‘Real appetite for art in public spaces’ councillors hear

The arts in Westmeath broke new boundaries during two years of Covid lockdown and, extended its reach and scope, Miriam Mulrennan, arts officer, said in a report delivered to the May meeting of the county council.

Restrictions taught the sector how to reach out to new groups in new settings, such as setting up gig rigs in open spaces. They have spent the last month taking music to care homes, nursing homes and direct provision centres.

The response forum set up to deal with the pandemic is now dealing with the Ukrainian refugees situation. “We are working closely with the Ukrainian community, meeting artists, performers, writers,” she said. A concert will be held in Mullingar Arts Centre on June 25 and she is working with the Ukrainian community in Athlone to stage an arts and crafts exhibition in the civic offices.

Breaking Borders, scheduled for the Luan Gallery in Athlone, centres on artistic work created by asylum seekers and artists telling the stories of their experiences. It is an innovative and definitely contemporary show with a huge outreach part to it, Ms Mulrennan said.

As well as working with local communities, New Horizons and the two direct provision centres, they have been working with Keith Payne, the resident John Broderick poet, who did ‘Tales that My Granny Told Me’, and with Manchan Magan, who did Home Stories, a series of podcasts with direct provision residents.

‘Sirens in Bloom’, “a nod to the uncelebrated women in Ulysses” was held in the Atrium last Thursday evening and Helen Hassett will perform there on June 18 and 19.

Ms Mulrennan reported that within a week of reopening the Atrium, it was booked out to the end of October. “There’s real appetite there for our public spaces to be used in that way,” she said.

The John Broderick project in Athlone went online during the pandemic, but that opened it up to a wider and extended audience, countywide and nationally.

Ms Mulrennan said that during the pandemic, the arts department found new ways of working, not just digitally, but getting into communities that were otherwise inaccessible. They jumped in with gusto to reach communities, she said. Senior citizens engaged online to have their portraits painted. The mobile music machines, an ensemble of classical musicians performing big show hits in gardens, car parks and front entrances, gave more than 20 concerts around the county.

A lot of poetry workshops and readings went online and there were Zoom classes for pre-schoolers and those in special education settings which brought colour and activity into lives that were otherwise quite separate and removed, Ms Mulrennan said.

Informational films were made and events such as the successful Music at Mearescourt, a weekend celebration of music from the county, were staged. Culture nights went ahead in 2020 and 2021 and, although they were not as robust as normal, more than 20 events were held.

The arts sector worked closely with the libraries, which have the physical infrastructure that the arts office lacks. “In terms of external partnerships, we have certainly reached out and found new groups, new settings and new spaces that we were not previously involved in and that is a huge positive,” Ms Mulrennan said.

Creative Ireland funding, €150,000 a year, has been approved for another five years and will allow the arts sector to put out a call for community projects working with artists and creative practitioners. Platform 31, another new initiative from the Arts Council, provides a bursary of €15,000 to an artist from each county, promotes mentorship, peer learning, training and a lot of events. Last year, Celine Sheridan, an artist, was selected for Westmeath and this year it is Aoife Raleigh, a circus performer from the county.

Cruinniú na nÓg is on June 12. It’s usually venue-led and focused on responding to youth groups and existing activities and how to grow those and celebrate them, Ms Mulrennan said. Already half of the 25 events planned for the Local Live Performance Programme, have been held and the rest are this month.

Music Generation, one of the arts sector’s flagship programmes, continues, and it has been found that there were parts that worked well and will continue online.

In Plein Air, where artists could gather, receive mentorship and professional tuition and paint outside in nature, was an initiative born of Covid. Ms Mulrennan is working to bring it to Belvedere. Ricky Clarke, wood carver, is going to do an introductory session in Belvedere with TY students on mark making and wood carving. Municipal spaces will grow and become enhanced as places to have concerts, do exhibitions and displays, Ms Mulrennan reported.

The Arts Office is organising fringe events at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, bringing the fleadh experience to those who cannot attend and hosting events telling the stories of Westmeath. Story boards will be erected at locations such as the railway station.

Twenty tutors will continue to conduct music lessons for 7,000 children in primary schools. Still Voices continues with what Ms Mulrennan described as a bright future.

The arts office is looking at how to enhance resources and to get as much funding as possible to support artists, maximise their participation in the arts and support their own infrastructure.

Cllr Mick Dollard asked much the council had received from Arts Council this year and how much grant aid individuals and groups receive.

He said that a “portrait” of “the late, great Leo Daly from Mary Street” sits in Mullingar Library and asked if there were plans to recognise other Westmeath greats.

Cllr Tom Farrell asked that music lessons be provided in Moate library. It’s a great area for music and it would be great to see the tradition kept alive, he said. Ms Mulrennan said that Arts Council funding comes in three parts: €7,000 for culture night, which the council match; €22,000 for the John Broderick project; and the rest for supporting artists, supporting participation and supporting infrastructure. There is no average grant, but last year the average Creative Ireland grant to a community group was probably between €5,000 and €7,000 and 25 projects were supported, she said.

Last year being such a challenging year, it was decided to give €1,500 to all professional artists to promote their practices, buy equipment or attend training as a full stop at the end of Covid, she added.

Ms Mulrennan said she was aware of the “portrait” of Leo Daly and remarked that a Spark of Genius poster of the Joycean scholar and novelist will be erected at Mullingar train station. This is part of a series of porters that will feature 50 different people. If the budget allows, she would like to celebrate figures such as Josephine Harte and JP Dunleavy.

Ms Mulrennan said a huge amount of music tuition is provided at the school in Moate, a Music Generation school, but the Arts Office would look at taking some of that tuition into a library context.

In reply to an cathaoirleach, Cllr Frankie Keena, Ms Mulrennan said the Creative Ireland programme gives €150,000 a year; two thirds goes to direct community open call projects, one third to flagship projects.