Art in Every Place – Arts Council and local authorities mark 40 years of partnership bringing the arts to every corner of Ireland

Art in Every Place – Moling Ryan, Interim Director, Arts Council, Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O’ Donovan TD,, Maura McGrath, Chair, Arts Council, and Colín O’Reilly, CCMA / LGMA representative pictured. Picture: Don Moloney  

Art in Every Place celebrates four decades of co-investment in artists, communities and cultural infrastructure in every local authority

The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon and Ireland’s 31 local authorities today marked 40 years of partnership at a special event, Art in Every Place, held in Limerick City Gallery of Art.  

The reception was attended by Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan TD, alongside representatives of the Arts Council, the County and City Management Association (CCMA), other local authority representatives, and Arts Officers from across Ireland.

The partnership between the Arts Council and local government began in 1985 with the appointment of the first County Arts Officer in Clare County Council and the establishment of the State’s first local authority arts office in 1986. Today, all 31 local authorities in Ireland has an arts office, embedding arts expertise in local government and supporting artists and communities in every city and county.

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Between the years 2005 and 2025, €2.6 billion was jointly invested in the arts through this partnership, strengthening cultural infrastructure and widening access to the arts in every county.

The collaboration has transformed how people experience the arts locally. Through joint investment, local authorities and the Arts Council have supported venues, festivals, youth arts, public art programmes and artist supports across the local government sector.  

Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O’ Donovan TD, commented, “As Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, I am very proud to mark the 40th anniversary of this partnership between the Arts Council and local government. Over four decades, this collaboration has changed the cultural landscape of Ireland, supporting artists, strengthening communities, and ensuring that people in every corner of the country can experience and participate in the arts close to home. Today is an opportunity to celebrate that achievement, to acknowledge the dedication of everyone involved, and to look ahead to what this partnership can continue to deliver for communities across Ireland.”

Maura McGrath, Chair of the Arts Council, said, “For forty years, the Arts Council’s partnership with local government has played a central role in bringing the arts into everyday life in every corner of Ireland. Working closely with Arts Offices throughout the country, this partnership has transformed access to the arts – supporting artists locally, deepening connections with communities, and ensuring that where you live or who you are never limits your access to creativity. This anniversary celebrates the power of that partnership and looks ahead to the next chapter of art in every place, for everyone.”

Chair of the CCMA Rural, Community, Culture, and Heritage Committee and Chief Executive of Carlow County Council, Coilín O’Reilly said, “Local authorities are at the heart of every community in Ireland. We see the benefits of supporting arts and culture locally to building connected, sustainable and engaged communities. Supporting our arts practitioners also contributes to local economic development, building a strong indigenous creative industry, leading to vibrant cultural offerings. Our arts officers are central to this activity. Through strategic arts plans, they support and collaborate with artists, foster public engagement, promote inclusion and diversity, and ensure equitable access to the arts. We are proud of what the partnership between the local government sector and the Arts Council has achieved over the past 40 years and we look forward to continuing to work together to enhance communities and to support creative endeavour.”

The Limerick event reflected on key milestones in the partnership, from the first arts office in Clare, through the national roll-out of arts offices under Better Local Government in 1997, to the Arts Act 2003, which placed arts planning on a statutory footing for local authorities. It also highlighted the impact of joint investment in infrastructure, public art, festivals and artist supports across the country.

Through its core themes – supporting artists; children and young people; communities; public art; festivals; arts infrastructure; and Arts Officers – the partnership reaches into every aspect of local cultural life.  

The partnership is underpinned by A Framework for Collaboration, the joint agreement between the Arts Council and the CCMA. Each local authority in the country has its own strategic arts plan, aligned to its County or City Development Plan and national arts strategies.