Artscape: In Italy, the links between banks and art have been extremely close since the earliest days of the Renaissance, writes Aidan Dunne. When, late in the 14th century, Cosimo de'Medici's father, Giovanni di Bicci de'Medici, founded a bank specialising in accounts with the Roman Curia, banking was still considered a disreputable profession and bankers were regarded as usurers.
Against the grain, Cosimo was not only financially and politically adept but, having discovered the classics in his teens, situated the family at the heart of the Florentine Renaissance through patronage and example. Cosimo and his successors didn't use culture to polish up a poor business image: he and they were passionately committed to cultural values.
This relationship persists in Italy today in the form of close links between many leading banks and cultural activities including, notably and perhaps surprisingly, art publishing, which has become a defining characteristic of Italian banks.
They publish over 100 art books every year, and have notched up over 10,000 titles since the mid-19th century. The Associazione Bancaria Italiana, the ABI, decided to produce a catalogue of such publications, entitled The Book and the Bank. The next step was a travelling exhibition, The New Patrons, featuring a selection of art books produced by over 20 Italian banks, some of them quite spectacular in terms of content, design and production values.
The show is open to the public at the RDS Library in Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, from today until May 15th (the Library is closed on Sundays).
Culture for Cork
While Cork's forthcoming year as European Capital of Culture still dominates the city's arts community, other events may seem like interim arrangements but in fact the cultural continuum is being maintained with both energy and imagination, writes Mary Leland. One example is the forthcoming involvement of the Munster Literature Centre, both in this weekend's two-day programme of accession celebrations and in the Cork Midsummer Festival, which begins on May 15th.
As part of the accession party, two poets participating in the Cork 2005 translation project managed by the centre will be reading in Ireland. Slovak Dana Podracka, poet and member of the Slovak parliament, will read with her Irish translator Bob Welsh at the Crawford Art Gallery in Cork tonight at 8 p.m., and at Galway City Library tonight, the centre's director Pat Cotter will read with his subject, the Surrealist Estonian Andres Ehin.
The next issue of the centre's magazine Southword - with Murdo MacLeod's photographic portrait of Roy Keane on the cover - will have over 30 pages of translated poetry including most of the Cork 2005 participants, along with short stories from James Lasdun and Desmond Hogan. Later in the month, in association with the Woodford Bourne Cork Midsummer Festival, a two-part Walking Literary Tour of Cork will be launched. This introduces recorded readings by Cork authors in the places where the pieces are set, so people who select the north side tour will hear Conor Tallon read Fr Prout's The Bells of Shandon in the shadows of the steeple itself (and only yards away from Prout's otherwise neglected grave), while, in the city centre, walkers are offered a mix of Frank O'Connor, Conal Creedon, Roz Cowman, Sean Dunne and Thomas McCarthy. On the south side Liz O'Donoghue, Louis De Paor , Greg O'Donoghue and Patrick Cotter are the guides to a city's fictional self.
Limerick's theatre move
The Limerick Co-ordination Office has welcomed a recommendation by local business interests who want a theatre developed in the city centre and the restoration of a cinema in the city centre, writes Brian McLaughlin.
A report by the mid-west branch of the Irish Business and Employers Confederation (IBEC) has suggested that the theatre concept would involve the relocation of the Belltable Arts Centre, while the establishment of a city theatre company should be positively supported.
Andrew Mawhinney, of the Limerick Co-ordination Office, says property developers are already investigating the concept of a multi-purpose complex that would serve the needs of the theatre and business interests.
According to Mawhinney, a number of sites, including the Bedford Row area, have been acquired. A flagship building on the waterside is also being discussed with Arthur's Quay earmarked as a likely location. The idea is to have the river linked with the city streets which are currently being remodelled with priority being given to pedestrianisation. "The City Co-ordinator pointed out that Hugh Murray, Architect, has done a design for a theatre and David O'Mahoney, as president of the Chamber of Commerce, carried out a feasibility study for a theatre," says Mawhinney.
Ballet Ireland on its feet
After a difficult but not despairing period in 2003, Ballet Ireland is leaping back into the fray with its spring tour of Ballet Fireworks 2, writes Christine Madden. The production, which began with a brief stint in Ireland, has been touring the UK and returns to complete its Irish run on Tuesday.
Not excepted from the draconian funding cuts that crippled many in the arts sector in 2003, Ballet Ireland had to cancel its planned productions and curtail its activities. Happily, this year its funding was increased by more than 100 per cent, enabling it to programme Ballet Fireworks 2, a production of The Nutcracker in the autumn and its popular summer programme for young people, among other things.
In awarding the substantial increase to Ballet Ireland, the Arts Council underlined its belief in the contribution Ballet Ireland makes to broaden the audience for dance. Anne Maher, director of Ballet Ireland, is "thrilled that the Arts Council came out with such a positive statement about the company". She hopes, however, that the Arts Council will discover a way of reinstating some form of the three-year funding previously in place. "It's imperative that we have some kind of clarity in advance, perhaps base rates with top-ups." Although still in planning stages, Ballet Ireland hopes to embark on an ambitious project in the near future: a new full-length ballet of Alice in Wonderland. The scope, execution and timing of this production will rely on the extent of their funding; Ballet Ireland is currently in discussion with the Arts Council concerning this. In order to produce quality full-length work, ballet requires long-term planning both artistically and financially, says Maher, "you can't put things in place at the last minute".
Artists' awards deadline
The Arts Council has sent out a reminder that Friday, May 14th is the deadline for applications under its artists' awards programme, Projects. The award, for work to take place in 2005, is open to both individuals and organisations from any art form or combinations of art forms and has a fund of €500,000.
They provide once-off funding for the development and/or production phases of artistic projects that may last up to five years.
Applications for the Supports for Artists '04 folder - which includes an application form and details of the award - can be made on paper or online by contacting the Arts Council on 1850-392492.
Applicants may also download the content of the Supports for Artists 04 folder from the Council's website www.artscouncil.ie (go to the Grants and Awards section on the homepage, then click Supports for Artists).
To apply online, applicants need to register with the Arts Council for a unique password. To register for an online application, contact Siân Cunningham at projects@artscouncil.ie.