The National Creativity Fund activates and supports genuinely ground-breaking initiatives, research projects, community programmes and more.
An initiative of the Creative Ireland Programme, the exciting details of the 30 initiatives and projects benefiting from the National Creativity Fund have now been announced by Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Josepha Madigan TD.
With creativity and wellbeing a central focus, The National Creativity Fund allows the Creative Ireland Programme to activate, enable and support truly compelling and innovative initiatives, research projects and community programmes.
Through a series of strategic partnerships with cultural organisations, education and academic institutions and healthcare specialists, the chosen projects are ambitious, inventive and inclusive.
Just some of the projects supported via the National Creativity Fund include:
Music
Le Chéile: a project to develop music ensembles for young disabled musicians, culminating in the founding of the Open Youth Orchestra of Ireland, the EU’s first national youth orchestra for disabled musicians. (Royal Irish Academy of Music/University of Ulster/Athlone Institute of Technology)
Developing design skills in young people
The ‘DESIGN Skills’ programme aims to develop design thinking capacity with students in post-primary schools. The programme will link professional designers and makers with teachers to develop a six-hour mini project that explores the design process, emphasising ideation, problem solving, divergent thinking, risk taking and experimentation. (Design and Crafts Council of Ireland/Junior Cycle for Teachers – Arts Team)
Creativity in care settings
Development of a programme of six nationwide artists’ residencies in care settings. These aim to make arts and creativity intrinsic to life-in-care settings for older people, particularly those who live outside major urban areas and in hard-to-reach situations, so that they can realise their full creative potential. (Age & Opportunity)
A pilot initiative which supports a series of artist residencies at the Ushers Island Clinic working with current patients of the Central Mental Hospital who are on day leave from the hospital site. (John Conway, National Forensic Mental Health Service, Waterford Healing Arts Trust and NCAD)
Intercultural schools
A research and development project to design and pilot a model for an intercultural Schools Programme, the first of its kind in Ireland. (Chester Beatty Library/Mary Immaculate Training College, Limerick)
Connecting communities
Re-Imagine: a programme designed to better connect communities with their local neighbourhoods and environment using creative and collaborative design strategies, putting people at the heart of their places. (Irish Architecture Foundation/South Dublin County Council/ Kerry County Council/Kiltimagh Town Improvements Company and Imagine Dundrum)
Experimental spaces as Gaeilge
Modhanna nuálacha a fhorbairt le saothar drámaíochta a chruthú le healaíontóirí a bhfuil an Ghaeilge mar an chéad teanga acu, tríd spás turgnamhach a chur ar fáil dóibh. (Ealaíon na Gaeltachta Teo/ Comhairle Contae Dhún na nGall/ Comhairle Contae na Gaillimhe/ Oifig na nEalaíon/Ollscoil na hÉireann Gaillimh/ Taibhdhearc na Gaillimhe)
