories about work undertaken during the early years of the Arts Council, were published and launched online recently. The Council’s new archive stories website, is an initiative marking the 60th anniversary of the Arts Council which was established on 4 December 1951 under the Arts Act, 1951.

The website story project draws on the Arts Council’s archive which is located in its office at 70 Merrion Square in Dublin. The Arts Council, from its large archive of documentation, has selected a small proportion of its records and the website commences with a first phase of 14 stories from the 1950s. The stories are primarily told by presenting digital copies of documents from the Council’s archive including letters, minutes and photographs. The stories from the 1950s include records that document efforts by the Arts Council to support Ireland’s participation at the Venice Biennale in 1958; subsidise the building of halls in rural areas in 1954, tour paintings in 1955 throughout the country with the Haverty Trust and the difficulties (also in 1955), that prominent visual artists like George Campbell and Gerard Dillon had in making a living from their work. The first meetings of the Arts Council are also presented including attendance in January 1952 by Mr John A Costello SC TD at a Council meeting with the then Taoiseach, Mr Eamon de Valera TD.

Future phases of the site will aim to look at the 1960s and the 1970s. The website is a sub-site of the Council’s main website and is accessible via www.artscouncil.ie or directly at www.archivestories.artscouncil.ie