Lord Mayor launches Dublin’s Culture Connects Events

This second wave of the highly successful culture in the community initiative was launched by Lord Mayor of Dublin / Ardmhéara Micheál Mac Donncha at City Hall last night.

Dublin’s Culture Connects aims to connect Dubliners to their city by working collaboratively with artists and the National Cultural Institutions on cultural projects that reflect the concerns and ambitions of their communities. More than 1,000 residents from 29 neighbourhoods across the city made cultural projects as part of the initial The National Neighbourhood activities last year.

The project brings together the Dublin City Council arts, cultural and community resources in partnership with all eight National Cultural Institutions located in Dublin - The Abbey Theatre, The National Museum of Ireland, The National Library of Ireland, The National Gallery of Ireland, The National Concert Hall, The Chester Beatty Library, The National Archives and The Irish Museum of Modern Art.

Commenting, Ardmhéara Micheál Mac Donncha said: “The National Neighbourhood addresses a key aim of Dublin City Council. We want every neighbourhood to know and ‘own’ their city’s cultural resources. The National Neighbourhood is all about building projects in community settings - to connect villages and their communities and groups to libraries, museums, creative places and to artists. This programme enables people to make and take part in culture, working together to deepen their understanding of their city, their communities and themselves. Is tiú an cumarsáid idir an phobal agus na hinstitiúdí cultúrtha.”

As was the case in 2016/2017, each of the Council’s five administrative areas has been partnered with national cultural institutions to deliver The National Neighbourhood projects in 2017/2018. The collaborations are as follows:

· DUBLIN SOUTH CENTRAL: Working with the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA), the Chester Beatty Library, and Dublin City Council, The National Neighbourhood projects in Dublin South Central are considering how they can address complex challenges such as the links between health, poverty and housing, by supporting resilient communities that have survived for decades. Inspired by conversations, casual banter and being out and about in the area, book clubs, choirs, lullabies and visual art are being considered as places from which many more glorious moments of everyday poetry, which bring beauty to lives well-lived in Dublin South Central, can grow.

· DUBLIN SOUTH EAST: Working with the National Archives of Ireland, the National Gallery of Ireland and Dublin City Council, The National Neighbourhood in Dublin South East takes place mainly around Kevin Street, Bishop Street, Whitefriar Street, Patrick Street and Rathmines. So far it has engaged with groups that are young and old, spanning schools, students, international residents and senior citizens, and the artforms being investigated include literature, visual arts and animation. The themes and the projects are still emerging, but they’re thinking a lot about flux and stability, looking at the Dublin skyline and taking a bird’s eye view of the area.

· DUBLIN NORTH WEST: In collaboration with the National Museum of Ireland and Dublin City Council, The National Neighbourhood in Dublin North West will have a particular focus on the treasures of the area, in terms of its people, history and environment. The starting point is always the locals themselves, their stories and special interests, garnered from conversations in the community. The project has already begun in Cabra with participants from age five to 75. Visual arts and music are the first artforms to feature. With the centenary year of women’s suffrage coming up in 2018, women in history will be one of the themes of the project.

· DUBLIN NORTH CENTRAL: Projects will be developed with community groups of all ages from Clontarf, Raheny, Coolock, Artane, Fairview and Marino in partnership with the National Library of Ireland and Dublin City Council. Local parks and the coastline - and how they are used, socially and environmentally - are very important to the locals of these areas. Visual art, music and dance/movement will be used to focus on the natural environment and how to better link people through the spaces that surround them, inspired by Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane’s exhibition The Ocean After Nature, and the rich archives of the National Library of Ireland.

· DUBLIN CENTRAL: With partners the National Concert Hall and the Abbey Theatre, The National Neighbourhood will be working with all kinds of people, focusing on the area along the Royal Canal from North Strand to Mountjoy Prison, as well as a satellite project around Dublin 7. From conversations with youth groups, educational institutions, residents’ associations, local artists and festivals, multicultural groups and community development projects, it’s clear the area is one of contrasts and diversity, which will be reflected in the projects. There is an appetite for exploring the space between music and theatre performance, perhaps spoken word, music and rap.

Chief Executive of Dublin City Council, Owen Keegan said: “I am delighted to see the National Cultural Institutions developing such a close working relationship with Dublin City Council - and to see us all working together with neighbourhoods on activities and projects that are really important to them. This is a key objective of the City Council. The National Neighbourhood programme involves our Area Offices, Arts Office, Public Libraries and Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane. These partnerships have covered 29 Dublin neighbourhoods, with 86 community groups and 103 artists. Over 1,000 citizens created performances and exhibitions, 3,000 took part in workshops and events and more than 10,000 engaged online."

Dublin’s Culture Connects project director, Iseult Byrne added: “All of our programmes are built on our five core values of participation, partnership, relevance, quality and capacity building. Through The National Neighbourhood we are working with communities to make cultural projects together. We have had a lot of tea and chats, creativity and conversations over the last year and we look forward to another fantastic programme this year.”

See www.dublinscultureconnects.ie for more information on Dublin’s Culture Connects.