Published: Friday, 20th November, 2009 11:00am

Offaly's Campaign for the Arts presents petition to County Council Chairman

The group behind Offaly's Campaign for the Arts presented the Chairman of Offaly County Council with a petition containing over 1,000 signatures on Monday.

Maureen de Forge and Marcella Corcoran Kennedy represented Offaly's Campaign for the Arts in presenting the folder of petitions to Cllr Noel Bourke and Cllr Molly Buckley who is Chairperson of the Housing, Corporate and Cultural SPC. The petitions were signed by members of the public and those involved in the arts in a bid to highlight the importance of the arts to economic and social recovery from the recession.

Offaly's Campaign for the Arts asserts the fundamental importance of the arts to economic and social recovery and calls for action at local level and national level.

The campaign was formed in October in response to the McCarthy Report proposals to cut arts funding and local issues.

The local arts community recognises that cuts would be a disaster to every community, as well as resulting in job losses and is particularly concerned about the longterm damage such drastic measures could have on cultural innovation and development for the county, region and an entire generation.

The group comprises of Birr Theatre and Arts Centre, Belmont Mill and Artists Studio, Sculpture in the Parklands, FilmOffaly, Legitimate Bodies Dance Company, Anam Beo (Arts in Health project), Tin Jug Studio, Birr and The Good Hatchery Studio and Tullamore Arts Centre Project.

The campaign is calling for the retention of the Arts Office in Offaly County Council.

The present Arts Officer's contract of employment is due to end early next year. The current embargo on public service recruitment will impact on this position. The Campaign for Arts pointed out that Offaly is the only county in the country with a temporary Arts Officer and said the retention of the position is critical for future development of the Arts in Offaly.

The campaign also wants the council's arts budget to be retained.

The campaign wants Access to the Per Cent for Art Funding which is currently ring-fenced. Opening up access to the ring-fenced Per Cent for Art Funding to the existing service providers could be a possible means of ensuring investment not only in artists but in education and health also.

Offaly has played its part in the world of the arts producing people of the calibre of Marina Carr, Mundy, Roesy, Eugene O'Brien, Simon Casey, Geraldine O'Neill, John Molloy, Caimin O'Brien, Neil Delamere, Aidan Quinn and Declan Recks to name but a few.

The next phase of the campaign will see Offaly and Laois Arts organisations joining forces to lobby local TDs and senators in relation to the National Campaign with meetings with the politicians being arranged over the next week or so. To sign the online petition go to www.ncfa.ie to help us get 10,000 signatures by November 27.