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CULTURAL ARTS
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Arts & Culture
Since its establishment in 1995, FGU has had a pioneering role in developing community through the medium of arts. In 1997 FGU played a major role in the “Burning the Demons/Embracing the Future” an event which many people today would consider as being the catalyst for galvanising the community to demand justice change. Arts and cultural programming are now common and regular features of community development within Fatima. This is very much evident with the many events that have been imaginatively created and directed.
Arts and Cultural Strategy
In 2004 with funding from the Irish Youth Foundation, FGU employed an arts and culture co-ordinator whose primary task was to develop a five year arts and cultural strategy for Fatima with particular reference to local people and community services participation in the design of the strategy. The overarching aim of this strategy would be,
“to create a new and sustainable model of arts provision
to be fully integrated and managed within a community framework”.
From the outset of this process a key outcome identified was that local people and end users would have,
“an active and enriched cultural life in which the arts
are a primary source of inspiration and learning”.
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Five primary themes were identified and the following is a brief description of our work to date.
1. Creating a Continuum of Arts Provision for Children/Young People
In Fatima various projects with responsibility for providing services for children have demonstrated considerable leadership and openness where the arts has developed as a method for engaging with children and young people. The establishment of the Fatima Arklink project, a partnership between the Ark Childrens Cultural Centre and the Community has played a major role in developing childrens creativity over the last number of years.
Our Arts and Cultural co-ordinator has played a significant role in supporting and assisting local projects, including Rialto Youth Project, Creche, Health Initiative, Community Employment Project, etc., to develop long term plans that maximise the benefit of the arts within their services. The outcome of this work has seen an increase in childrens cultural confidences and an increase in youth workers skills and knowledge in dealing with arts programming within their services.
Key to this work has been the integrated and collaborative planning between services. The regeneration festivals/events have been an important tool in building capacity, exploring and developing best practices in delivering arts programmes. Our annual festival now includes a creative and imaginative event that is conceived by local people and projects.
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2. Design and Deliver Community Based Arts Education and Training
Over the last decade and more, when young people from Fatima and Rialto have participated in various arts processes and demonstrated an interest in looking at career paths in the arts, opportunities have been very limited in both third and vocational level training institutions.
The numbers of people from disadvantaged areas participating in third levels arts specific training nationally is very low. In order to redress this, discussions with key partners who have the capacity, knowledge and skills to address these inequalities, have been ongoing with the view to developing strategies in response to these issues. These partners include the following
- The National College of Art & Design
- Macnas
- Dublin City Council Arts Section
- City of Dublin Youth Service Board
- City Arts
3. Advanced new Public Arts Provision and Practice
As part of the Fatima agreement funding was ring-fenced to implement a public art programme for Fatima. In partnership with the Fatima Regeneration Board, a public art team was appointed and includes the following key agencies - Dublin City Council’s Parks Department and their architects, City Arts, Rialto Youth Project, RPA Luas.
A key principal of the teams work was to ensure strong community participation with particular emphasis on building on existing arts and cultural practices within the community. A number of projects were commissioned which proved to be very successful in terms of participation and ownership within the community
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A new phase is being developed, and will be launched at the latter end of 2007.
4. Establish New Innovative model of Community Arts Infrastructure
This theme deals with the provision of appropriate physical spaces and facilities to enable the arts to reach its full potential into the future. A new neighbourhood centre that will accommodate all the key community services has a dedicated large arts studio, as well as other multi-functional areas.
The new neighbourhood centre will be the heart and nerve centre of the new community, it will be a magnet for local participation and the arts will play a significant role in integrating the new and old communities. Another key principal is the affordable housing initiative for artists and key workers which will further strengthen and sustain the cultural capacity of the community.
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5. Develop the Community as a Host to Arts Programming and Exchanges
The Fatima Regeneration Project has generated a lot of interest at both National and International level. This interest has been particularly focused on the extent of arts based projects that are widely recognised for their innovation in the field of arts provision.
Cultural policy makers, arts educationalists, academics, arts organisations and a range of practicing artists throughout Ireland, the EU and North America have organised study visits, placements and exchanges with Fatima over the last number of years.
The new Neighbourhood centre will be well placed to hosting such events and this will go a long way in further profiling the many positive changes taking place within the community.
Over the next number of years FGU will continue to implement the above strategy and will continue to develop new ideas that promote an active enriched cultural life for our community.
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