Every day the Arts are changing lives right across our region whether through direct participation or through attending events, shows or festivals. To put it simply “The Arts Matter”.
We know also that community arts has an even greater impact on our society. At the forefront of community arts practice, Community Arts Partnership works with people where they are located, supporting their choices in design and production and listening intently to the issues and ideas that come from our communities. And through that engagement, we facilitate the creation of original artworks in a myriad of disciplines often to communities who would not otherwise have the possibility of exploring their creative potential.
Over the last three years the organisation has worked with more than 350 community organisations and 180 schools right across Northern Ireland. Alongside this we have a dedicated Intercultural Support Programme (PICAS), a dedicated disability arts programme (Side by Side), a dedicated dementia research programme, a dedicated rural community arts research programme and an international community culture research initiative. CAP also has the most used e-news resource in Northern Ireland for the arts. It is that provision, free of charge to communities most in need. which is directly under threat.
The Cuts
The principal funder of the arts,the Arts Council of Northern Ireland (ACNI) stands to lose 11.1% of exchequer funding by CAP’s calculations (see table below), and this will undoubtedly impact the sector with job losses, organisation and event closures, let alone that provision, already low by any measure across the islands, will be cut drastically.
| Business Area | 2014-15 Opening Budget £K | 2014-15 Draft Budget £K | Percent cut % |
| Department | 20.91 | 18.57 | 11.19% |
| Libraries NI | 31.82 | 29.43 | 7.51% |
| National Museums NI | 12.76 | 11.33 | 11.21% |
| Arts Council NI | 12.3 | 10.93 | 11.14% |
| Sport NI | 9.27 | 8.23 | 11.22% |
| Other ALBs * | 2.93 | 2.6 | 11.26% |
| Languages | 5.77 | 5.13 | 11.09% |
| Waterways Ireland | 4.19 | 3.73 | 10.98% |
| Total Resource Department | 99.95 | 89.95 | 10.01% |
* Other ALBs include: NI Screen, AIOP an NI
Arts Funding Campaigns
We are part of a sector wide movement to stop any further cuts to funding provision for the Arts and this page will be devoted to bringing information about the various campaigns. CAP is campaigning alongside the Arts Council’s “No more cuts to the Arts” – “#13pForTheArts Campaign”, the Arts Council has worked out that the distribution of exchequer funds to the arts works out at 13p per person per week, the campaign has support from the Belfast Telegraph and James Nesbitt, the #lightsoutNI campaign with Culture Night at its forefront and the Save the Ulster Orchestra campaign and the Arts Matter NI campaign – ArtsMatterNI.co.uk
Funding Cuts Campaign – What you can do
CAP is asking people to send a letter opposing cuts to the arts to the Department of Culture Arts and Leisure’s Draft Budget consultation which remains open until December 29th.
To aid this process please find a draft letter ( text file, docx or pdf ) which you can amend, edit or alter to suit.
The email address where responses can be sent is budgetconsultation@dfpni.gov.uk
CAP would like to suggest that when you are making your consultation response to this budget that you bear in mind just how little is given in funding and just how much is returned and communicate that to our officials in both the Department of Finance and Department of Culture Arts and Leisure.
