Holger Lonze 2 Poetry Day Church Island 2019 Image Credit Valerie O'Sullivan  

Creative Places / Cumas Ceantar

An opportunity for places to newly benefit from sustained arts investment to build local arts programmes with local people.

There are now 17 funded Creative Places around Ireland.

Each Creative Place has a coordinator or researcher who, alongside their community, explore, discuss and plan a range of brilliant creative and participatory projects for local people to take part in and enjoy. The approach is inclusive and diverse and rooted in socially engaged arts practice and community development principles. It builds on existing cultural strengths and is led by community participation and ideas and supported by artists.

The new Creative Places for 2023 are Enniscorthy (Wexford) Balbriggan (Fingal), MacUíllíam (Tallaght), and Uíbh Ráthaigh (Kerry) for three-year programmes. While Edgeworthstown (Longford), Ballyconnell (Cavan), and Ballaghaderreen (Roscommon) have received research awards. Scroll down to see more information about all 17 places.

The Arts Council-led programme is underpinned by commitments in its Making Great Art Work 2016–2025 strategy and in the Place, Space and People Spatial Strategy  

Creative Places Tuam

Creative Places Tuam is led by Create, the national development agency for collaborative arts. Since 2020, Creative Places Tuam has worked with the residents of the town and hinterlands, offering a series of residencies, artist developmental opportunities, mentorships and local training opportunities, all designed to build capacity for artists and communities to work collaboratively together. This is facilitated by community conversations, a space for real conversation and listening to take place that can and does directly impact and inform the programme of work. Recent highlights for the programme include the launch of new artist residencies with both local and international artists, including one in partnership with Create and Galway Arts Centre; offering individual and group artists’ support and training; and hosting the Creative Places and Create Networking event in Tuam.  

 You can follow its progress and activities here.

Creative Places Athy

KARE, photo by Aishling Hyland Photograph

About the image: KARE http://www.kare.ie/  service users worked with artist Emily Rainsford on the theme of "home". The theme showcased the ideas and interpretations of the diverse group to highlight their community, history, and home. The group explored different aspects of mixed media, including, collage, paint and clay, upcycled and recycled materials in making art. Athy Library services supported the space for collaboration. 

Now entering year two, Creative Places Athy is developing its programme which is informed by the rich arts and culture landscape across Athy Municipal District in south Kildare. Following a year of arts project award allocations, harnessing relationships, and identifying communities of practice, the benefits of this funding from the Arts Council and Kildare County Council aims to increase participation and leave a legacy of participation in the arts. It will include strengthening projects already in the incubation stage and the development of new and existing collaborations for meaningful arts opportunities. Coordinator Eilish Langton is excited to continue conversations from the local to the global in supporting the artistic and creative ambitions of the people and place.

Website: Here  |  Facebook: Here

Creative Places Balbriggan, Dublin

"Our town is full of creative, culturally diverse groups of people and is truly representative of modern Ireland; this award provides an amazing opportunity to bring the community together through creativity and help make Balbriggan a Destination for the Arts," said Eamonn Donlyn, co-founder of the Scéal Arts Collective in Balbriggan.   

"North County Dublin, and specifically, Balbriggan, with its diverse and young population, is bursting at the seams with creativity." said Michael Dawson, Co-founder of the Irish Institute of Music and Song. "This award will help realise that creativity and show how the arts can be used to foster stronger, more inclusive communities. It comes at the right time with the Lark Concert Hall about to open, Balbriggan is set to be one of the most exciting artistic towns in Ireland."

Creative Places Ballaghaderreen, Co Roscommon

“Roscommon County Council Arts Office is thrilled to receive funding for Creative Places R&D. We are working as part a diverse group of committed partners to consider investment in community-focused arts research to address the current lack of arts infrastructure & provision in Ballaghaderreen. Our vision is to Build a Better Ballaghaderreen where the arts and creativity are central to a vibrant, diverse and proud community.” Rhona McGrath, Arts Officer

Quote from our partners:

“We believe the award will contribute to a wider, diverse effort to improve local opportunities to engage in the arts and in particular to better understand the evolving and new community profile in the Ballaghaderreen area and its particular interests and needs in relation to arts and culture.” Creative Places Ballaghaderreen Working Group

Creative Places Ballyconnell, Co Cavan

Photo credit: Jago Studio Ireland 

Ballyconnell Community Centre and the communities of the wider area are thrilled to be selected for a Creative Places Research and Development Award.  This will allow us to work together and gain a deep understanding of the potential and challenges of this area considering the townscape, the physical environment and the people who inhabit this place in Northwest County Cavan.  Our ambition is to create connection and opportunity and understand the possibilities for arts participation and sense of place in Ballyconnell.

