The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon

The Arts Council is the national agency for funding, developing and promoting the arts in Ireland.

Mission / Aims

The Arts Council Arts and Health Policy and Strategy outlines the values that underpin its approach to arts and health practice, and includes strategic actions for the five-year period 2010–2014. The policy and strategy was developed following a period of consultation and research with the arts and health sector, which included Vital Signs, a series of arts and health events that took place in October 2009.

Within the Arts Council, arts and health is the responsibility of the Arts Participation team. Arts participation is a core value across all areas of the Arts Council’s work as reflected in the current Strategy 2016–2025 which commits to increasing public access, participation and engagement in the arts, as well as assisting artists of all disciplines to make work of excellence. This includes artists who base their practice in the area of arts and health.

Areas of activities

The Arts Council offers a wide range of financial supports across artforms and arts practices, including arts and health. Those supports, direct and indirect, that are available are described in detail in financial support. They include bursaries, projects and travel and training awards, and the Artist in the Community Scheme, which is managed externally by Create.