Limerick City and County Council - Arts Office

Limerick City Council provides a range of arts and cultural services through its combined support for the Arts Service, Limerick City Gallery of Art, The Library Service and The Museum Service. Together these services provide programmes of activities that create an access for all approach to service provision.

Limerick City Council was one of the first local authorities to jointly fund, with the Arts Council the position of Arts Officer in 1988. This joint funding arrangement continues to the present day. In 2002, The Limerick Integrated Arts Strategy was published outlining six strategic action areas that set out to achieve an inclusive and co-ordinated approach to arts provision in the city.

    Public planning and support for the arts
    The Creative City
    Public access and participation
    The individual artist
    Infrastructure and facilities for the arts
    Collaboration and partnership

The following are the range of services provided by The Arts Office of Limerick City Council;

1. Information and Advice

Support and advice for people in the arts community and those interested in engaging with the arts, and the general public.

2. Supporting and developing The Arts Infrastructure of the City

Recommendations on revenue funding for established arts organisations
Recommendations on Grants under the Arts Act
Facilitation of development of cultural infrastructure through partnership
Management of Limerick Artists' Studios
Membership of the boards of management committees of a number of events, organisations and institutions.
In 2004, Daghdha Dance Company signed a lease with Limerick City Council for the use of St. John of the Cross Church in John's Square. The contemporary Dance Company will officially open the doors of the Church in  May 2005.

3. Support for the Individual Artist

For residencies, travel bursaries and specific originated arts interventions

4. Arts Programming

Annual events such as The Kate O'Brien Weekend, ev+a, Cuisle Poetry Festival, Sionna Festival of Music & Dance

5. Art form development

Support for festivals as part of the annual cultural calendar
Support for organisations involved in art forms such as theatre, dance, visual art, music, literature, architecture, community arts
The Irish Chamber Orchestra's Summer Festival moved from Kilalloe to Limerick City in July 2004. In 2005, The MBNA Shannon International Music Festival 2005 will take place from 20 - 24 July 2005. The ICO and an exciting array of guest artists will provide a five-day music-fest in Limerick city of lunchtime, evening and candlelight concerts at St. Mary's Cathedral.

6. Art and Education

The new curriculum for primary education has placed a new emphasis on the imprtance of contemporary arts in the context of education at this level.  The City Arts Office has played a role in approaching schools and in facilitating art activities of a high artistic standard.

The renaming of the Arts Office as the Arts Service in 2002 represented a commitment to the concept of a service that understands and works to meet the needs of artists, participants in arts activities, audiences, and the general public. The Arts Service is therefore a proactive developmental endeavour.