Creative Places Baltinglass

Creative Places Baltinglass is led by Wicklow County Council’s Arts Office. Baltinglass is a small rural town located in West Wicklow bordering counties Kildare and Carlow.  It is steeped in history and rich natural beauty.  Built on the river Slaney, the original settlement centred around the town's main market square.

 Creative Places Baltinglass will promote inclusive opportunities to celebrate Baltinglass people and place.  The programme development will ensure that there will be a mechanism of listening and responding to the community and artists at it's core. It will celebrate the natural heritage and beauty of the town and support social regeneration alongside wider infrastructural regeneration plans. A wide range of arts and creative experiences underpinned by the principles of socially engaged arts practice and community development will be delivered over a three year period.

https://www.creativeplacesbaltinglass.ie/ 

Creative Places Bagenalstown

Angela Keogh & John McKenna and the first Culture Night in Bagenalstown hosted by Creative Places. Credit Michael O'Rourke)

Supported by Carlow Arts Service, Creative Places Bagenalstown continues to develop, in collaboration with project partners, a culturally diverse creative programme, centered on capacity building, collaboration, sustainability, and community development principles.

2022 saw the first ever Bagenalstown Culture Night event held in the local library, hosted by Creative Places Bagenalstown. Creative Places Bagenalstown, in November 2022, was invited to Creative Places Tuam, the National Agency for Collaborative Arts (CREATE) and Arts Council event to share the vision for the programme and connect with the National Network of Creative Places. The programme continues to work with local groups, schools and artists to develop and programme people-centred creative events for 2023 and beyond.

Creative Places Darndale

Sunrise over Darndale, June 2021’ Image credit Julien Behal: Photography   

Creative Places Darndale was awarded to Sphere 17 for the area of Darndale in north Dublin in June 2021. The purpose of Creative Places Darndale is to weave the arts into everyday life in Darndale. Over the course of three years, this will be achieved by building on the variety of art forms and activities that are already present, introducing new creative and artistic experiences where they are not present, increasing participation and leaving a legacy of participation in the arts. Creative Places Darndale is coordinated by Muirne Bloomer. 

creativeplacesdarndale.ie

  Creative Places Edenderry 

The first full year of Creative Places Edenderry has seen a range of important strands of the project beginning; including Open Conversations sessions in Larkins’ Bar and Edenderry Library where members of the local community were given the opportunity to discuss and express what kind of local cultural life mattered to them, to supporting increased engagement in flagship events such as Culture Night in September and the annual Hullaballoo Festival. The project has sustainability at its heart, with partners working on inclusion, cohesion and creativity by connecting, cultivating and celebrating local arts and culture through community-driven, socially engaged art projects.

www.creativeplacesedenderry.ie

Creative Places Edgeworthstown 

The Creative Places Research Award provides a wonderful opportunity for Edgeworthstown to dream out loud and activate a diverse and creative citizenry. This award allows communities in Edgeworthstown to build upon recent achievements and broaden the spectrum of creative possibilities to make our town a more inclusive and colourful place to live.

Creative Places Enniscorthy

Creative Places Enniscorthy is led by the Wexford Arts Centre, Presentation Arts Centre and a community steering committee.

'This award will be transformational for Enniscorthy, and I look forward to working with the Creative Places team and Enniscorthy Municipal District over the coming years, putting arts and creativity at the heart of the development of this town.'  Liz Burns, Wexford County Arts Officer.

Over the summer the programme will be getting established, a coordinator will be appointed and conversations with the community will get underway. Further details will be announced by Wexford Arts Centre. 

