Welcome to our June 2024 Blog! 

We have lots to share including the
launch of the Open Up Report, an update on our research into Artforms and Arts
Practices in Ireland and progress on our EDI implementation plan. 

Open Up Report

On
23 April we presented our recently published report “Open Up: addressing the
barriers facing Black and Black-Irish artists’ access to funding and opportunities.” The event was attended by artists, organisations,
researchers and Arts Council staff. 

Dr
Lucy Michael of Lucy Michael Research, Training and Consultancy who undertook
this research after our 2021 Awards Data Report, presented the report and identified
three areas for further investigation:

• the low number of applications from
  female Black or Black-Irish artists
• factors affecting the significant
  increase of applications from male Black or Black-Irish artists in the music
  sector
• factors affecting the quality of those
  applications

We also had a panel of
artists featuring Aisha Bolaji, Ashley Chadamoyo Makombe, Dafe Orugbo, Esosa
Ighodaro, Joe Odiboh, with panel moderator Melatu-Uche Okorie, discussed the
Open Up report and responded to its findings. The presentation and panel were
followed by engaging audience discussions. We came away energised with ideas
and suggestions for further actions.

Now, we are working on
turning the recommendations from the report into an action plan with timelines
and resources. We hope to have this published in the coming months and to do
this we will be facilitating some focus groups to review the proposed actions.

If you would like to be
involved in a focus group, please get in touch!

You can view the full report here

Research
and Consultation on Artforms and Arts Practices in Ireland

We
recently received submissions to the tender for the Research and Consultation
on Artforms and Arts Practices in Ireland project (formerly Redefining the
Arts).

Soon,
we will be working with a research team to lead out on the project, which is
divided into three phases:

Phase
1: Review

• This
  will include of existing academic research on definitions of artforms/arts
  practices; the purpose and role of definitions; and a comparison of
  international practices. The final output of this phase will be a literature
  review.

Phase
2: Analysis

• This will involve an analysis of the Arts Act definitions 1951, 1973 and
  2003; an analysis of current Arts Council definitions in published funding
  support and policy documents; a content review of applications to the Arts Council;
  and stakeholder mapping. The final output of this phase will be an analysis
  report and recommendations for the consultation.

Phase
3: Consultation

• This
  will be an external and internal consultation on artforms and arts practices in
  Ireland to explore making supports more reflective of the arts sector,
  consistent with the Arts Act. The final output will be a report on the
  findings.

Finally,
there will be a final report that includes the above outputs and any recommendations.
This project will take place over the next year.

EDI
Implementation Plan

Stage 1 of the Implementation Plan is wrapping up this month. Of
the 20 projects that began in this phase, all that were due to complete in the
first year are on track and the rest are longer-time projects that go across
stages.

We will be commissioning an external evaluator to review Stage
1, and then use their report to help us plan the Stage 2 projects.

Stage 2 of the EDI Implementation
Plan will be starting in June. This will be a longer period taking
place between June 2024 and May 2026. We are working closely with our Project
Management team to make sure we have everything set before beginning work in
Stage 2. This includes writing our project charters for each project, which
outlines the scope of the project and assigning resources and budget as needed.

We’ll be sharing more detail on this when the planning phase is
completed.

Coming Up

Pride
2024

This
Pride month, the Arts Council will be walking in the Dublin Pride Parade on 29
June. We will also have a booth in Merrion Square with information on what we
do and some fabulous badges to collect. Drop by and say hello!

EDI Toolkit interview call out

If you are an organisation or artist who
has used the EDI Toolkit, we
would love to feature you in our next EDI blog! How
did you use the EDI toolkit and why? What information in the EDI toolkit was
most helpful for you?

You can contact us by emailing:

Hannah.Gordis@artscouncil.ie or Sarah.Carroll@artscouncil.ie

Lastly, some EDI dates for your calendar!

• Dublin Pride 2024 is Saturday 29 June
• June is Pride Month
• July is Disability Pride Month

Warm wishes,

The EDI Team

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