Creative Ireland, Waterford
The Creative Ireland Programme is an all-of-government initiative committed to enhancing access to, engagement with, and enjoyment of Ireland’s culture and creativity. Within the broad range of available definitions, creativity is considered as a set of innate abilities and learned skills; the capacity of individuals and organisations to transcend accepted ideas and norms by drawing on imagination to create new ideas that bring additional value to human activity.
The vision of the Creative Ireland Programme 2023–2027 is to mainstream creativity in the life of the nation so that individually and collectively, in our personal lives and in our institutions, we can realise our full creative potential, thereby promoting individual, community and national wellbeing.
The Creative Ireland Programme will deliver through collaboration and partnership, promoting understanding and appreciation of the value of creativity in all its forms — whether through the arts, culture, heritage, or technology.
The Creative Ireland Programme will prioritise its work around five aspects for the period 2023–2027:
- Creative Youth
- Creative Communities
- Creative Industries
- Creative Health and Wellbeing
- Creative Climate Action and Sustainability
The development of the Waterford Culture and Creativity Strategy 2023–2027 provides us with time and space to reflect on and to consider the importance of the role of culture and creativity in Waterford’s past, and to look at how it can influence the future of our city and county. Our involvement in the Creative Ireland Programme allows Waterford City and County Council to strategically plan for building strong partnerships with communities and a wide range of stakeholders, while ensuring that creativity is acknowledged as an essential element in the successful development of our economy, society, and wellbeing.
Waterford Culture and Creativity 2023-2027
Creative Ireland Waterford Open Call 2023
The Creative Ireland Programme in Waterford recently launched the new Culture and Creativity Strategy 2023-2027. The strategy allows for the continuation of funding for projects that embed creativity in the community. The annual Creative Waterford Open Call is based on six priority areas for development. Agencies, communities, individual artists and others are encouraged to apply for funding to develop collaborative creative projects.
The closing date is March 31st at 4 p.m., details are available at https://waterford.submit.com//show/139. To celebrate the launch of another 5 years of Creative Waterford, this year there are two categories of grants. Applications can be made for grants up to €8,000 and a second category of grant will be awarded for applications up to €20,000. A maximum of two grants will be given for the larger funding and these project proposals must show significant levels of community engagement, collaboration and partnership, and of course creativity.
The Creative Ireland Programme was extended for a second five-year term to run from 2023. One of the pillars is “Creative Communities”, a local authority-led initiative which pioneers and supports local creative projects in areas such as arts, heritage, local history, STEAM and the creative industries. Previous projects in Waterford included the Designers and Makers Exhibition in Waterford Gallery of Art, community acting classes in Tallow, creative workshops at Pride festival and moss art in West Waterford relating to the sustainable development goals.
Creative Communities Toolkit
Applying for funding through the Creative Ireland Waterford Open Call is competitive. Applicants are encouraged to work through the Creative Waterford Toolkit which gives advice and information on how best to approach devising a project for this or any culture/community application process.
Download the toolkit from the links below.
- A Toolkit to Develop Culture and Creativity in Waterford: How to build Cultural and Creative Communities
- A Toolkit to Develop Culture and Creativity in Waterford: How to build Cultural and Creative Communities in Waterford: Exercises
For further information contact Creative Ireland Waterford creativewaterford@waterfordcouncil.ie