Creative Places Loughlinstown / Ballybrack 

Working on a research and development phase and led by Southside Partnership this is “an amazing opportunity for the community to discover how creative practice and public spaces will improve social inclusion, wellbeing and connections for everyone in the community. We believe this key investment in arts and culture will encourage and promote vibrant, collective community participation that will have far reaching ripples long into the future.” Sandra King

Creative Places Tipperary Town  

Youth Work Ireland Tipperary are lead partners on this new addition to the Creative Places programme. Donal Kelly CEO said “This represents a wonderful and much-needed opportunity for Tipperary Town that will connect people with artists, to explore, imagine and create different futures. Creative Places will bring opportunity and vibrancy to Tipperary Town and amazing arts experiences to the people.”

Creative Places West Cork Islands

Creative Places West Cork Islands is an ambitious three-year culture-based community development programme for and about the West Cork islands. Creative Places aims to connect with people, artists, and places, to allow ideas to develop into creative actions that are inspired by and enrich our island communities. Creative Places is about harnessing the power of creativity, Culture & the Arts to support and sustain the Island communities of West Cork. We are now inviting people from the islands and surrounding areas to contact us to propose ideas or areas of interest that could benefit social and cultural life in your area. 

More information about this invitation to participate can be found at creativeplaceswci.ie & instagram.com/cpwestcorkislands

Green Rope is a participatory, environmental, and trans-local project and is an ongoing collaboration with the community of Sherkin Island. The artist invited the island community into a process of crafting a giant rope by hand, made from wild plants growing on the island. The rope project is rooted in the simple act of working with our hands, together and with the nature we have around us.

Creative Places Uíbh Ráthaigh

Photo credit: Fr Patsy Lynch 

Creative Places Uíbh Ráthaigh is led by Comhchoiste Ghaeltacht Uíbh Ráthaigh. “We are delighted to have this opportunity to reinvigorate community creativity in Gaeltacht Uíbh Ráthaigh. The area has deep wells of culture and this research and development will help us to renew and refresh them for and with the whole community. We look forward to writing new stories together and to developing new ways of working together so that we can look to the future with confidence.” — Áine Uí Bheoláin, Manager

Tá ríméad ar phobal Uíbh Ráthaigh go mbeidh maoiniú ann ón gComhairle Ealaíon le haghaidh forbairt na n-ealaíon sa cheantar go ceann trí bliana fén scéim Cumas Ceantair.

Creative Places Mac Uílliám

Creative Places MacUíllíám is led by Tallaght Community Arts, in partnership with South Dublin County Arts Office. The project aims to reach out to the local community through working with MacUíllíam Development Action Group and Youth Arts Action Group to identify and support the kind of cultural activities that are valued by the residents of MacUíllíam. Our eighteen-month active research project has brought participatory arts to the community with range of projects:  theatre research for early years, arts camps for young people aged 7-19 years, dance performance & workshops, a ‘trashcatchers’ parade and felt making workshops.

‘The Creative Places funding has been a fantastic opportunity for us to work in partnership with residents of the MacUíllíam Estate to engage in creative collective actions, to build capacity, to change their social and built environment. It continues to be a vital resource to increase participation among key residents in mapping, planning, and delivering much-needed activities and programmes to all residents.’ — Tony Fegan, Director of Tallaght Community Arts.

Tallaght Community Arts and the residents of MacUilliam, are delighted to be awarded the 3 Year Creative Places Funding. The award gives the community a unique opportunity to celebrate through the arts the talents, experiences  and energies of the diverse communities living on the estate  

https://tallaght-arts.ie/creative-places-macuillium/

Creative Places Shannon

Shannon Town Park Opening. Image courtesy of Clare County Council

Creative Places Shannon is led by Clare County Council. “The pioneers who established Shannon are now the older generation, a generation that has shown resilience and fortitude. Shannon is a town of welcomes, it welcomed and developed new communities from near and far when it was established, and this warmth is evident today in its community spirit. This spirit now gets to be explored creatively through the Creative Places initiative and we look forward to seeing our creative and cultural ambitions realised.” — Siobhán Mulcahy, Arts Officer

For more information please contact the Local, Place and Public Art Team sinead.oreilly@artscouncil.ie and Eimear.Kelleher@artscouncil.ie