This document discusses artists' practice and influence within their local communities. It addresses how local policies around arts and culture are formed through various levels of government and stakeholders. Local authorities play a key role in developing arts plans and policies, but individual artists are often not actively involved in informing these processes. The document also outlines different factors that influence arts policies, including other local departments, national policies, and how arts offices are funded through local and national budgets on an annual basis.

1. Artists Practice - Place, relationship and your scope of influence The lab – 16th feb 2009

3. Artists Practice - Place, relationship and your scope of influence Place How systems differ to your thoughts thinking wider than your art form - thinking about the "arts". Do you understand the forces at play in decision making - why not? What is your sphere of influence

4. Place Personal sense of place and identification with place – what funding , support and relationships can come from this?

5. How systems differ to your thoughts Administrative understandings of place – County boundaries - wards/ electoral areas and so forth

6. thinking wider than your art form - thinking about the "arts". How do other artforms work - how do paralell industries work?

7. Do you understand the forces at play in decision making - why not? Taking on the management function and the policy function of local government Administrative systems and elected systems.

8. What is your sphere of influnce Consultation and engagement in planning processes

9. Local Authorities How is policy formed? Producing Arts Plans - these are usually for a 3-5 year term Working within a number of funding and policy relationships Working in various departments with the local authority; for example the Libraries, Community and Enterprise Dept, Culture and Community dept

10. How is policy formed? Through the Local Authority - The elected members - County Councilors, the SPC's and the wider culture of the Council There is usually a slightly benign attitude to the arts - however with this comes lack of structured financial and resource commitment which can be v. worrying in the current climate It is also Influenced through the standards set and concerns of the Arts Council The Arts Office will often wish to mirror the "good practice" and leadership of the Art Council and in some cases the National Resource agencies Artists, one of the main concerns from a personal point of view is the position of the practitioner in this process of policy formation. The individual artist - tends by the nature of their practice to not be well briefed/ active on policy processes. They often don't take an active role in forming or informing policy at a local level. They are central to forming a relevant and vibrant cultural environment

11. How is policy formed? Through the Local Authority - The elected members - County Councilors, the SPC's and the wider culture of the Council There is usually a slightly benign attitude to the arts - however with this comes lack of structured financial and resource commitment which can be v. worrying in the current climate It is also Influenced through the standards set and concerns of the Arts Council The Arts Office will often wish to mirror the "good practice" and leadership of the Art Council and in some cases the National Resource agencies Artists, one of the main concerns from a personal point of view is the position of the practitioner in this process of policy formation. The individual artist - tends by the nature of their practice to not be well briefed/ active on policy processes. They often don't take an active role in forming or informing policy at a local level. They are central to forming a relevant and vibrant cultural environment

12. What other factors influence? Working in various departments with the local authority; for example The Libraries, Community and Enterprise Dept, Culture and Community dept sports, Irish, heritage, conservation, events offices The plans are / should have been feeding or inter into different departments. Planning should also be feeding into wider policy plans, and special policy committee and within the other Council committees and boards This arts and cultural policy work is seen to support a wider quality of life and add to the social, cultural and economic development of the county

13. Producing Arts Plans - these are usually for a 3-5 year term These plans tend to be general - setting an overall context for the development of art in the county Local Level: Area development plans, Corporate Plan, customer service charters, youth policies, Irish Language policy, other existing policy documents eg Heritage place, town or rural development plans, the charters and plans of other key county stakeholders National Level: The plans are usually drawn up taking into account National Policy‘s , such as the National Spatial plan, the national development plan, departmental plans – Environment , Health, Children and Young People. Arts Plans aspire to set standards in good practice, ensure a set of values and aspirations that give them enough scope to work easily within - so there is wriggle room but a general sense of the direction

14. How are the Arts Offices funded The funding is struck on an annual basis only - making it difficult to manage budgets, arts and culture are still seen as additional to the essential services of the LA The arts services now also are "competing" with other local resources in the County such as theatres and arts centers Their concerns must be taken into account when developing a county policy Through - the estimates process - when budgets are struck at a local level in September/ October annually. Through revenue funding in the arts council Other money can be raised through partnerships, sponsorships, once of funded projects - eg commissions or special project awards through the arts council Some staff positions are funded through - The Arts Council and Some public art positions are funded through the scheme itself