The History of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, 1943–2016: Between the State and the Arts

307 Pages·2022·4.744 MB·English

by  Lara Cuny

The History of the
Arts Council of
Northern Ireland,
1943–2016
Between the State and the Arts
Lara Cuny
The History of the Arts Council of Northern
Ireland, 1943–2016
Lara Cuny
The History
of the Arts Council
of Northern Ireland,
1943–2016
Between the State and the Arts
Lara Cuny
Aix-Marseille University
Marseille, France
ISBN 978-3-031-13408-1 ISBN 978-3-031-13409-8 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-13409-8
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Contents
1 Introduction 1
Part I CEMA, from a Temporary Wartime Measure to a
Permanent Institution (1939–1951)
2 Arts and Culture in Northern Ireland Before
the Second World War 19
3 Creating CEMA 33
4 Establishing CEMA in the Political and Cultural
Landscape of Northern Ireland 55
Part II The Evolution of CEMA/ACNI: Politics, Culture
and the Arts (1950s–1960s)
5 The Artistic Policy of CEMA/ACNI: Educating
the People 77
6 Politics, Sectarianism and CEMA/ACNI 109
7 A Regionalist Agenda in Northern Ireland? 131
8 1968–1972, A Transition 143
v
vi CONTENTS
Part III Artistic Policy in a Violent Political Context
(1970s–1990s)
9 In Times of War: A New Role for the Arts 155
10 Isolationism of ACNI 171
11 Community Arts and Their Development in Northern
Ireland 189
12 ACNI and the Peace Process 211
Part IV ACNI’s Integration into a Northern Irish
Cultural Policy (1998–2016)
13 A New Institutional Framework 239
14 The Government and the Economic Potential
of the Arts 255
15 ACNI: A Contested Development Agency 269
16 Conclusion 295
Appendix 301
Index 305
Abbreviations
ABSA Association for the Business Sponsorship of the Arts
ACE An Chomhairle Ealaíon
ACGB Arts Council of Great Britain
ACNI Arts Council of Northern Ireland
CAF Community Arts Forum
CEMA (GB) Council for the Encouragement of Music and the Arts (Great
Britain)
CEMA (NI) Council for the Encouragement of Music and the Arts
(Northern Ireland)
CR Commission Community Relations Commission (1969–1975)
CR Community Relations
CRC Community Relations Council
CTG Cultural Traditions Group
DCAL Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure
DCMS Department for Culture, Media and Sport
DENI Department of Education (Northern Ireland)
DETI Department for Enterprise, Trade and Investment
DUP Democratic Unionist Party
EEC European Economic Community
EFRD European Fund for Regional Development
ENSA Entertainment National Service Association
GAA Gaelic Athletic Association
GOS Grand Opera Society
ILT Irish Literary Theatre
IRA Irish Republican Army
MAC Metropolitan Art Centre
vii
viii ABBREVIATIONS
MLA Member of the Legislative Assembly (of Northern Ireland)
NI Screen Northern Ireland Screen
NICRA Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association
NILB Northern Ireland Labour Party
NILT Northern Ireland Literary Theatre
NIO Northern Ireland Office
NIOT Northern Ireland Opera Trust
PRONI Public Record Office of Northern Ireland
RUC Royal Ulster Constabulary
SDLP Social Democratic and Labour Party
TTG Two Traditions Group
UGT Ulster Group Theatre
ULT Ulster Literary Theatre
UO Ulster Orchestra
UUP Ulster Unionist Party
List of Figures
Fig. 5.1 a Local arts committees in 1955–1956. b Local arts
committees in 1960–1961 81
Fig. 5.2 a Local authorities giving a grant to CEMA in 1951.
b Local authorities giving a grant to CEMA in 1956.
c Local authorities giving a grant to CEMA in 1961 84
Fig. 6.1 Parliamentary sessions dedicated to arts-related topics 121
Fig. 6.2 Number of pages on arts-related topics in the Stormont
Papers 122
Fig. 11.1 Evolution of the budget for the different art forms
(1969–1990) 206
Fig. A.1 Organisation chart of CEMA (Source Based on
Mr. Krieg, “Organisation Chart—CEMA (NI), 1946”,
Arts Council of Northern Ireland, AC/3/1, Belfast,
PRONI) 301
Fig. A.2 Attendance at arts events by age group, 2012 (Source
Strategic Development Department (ACNI), Arts
and Culture in Northern Ireland, Belfast: Arts Council
of Northern Ireland, 2012, p. 7) 302
Fig. A.3 Evolution of the government grant (in £) to CEMA
(1943–1963) 302
Fig. A.4 Evolution of the government grant (in £)
to CEMA/ACNI (1943–2016) 303
ix
List of Tables
Table 5.1 Number of events organised in and outside Belfast
for the financial year 1950–1951 78
Table 5.2 Example of grants given by local authorities
between 1955 and 1960 85
xi