Irish Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism

Irish Department of Arts
Visual Arts in Cork

In Ireland, government policy on visual arts in Ireland is coordinated by the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism. The Minister For the Arts is a full member of the Cabinet - the top governmental committee.

In the execution of its general responsibility for national culture in Ireland, the Department of the Arts aims to:

• Formulate, develop and evaluate policies to promote and foster the practice and appreciation of the creative arts and the Irish film industry.
• Enable Irish art organizations, to preserve, protect and present their moveable heritage and cultural assets for the benefit of current and future generations of Irish people.
• Provide appropriate resources to support the stimulation and development of Irish art, in such a way as to facilitate access to the arts by the widest number of people.
• Implement its arts strategies through An Chomhairle Ealaíon (the Arts Council) according to the "arms-length" principle, under which the Department has no involvement in individual funding decisions by the Council.

The Irish Department of Arts is advised and assisted in this task by two subsidiary bodies. The Irish Arts Council, an autonomous agency which promotes and develops the arts in Ireland, and Ireland Culture (Cultúr Na hÉireann), the body that promotes Irish Artists and cultural activities overseas.

The Irish government traditionally places great importance on National Culture as a vital element in helping to maintain the image and identity of Ireland. For example, in the visual arts, it campaigns to secure the promotion of certain national archeological treasures (eg. Newgrange) as UN World Heritage sites; it supports the participation of Irish painting and Irish sculpture in numerous annual and bi-annual international art exhibitions; and it maintains numerous national art museums - such as, the National Gallery of Ireland, the National Museum of Ireland (NMI) (Ard-Mhúsaem na hÉireann), the National Self-Portrait Collection of Ireland, and the Museum of Modern Art.

One recent example of the promotion of Irish art, was the celebration of the city of Cork as a European Capital of Culture, in 2005. The year-long event was supported by the Department of the Arts, Cork City Council and the EU, and witnessed a wide program of cultural activities and artworks including: paintings, sculpture, theatre, dance, workshops, seminars and exhibitions. During 2005, more than one million people, attended official Cork Capital of Culture events.

For more information about the Department For The Arts, telephone: (+353) 01-631-3800.

• For facts about the art industry in Ireland, see: Irish Art: Visual Arts Cork.

• How to Update This Mini Review of Irish Department of Arts.