ArtScape: Minister for Education Mary Hanafin is currently facing the sensitive problem of appointments to the board of the National College of Art and Design, writes Aidan Dunne.
The issue has become hugely politicised following widespread adverse reactions to NCAD director Colm O'Briain's exploration of the possibility of moving the college to a purpose-built facility on UCD's Belfield campus. The economic rationale for such a move is that while funds for the necessary development of the current Thomas Street campus are not forthcoming, the sale of the site would go towards financing a new Belfield art college. One can see the pragmatic appeal of such a scheme for the Government parties.
But not for the staff and students of NCAD, nor for local residents, nor for a huge swathe of the cultural sector, it seems. All have come out vociferously against the idea, citing the myriad advantages of the college's city centre location for students and metropolis alike. Last week the members of Aosdána, including O'Briain's predecessor and probably the most popular director NCAD has had to date, Noel Sheridan, also came out strongly against such a move. Motions from Michael Kane and Marie Foley against the flight of NCAD and Cork's Crawford College of Art to the suburbs were overwhelmingly passed. From the chair, Theo Dorgan described the notion as "barbaric".
The NCAD staff and student representatives already elected to the board are generally thought to be against the idea. All of which leaves the Minister in a quandary. Effectively, through her six appointees she will be sending out a signal about how the Government views the potential initiative. Since the outgoing board held its final meeting last week, six places are now vacant. In the end, no matter who fills those places, if the idea of moving is pursued, it will be the Minister who must decide.
Linehan's Sydney success
Fergus Linehan's first Sydney Festival is over, and local commentators are raving about its critical and commercial success. The bigger hitters - ballerina Sylvie Guillem switching to contemporary dance, Declan Donnellan's Twelfth Night, Robert Lepage's The Andersen Project, James Thiérrée's Bright Abyss, Antony and the Johnsons, Mariza, Tristran & Yseult, Altan at the Opera House, Elvis Costello and the Brodsky Quartet, Jazz in the Domain and other big free outdoor events - all wowed. But it was inspired and nifty programme strand About an Hour at the Opera House that seems to have hit home. A showcase for top-notch short performances, which served as a sampler and were priced at about €15, they sold out quickly and got everyone arguing. It was universally described as a runaway success, and is likely to be expanded next year. The Eat Drink Talk Art discussion series with performers also went down well.
The city's media seem to have taken a shine to Linehan's "breezy and relaxed attitude" and his "entertaining, inclusive and diverse bill".
The Sun Herald wrote "if Linehan's artistic choices are an expression of his personality, you'd have to say he's a diehard romantic".
The Sydney Morning Herald wrote "the breadth and depth of this year's festival puts it in line to rival the biennial Adelaide Festival", and an exhausted Linehan talked to the newspaper about tricky moments and what he calls high expectation nights: "All these breathless nights and it seemed as though every night you had your neck on the line. It was a relief that it was never chopped off."
In general tickets were priced to sell; Linehan dropped prices by an average of 20 per cent this year - and some tickets were held back to sell on the door of all ticketed events for about €15. Attendance is estimated at one million, with 95,000 tickets sold this year (compared with 63,000 last year). For the first time in the festival's history box office receipts are expected to be more than about €2.5 million, and profits (yes, profits) look set to pass €250,000, it's being reported locally. Clearly, there's a message here, perhaps for Irish festival organisers too. Price is an issue - make it accessible and they'll come in their droves.
Cork 2005 work continues
The culture and health strand of the Cork 2005 programme, which it worked on with the HSE, ranged from one-off workshops to full-scale performances in a variety of situations from sheltered housing, hospitals, mental health facilities, to working with young people at risk. The year's work is the focus of a one-day conference next Tuesday, Culture and Health: Partnership and Opportunities, highlighting the positive impact of introducing culture and arts to patients and residents in healthcare, sharing ideas from the 33 projects that took place, and exploring ways to carry on the work.
The conference's workshops include Using Music in Healthcare Settings by musician Aingeala de Búrca; Art in Hospitals facilitated by Charlotte O'Donovan; Using Dance in Healthcare Settings led by Jo Nichols; and Using Inter-Media Artwork in Healthcare Settings by Molly Sturges.
There'll be two performances, Older People for Beginners by Ciarán Fitzpatrick, directed by Tom Creed, and a Forum Theatre performance performed by residents of St Laurence Cheshire Home and St Finbarr's Hospital, directed by Peter Kearns as part of a project for people with disabilities.
Case studies include Culture in Residence by Cork 2005's Ann O'Connor, Music in Healthcare/Mental Health by Music Network's Deirdre McCrea, Encounters - Artist in Residence Programme in St Finbarr's Hospital by project co-ordinator Charlotte Donovan, and Moment by artist Molly Sturges, composer and director of inter-generational, community-generated projects.
There are presentations by Gretta Crowley of the HSE and Tony Sheehan of Cork 2005 as well as a speech by Mike White, director of arts in health at the Centre for Arts and Humanities in Health and Medicine (CAHHM) at the University of Durham, reflecting on the role and value of the arts in healthcare.
The conference is free but booking is essential. It is open to healthcare staff, artists, community and voluntary groups, cultural practitioners and others interested in the positive impact culture and arts can have on clients and residents in healthcare settings. Contact Aurora Caruso, tel: 021 4215124, e-mail auroracaruso@cork2005.ie.
* International Dance Festival Ireland will look beyond the theatre to find its audience this year, with four dance films being shown on The View Presents . . . RTÉ Dance on the Box on April 24th, writes Michael Seaver. The initiative by the Arts Council and RTÉ initially stimulated interest through a one-day workshop for choreographers and directors before inviting submissions. The successful applicants are choreographers John Scott, James Hosty, Fearghus Ó Conchúir and Rónán Ó Riagáin, who will team up with directors Steve Woods, Margaret Corkery, Nick Kelly and Dearbhla Walsh.
The festival has featured screenings and workshops in the past but although there are dedicated dance film festivals throughout the world, the medium is seldom produced in Ireland. Although typically associated with contemporary dance, one of the Dance on the Box films is choreographed by Rónán Ó Riagáin, a sean-nós dancer. Why the Irish Dance that Way will be made with director Nick Kelly and will examine exactly that by showing what goes on in a queue.
* Culture Ireland plans special arrangements for applications for financial support to participate in this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe, so Irish participants will know the level of support Culture Ireland is offering before the festival's mid-April application deadline.
All Edinburgh Fringe support applications must be e-mailed to cultureireland@dast.gov.ie by March 15th. The deadline for non-Edinburgh applications is April 15th, and Culture Ireland meets to consider them in May.
* The 2006 Corcadorca Playwright Award - for new contemporary theatrical plays - invites submissions of original plays and pieces of theatre which have not previously been published or performed. The closing date for applications is March 31st. For more information see www.corcadorca.com or contact Oonagh Montague, tel: 021-4278326.