Applications are invited for arts education activities for adults. Funded through the Further Education Section of the Department of Education and Science for the third year, an allocation has been transferred to County Sligo VEC for expenditure in relation to adult education in the arts.

Proposals have been received each year from individuals, groups and arts organizations for activities which promote adult learning the arts as defined under the Arts Act and understood by local authorities in their administration of arts programmes.

The criteria for assessment of proposals include reliance on qualified practitioners of arts disciplines; provision of planned, coherent activity in developing appreciation, understanding or practice by adults of arts disciplines; innovative and distinctive activity which does not duplicate activities normally provided such as self-financing courses, scholarships for course fees or supplementary services to clients within institutional settings funded from other government departments.

Projects which produce public benefit to the wider community through publication, performance, exhibition or art work for permanent public display deriving from participation of adults working under the direction of a qualified arts practitioner in any art form, including multi-media, digital video and photography are specifically invited. Persons developing such proposals should consult in advance with the Arts Education Organiser.

The development of cultural identity as distinct to this region is a subject for consideration in devising any proposal. Cultural identity relates to memory of any arts product from any source, local, national or international; to shared cultural activity in live events at any location; and to sense of place including cultural artifacts, heritage, built environment and the learning of the distinct qualities of the natural environment specific to living for years, at various stages of a lifetime in geographical location.

In the adult population now there are widely disparate and distinct cultural identities as communication technologies and increasing choice of fragmentary cultural interests and experience abbreviates the durations of generations more rapidly, Generally, a generation was understood in terms of reproduction, about 25 years. In the twentieth century, western cultures began to define generations with decades. Now there are distinct differences of cultural identity within periods of five years.

The impact of this acceleration and fragmentation upon people in a rural area such as Sligo and Leitrim requires participation of adults in the definition of their cultural needs as an initial understanding before developing their own learning in specific arts disciplines.

Any individual or group who wish to engage in this investigation should express their interest in order to encourage initiatives to facilitate this process.

Those interested should contact the Arts Education Organiser, Leo Regan. Details of how to do this are on our
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