Promoting social inclusion through the use of the Arts to be discussed by Committee on Environment, Transport, Culture and the Gaeltacht

Representatives from the Axis Arts Centre; Artlands; Common Ground; and Dublin City Council will attend the committee meeting to address the issue of using arts to promote social inclusion.

Axis is a centre for excellence with the community of Ballymun at its heart. It was founded by a number of community development organisations and artists resident in the community and opened to the public in 2001. Axis is an arts venue, a production company, an arts development organisation, a community resource centre and is home to a number of community development organisations.

Over the last five years, Artlands (formerly known as Rural Arts Network), has inspired, trained and supported local volunteers to host and promote arts and cultural events in their communities. This work has taken place across the country and has resulted in the formation of Arts Networks in South East Laois, West Wicklow, South Tipperary, South Kerry, Westmeath, and the Ballyhoura region of Co. Limerick and individual communities being supported in Carlow, Kilkenny, South County Dublin, Clare, Galway, Cork, Waterford, Leitrim, and Kildare.

Inchicore-based Common Ground was founded in 1998 as an arts development agency in the Canal Communities area, to explore the potential role of arts and culture in urban community regeneration. Common Ground's vision is of a community with creativity at its heart, where art matters, and where people are enriched and artists work.

Committee vice-chair Noel Coonan, TD said: “The Committee is delighted that a broad range of groups active in a number of communities in Dublin and throughout Ireland will attend tomorrow’s meeting to discuss the work they are undertaking to promote arts and culture in their areas and to use the arts to reach out to all people in their communities and to encourage integration and social inclusion. We have a rich tradition of arts in this country and it is heartening to see many groups throughout the country undertaking initiatives to make the arts more accessible and to encourage participation in arts programmes. We are looking forward to our meeting tomorrow with representatives from the Axis Arts Centre; Artlands; Common Ground; and Dublin City Council to discuss how the arts can be utilised to encourage greater integration and combat disadvantage within local communities.”

This meeting will take place on Tuesday, 27th March, in Committee Room 4, Leinster House 2000 at 2.15pm.

Committee proceedings can be followed live at:
http://www.oireachtas.ie/ViewDoc.asp?fn=/documents/livewebcast/Web-Live.htm&CatID=83&m=o

For further information please contact:

Ciaran Brennan,
Houses of the Oireachtas,
Communications Unit,
Leinster House,
Dublin 2

P: +3531 618 3903
M: 086-0496518
F: +3531 618 4551

Committee Membership

Deputies:

Ciarán Lynch, Labour Party (Chairman)
Noel Coonan, Fine Gael (Vice-Chairman)
James Bannon, Fine Gael
Paudie Coffey, Fine Gael
Terence Flanagan, Fine Gael
Marcella Corcoran Kennedy, Fine Gael
Tony McLoughlin, Fine Gael
Patrick O’Donovan, Fine Gael
Brian Walsh, Fine Gael
Kevin Humphreys, Labour Party
Gerald Nash, Labour Party
Seán Kenny, Labour Party
Robert Troy, Fianna Fáil
Timmy Dooley, Fianna Fáil
Niall Collins, Fianna Fáil
Sandra McLellan, Sinn Féin
Dessie Ellis, Sinn Féin
Brian Stanley, Sinn Féin
Clare Daly, Socialist Party
Catherine Murphy, Independent
Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan, Independent
 
Senators:

Cáit Keane, Fine Gael
Catherine Noone, Fine Gael
Labhrás Ó’Murchú, Fianna Fáil
Ned O’Sullivan, Fianna Fáil
Fiach Mac Conghail, Independent