ARTS AND CULTURE

INTRODUCTION

The Macra na Feirme arts initiative is now in its second year. A full time arts officer is based at Macra headquarters, in addition to a part-time assistant. The officer post is co-funded by the Arts Council until spring 1999.

The arts officer's role is to assist members to participate in arts activities to whatever extent they choose. Therefore the arts programme is largely shaped by members.

WHAT ARE THE ARTS?

While the drama competition has always been seen in the light of arts activities, it is important to acknowledge that arts activities fit more comfortably into the social events calendar of clubs. The arts can embrace culture, heritage, gardening, designing a plan for your house, parade floats, all kinds of performance, using a camcorder, painting a mural, making a children's playground - among many other activities. Understanding the arts in this context offers ideas to develop the community involvement within clubs.

WHAT DO YOU NEED?

A willingness to try something new, coupled with an idea, are the essential seeds to developing an arts programme. From there, the arts officer can help with the planning and can offer support to the programme or event. Artistic skills can be brought into the club in the shape of a trainer or a person to help any group to make a project happen. The more successful projects have input from a professional artist, e.g. a dancer, poet, potter etc.

TRAINING IN THE ARTS

Workshops are available in almost any activity relating to existing Macra programmes, for example drama workshops or training relating to Capers. However one of the better ways to improve skills in performance related ao tivities is to attend shows and performances by other groups. Attending performances by theatre companies that are touring in your area is key here. Many venues offer group reductions, and a full list of venues and theatre companies in Ireland is available from the arts officer, also available is a list of arts festivals around the country. Shows at festivals cater for all tastes and can offer lots of ideas on how to create an arts project that can be an important part of a festival in your local area.

LOCAL CONTACTS - LOCAL AUTHORITY ARTS OFFICERS

These Arts Officers are arts administrators who are co-funded by the Arts Council and the County Council or Urban District Council, which ever is the case. Their brief is to encourage participation and exposure to the arts for the population in their area. They have lots of good advice to give for free, and have a wonderful overview of all kinds of arts activities in the county. It may be that a local arts centre is running drama workshops which members could join instead of organising your own at a greater cost. Therefore it is worth the effort to arrange a meeting with the Local Authority Arts Officer in your area. As each Local Authority has a budget for the arts in their constituency, it is also important to find out if your club could access some funding for an arts programme. Use the Macra Arts Officer to sound out ideas on arts funding also.

SOME EXAMPLES OF ARTS PROJECTS IN TRAIN

Every year, for three years, new one act plays will be commissioned and available to clubs for use in drama competitions. A directory of one act plays with a brief summary of each will be published by Macra later this year. A training initiative 'Introduction to Film Studies' is in progress and 26 members from around the country are taking part in the programme. A visual arts programme is being prepared for the Ploughing Championships. An amateur drama company is being set up in one area which involves past Macra members, current and younger potential members. A new full length play has been written by Monaghan Arts Group which will be performed at the Rally (1997). Roundwood club, Co. Wicklow, are going to build a bench from timber, with the help of an artist, that will be situated in the centre of the village. Another club are soon to pilot a landscape project that may be a national programme event next year. A camcorder course will be run in five separate locations in the New Year and will take participants through the steps in making a short film. Ennis Macra are planning a cross border drama project. Why not have a discussion with the Macra arts officer around possibilities in your area?