Village secrets to be told in new offaly arts project

Does your village have a secret? That’s exactly what Offaly County Council’s per cent for art scheme is wondering about right now.

Offaly has some unique villages, many with distinctive architecture and histories and each with curious and remarkable stories to tell. Now the per cent for art scheme is hoping to highlight some of these stories by commissioning artists to re-imagine them along with a participating local group.

One village in each of the municipal districts of Tullamore, Edenderry and Birr will be chosen for the project. Groups such as schools, men’s sheds, drama societies or even Tidy Towns groups are now being invited to submit in writing examples of little known stories from their villages, along with their willingness to work with an artist next spring to highlight this story in a unique way.

Offaly County Council will match an artist to each chosen village, and that artist will be allocated a budget of €10,000 for their time and the resulting outcome.

Speaking of the opportunity, arts officer Sinead O’Reilly said people are encouraged to be open-minded about what the outcome of the project could be.

“Maybe it could be a play, a publication, a temporary installation, a short film, music or a performance,” she said. “The budget is not really large enough for a sculpture and groups with a preconceived idea of an outcome may not be selected. At this stage, we are really looking for examples of hidden stories and an enthusiastic willingness to explore how to reveal them.”

It’s hoped the three village projects will run concurrently and be completed by June of next year.

It’s planned that each project will also have an online element, such as a YouTube clip or a web presence, so that all projects can be linked together and have a life span beyond the project time frame.

In addition the council will also aim to highlight the project as a nationally visible signature of Offaly.

To make a submission groups can write their expression of interest, making sure to detail a hidden story that could be highlighted, and submit it to arts@offalycoco.ie, or by post or hand to the arts office, Offaly County Council, Charleville Road, Tullamore before 4pm on Friday, October 17.

Enquiries are also welcome in the meantime to 057 9357400 or arts@offalycoco.ie.