Venues and Arts Centres Review
The Arts Council has a formal partnership with local government through the County and City Management Association (CCMA). The CCMA is the representative voice of Chief Executives of all 31 local authorities and the partnership is outlined in our agreement A Framework for Collaboration, which was published in 2016.
A Framework for Collaboration recognises the common interests we have and the goals that we wish to pursue. Three of those goals are particularly relevant to the support of arts centres:
• To improve opportunities and supports for artists and those working in the arts.
• To optimise our shared investment in the arts at local and regional level and ensure we are applying resources in the most equitable and efficient way possible.
• To effectively integrate the key principles of this agreement into relevant future planning and development strategies of the Arts Council and local authorities.
As one of the means of meeting these goals, the Arts Council and the CCMA jointly commissioned a ‘Venues Review’ in late 2017 and awarded the tender to CHL Consultants who began work in 2018.
The review was intended to provide guidance to local government and the Arts Council in how to best support the infrastructure into the future.
The Review and the implementation of any recommendations from the review should be seen in the context of Project Ireland 2040 – The National Planning Framework. Ireland 2040 is the overarching policy and planning framework for the social, economic and cultural development of our country.
This is a very important study which will inform the development of future policy and strategy by the CCMA and the Arts Council in relation to arts centres.
The Review should not be read as an indication of future policies or implementation. As an independent review it's findings are not endorsed as policy by either the Arts Council or the CCMA.
Any joint policy, strategy or implementation plan involving the arts centre infrastructure will be published separately.
Both the CCMA and the Arts Council will decide on any Review recommendations which may be implemented.
Joint Policies and Strategies arising from the Review
The CCMA and the Arts Council have established a joint working group which will oversee a plan for the implementation of particular recommendations of the Review. This work will continue through 2019 and into 2020 and forms part of the work-plan arising out of Framework for Collaboration (the joint strategy published in 2016).
The Review of Arts Centres and Venues can be found here.
