Increased funding should be supplied to local authorities to enable them to spend more on the arts, Mr Patrick Murphy, the chairman of the Arts Council, has said.
Speaking at the launch of the Wexford Arts Plan, Mr Murphy said local authorities had taken "tremendous strides" in their approach to the arts in recent years and, given proper financing, they would realise their potential "as a force which can help shape the future of the arts in Ireland".
He paid particular tribute to the Wexford Arts Plan as "the articulation of an ambitious vision for the arts," which he said was an essential element of any county arts plan.
Announcing the details last week, Mr Murphy said local authorities had a central role to play in the delivery of a planned, strategic developmental role for the arts. "The local context is integral to the needs of the arts, both in terms of the role played by communities in determining the quality of their environment, and in the way in which artists are provided for in order to engage with the community in which they work."
According to the county arts officer, Ms Lorraine Comer, the plan "examines the origins of Wexford County Council's arts policies and objectives" and analyses their interaction with council services. In this way, she said, the council continuously assesses the quality of its work through various evaluation methods.
The arts plan would list the various projects which are currently being undertaken as well as providing a "mission statement," said Ms Comer. Anyone who would like to know more about a particular project or service would be able to contact the council's arts office and obtain details of how to become involved, she said.
Mr Seamus Dooley, Wexford county manager, paid tribute to two projects which are part of the arts plan, the County Wexford Children's Choir and the Bunclody Travellers' Project. These projects, he said, were fine examples of how the arts were helping to break down social inequalities and have "given people the chance to express themselves and to explore their own identity within the community".
Cllr Jimmy Curtis, the cathaoirleach of Wexford County Council, stressed the importance of partnership between the local people, the arts community and the council "who together can make a difference to the quality of people's lives in our community".