Vol. 549 No. 4
21 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage Gaeltacht and the Islands the steps she will take to restore public confidence in the Irish Museum of Modern Art following the recent controversy regarding the proposed appointment of a director and the subsequent resignation of the chairperson and several members of the board; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6796/02]
I am pleased to have an opportunity once again to restate my confidence in the Irish Museum of Modern Art. As I indicated in a speech at the launch of the publication, Celebrating a Decade, at the Irish Museum of Modern Art in December 2001 we can be very proud of the many achievements of IMMA. Since its establishment the museum has become an important feature of our cultural and artistic map, incorporating the authentic voices of some of the key representatives of critics, artists, board members and staff. The museum has been challenging, arousing and intellectually, visually and emotionally stimulating and has interwoven to a remarkably high standard its core activities of collecting, exhibiting and education with local community involvement. In this context, I would like to acknowledge the involvement of the local community with IMMA over the past ten years.
