The terms of reference for the Arts Council Strategic Review 2014 have been announced along with details of the steering group.
General statement of purpose
- The Arts Council is undertaking a review of how it addresses its remit so as to inform future policy and strategy.
- This Strategic Review is being undertaken ten years after the 2003 Arts Act in a rapidly changing cultural context and at a time of significant constraint on the public finances.
- The Arts Council has instituted this review so as to benefit from a process of detailed deliberation and analysis.
- The process - overseen by a Steering Group chaired independently and including external experts - will include an examination of key aspects of the Arts Council's work and will be informed by dialogue with stakeholders, partners and those in the arts sector.
- The findings of the review will inform Arts Council thinking about how it interprets and implements its remit to support and develop the arts.
- The findings will help to shape future Arts Council actions and decisions across all of its work.
Terms of Reference
1. To conduct a review of key aspects of the work of the Arts Council and of their outcomes.
2. Taking account of the economic and public sector context in which the Arts Council operates and in particular of the impacts since 2008 of that significantly altered environment, to consider the challenges likely to arise in the medium-term; and to make suggestions as to how the Arts Council might best plan undertake its work in the future.
3. Taking account of likely resources (human and financial) in the medium-term and of the dependency on the Arts Council that characterises much present provision, to examine the viability and sustainability of current models of support and to propose possible actions to maximise the benefits of likely available resources, including attending to flexible and scalable models of provision.
4. To give consideration in its analysis and proposals to the possibilities that lie in models of cultural practice (production / dissemination / reception) linked to digital technology.
5. To consider new strategic actions which might complement or replace existing actions and so assist the Arts Council in addressing its statutory functions.
6. To provide a focus and process for dialogue with stakeholders and partners in the arts and other relevant fields to address issues of common concern.
7. To undertake such research (including comparative study from other fields in Ireland or from the arts abroad) as would inform the review.
8. To report to the Arts Council on its findings and to propose options or otherwise make suggestions as to existing strategies, actions and models of provision it might (a) maintain; (b) alter; (c) cease; and new strategies, actions and models it might undertake whether unilaterally or in partnership.
For the full media release, including biographical notes on members of the steering group, see the external link below.
http://www.artscouncil.ie/en/news/news.aspx?article=4c42e8d0-5e08-42c3-b645-e49603d504e6