Art at the Heart Conference

Students from MA Art in Public were invited to Arts Council Conference 2007. It was raise issues that would emerge from the Arts Budget 2008-2011. The Current Arts Council assessment is that the arts in Northern Ireland require an additional £26m investment over the coming three-year spending period – the equivalent of £11.55 per capita. The Arts Council’s request per annum is approximately £9m and with the prospect of an additional uplift of only £500k for next year, the sector faces immediate financial problems. The draft settlement falls far short of the Arts Council’s assessment of need and losses were highlighted briefly by the Arts Council. “We currently have to turn down on average 60 per cent of applications annually from artists primarily due to lack of funds, and we have been forced to close important funding programmes due to lack of resources”, concluded Roisin McDonough. “If we are to stem the continuing decline, we urgently need to bring about an improved settlement for the arts through the public consultations on the Draft Budget.” I questioned whom the conference was targeted at, as it certainly didn't seem to reach most of the audience. It was a celebration of the arts and guest speakers weren't raising the issues the budget would caused but only asking "Is art important"? A ridiculous question to ask an audience, all of whom worked in the arts in a variety of ways! The day was filled with guest speakers ranging from Feargal Sharkey, musician and former Chairman of the Live Music Forum, political playwright David Edgar and Turner Prize Nominee Nathan Coley, Legendary Irish novelist Edna O’Brien shared insights into her work in conversation with Northern Ireland author, Glenn Patterson. After lunch we were split up for Workshops with actor and director Dan Gordon or educationalist Dr. Lawrence Riccio. The purpose of which was to explored the benefits of prison arts and educating young minds through the arts and also to debate the disappointing news of the moment. I went with Dan. He gave us and insight into prison art but there was no debate done. This should have been the most important thing of the day. The only opportunity for discussing the budget issue was an optional half hour at the end at which point most people had gone home.

I did get some benefits from the day. Nathan Coley's Landscape Sculpture was inspirational. He tends to use whatever material fixes for the context materiality of the art object. He is concerned with how people perceive the material he chooses to use. 'Show Room:A Temporary Art for a Permanent Dream' is a two bedroom rural cottage, presented in three different locations in North Shields, UK- Housing estate, a primary school play area and the docklands. All of which areas are contested spaces. Placed in the housing estate it highlights one of the last remaining green spaces in the estate. The primary schools play area was being sold for housing development and the docklands was being redeveloped. The show house turned into a real estate promotion. Viewers came to buy into a dream, a dream of owning a rural Irish cottage in such spaces. But unfortunately it was all make believe. The 'Show Room' was an illusion, constructed as a stage set. It was installed once in Dublin at a busy intersection in the city centre, opposite Dublin's financial cnetre, the IFSC, which couldn't be more appropiate. It raises viewers awareness to urban development, ownership and identity. Students in the University saw their own show case of the cottage in a installation room at the college as this project was curator by Locus+, a non-profit organistaion from Newcastle, UK. Locus+ Archive exhibition ‘This Will Not Happen Without You’ opened in the Gallery Space at the college at the end of September.
Nathan's work can be seen on..
http://www.artnet.com/artist/424151224/nathan-coley.html
http://www.recirca.com/reviews/nathan_coley/index.shtml