An Chomhairle Ealaíon An Naoú Turascáil Bhliantúil is Fiche, maille le Cúntais don bhliain dár chrioch 31ú Nollaig 1980. Tíolacadh don Rialtas agus leagadh faoi bhráid gach Tí den Oireachtas de bhun Altanna 6 (3) agus 7 (1) den Acht Ealáion 1951. Twenty-ninth Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31st December, 1980. Presented to the Government and laid before each House of the Oireachtas pursuant to Sections 6 (3) and 7 (1) of the Arts Act, 1951. Cover: Druid Theatre's presentation of "Island Surrounded by a Bridge of Glass" by Gary Hynes. The play featured live music by De Danann. Photography by Fergus Bourke. Drawing and layout by Robert Armstrong. Members James White, Chairman Brendan Adams Kathleen Barrington Brian Boydell Make de Paor Andrew Devane Bridget Doolan Dr J. B. Kearney Hugh Maguire Louis Marcus Seán Ó Tuama Donald Potter Nora Relihan Michael Scott Richard Stokes Dr T.J.Walsh James Warwick Staff Director Colm Ó Briain Drama and Dance Officer Arthur Lappin Opera and Music Officer Marion Creely Traditional Music Officer Paddy Glackin Education and Community Arts Officer Adrian Munnelly Literature and Combined Arts Officer Laurence Cassidy Visual Arts Officer/Grants Medb Ruane Visual Arts Officer/Exhibitions Patrick Murphy Finance and Regional Development Officer David McConnell Administration, Research and Film Officer David Kavanagh Administrative Assistant Nuala O'Byrne Secretarial Assistants Veronica Barker Patricia Callaly Bernadette Eastwood Kevin Healy Bernadette O'Leary Colette Waters Receptionist Kathryn Cahille 70 Merrion Square, Dublin 2. Tel: (01) 764685 An Chomhairle Ealaíon An Chomhairle Ealaíon/The Arts Council is an independent organization set up under the Arts Acts 1951 and 1973 to promote the arts. It operates through a wide-ranging programme of financial assistance and special services, offered to both individuals and organizations. The Council also acts as an adviser an artistic matters to the Government and Government Departments and is one of four bodies which have a statutory duty to make representations to planning authorities in connection with applications For planning permission in areas of special amenity throughout the country. The Council consists of a board of not more than seventeen members appointed by the Taoiseach. The present board was appointed in December 1978 and its term of office will expire in 1983. The board -meets about ten times a year to set Council policies and make decisions within the terms of the Arts Acts. These policies and decisions are implemented by a staff headed by a Director, appointed by the Council. The Council reports to the Oireachtas through the Taoiseach and its accounts are audited by the Auditor General. Annual grants from the Oireachtas are the Council's main source of income. These grants are supplemented by income from local authorities and private organizations and the Council also administers a number of trust funds, set up privately for specific purposes. The arts are defined in the Arts Acts and include: The Visual Arts (painting, sculpture, architecture, print-making, design); The Performing Arts (theatre, dance, music, opera); Literature; Film; Crafts. Chairman's Introduction Much of the Council's work and indeed much of this Report, is concerned with institutions and organisations involved with the promotion of the arts. In providing grants to these organisations the Council involves itself in a complex set of relationships which seeks to balance artistic freedom and financial accountability. The Council perceives its role as one of assessing the validity of the artistic objectives set by these organisations, measuring how the resources available are employed in the service of these objectives and ensuring that the funds available are efficiently and effectively utilised. This requires grant-aided organisations to keep the Council fully briefed on all artistic and financial questions so that to the best of all our abilities we can show that investment in the arts is value for money. Important as these organisations are they were not the main focus of the Council's deliberations during this year. The question of the individual artist was examined in considerable depth. Early in the year we published our survey on the Living and Working Conditions of Artists in Ireland. The information provided to the Council in this survey was not new but for the first time a statistical basis was available against which we could measure our own effectiveness as a Council in this regard. The bursary programme which has been developed over recent years has met with considerable success. However, the large volume of deserving applications which have had to be refused gave some indication of how limited a solution this programme was to meeting the needs of artists. A special scheme was introduced during the year to encourage new compositions by Irish composers and to ensure the public performance of these new works. A similar scheme has already been introduced in relation to assisting the commissioning of new books from Irish writers and publishers began to avail of this scheme during the year. In both these schemes the artist is chosen, not by the Council, but by the commissioning organisation. Ironically, the Council's traditional role as a patron of the visual arts presented difficulties in developing a similar scheme in relation to painting and sculpture. However, it is hoped that a scheme for commissioned works of art for public places will be introduced in the coming year. It is clear, however, on the basis of the information provided by the Survey that these schemes in themselves will not be sufficient to provide a framework within which writers, composers, painters and sculptors can concentrate on their artistic work without considerable financial deprivations. We have decided, therefore, to initiate a comprehensive proposal which will offer opportunities for the development of the creative artist in Ireland. James White, May, 1981 Post scriptum January 22nd 1982 The very late publication of this report is a matter of regret and concern. A number of factors have conspired in the delay not the least of which is the ever increasing workload which the Council's staff are required to undertake. The restriction on additional staff in the public sector makes it difficult to avoid such a delay and the Council may have to prepare future reports in a different format. Brian Friel's Translations Report The year was marked by a new confidence in the arts. The Cultural Relations Committee of the Department of Foreign Affairs funded the ambitious Sense of Ireland Festival which took place in London at the beginning of the year. The six week programme of artistic events was a reflection of the development in the arts which has been achieved by the Arts Council and those involved in the arts in recent years. The music, theatre, dance, visual art and literature presentations demonstrated a clarity of cultural identity and artistic purpose never before so strongly expressed. Some of the events in this major festival received generous private sponsorship. The Council has been anxious that the greatest possible encouragement should be given to private companies and individuals to support the arts and has been seeking a clarification of the terms of Section 547 of the Income Tax Act 1967 which provides for tax relief on "... a gift of money, which on or after the 6th day of April, 1965, is made to the Minister for Finance for use for any purposes for or towards the cost of which public moneys are provided and which is accepted by that Minister." A sponsor who was prepared to make a contribution of £10,000 to the Arts Council for the benefit of theatre activities was informed by the Department of Finance that such a donation would qualify for tax relief. On the basis of this precedent the Council' made representations to the Department for agreed procedures which would ensure tax relief for sponsors of the arts. The Council failed to get guidelines from the Department on the application of the section to donations of more than £500. However a gift of £5 for the promotion of opera subsequently qualified for tax relief. There is further provision for tax relief on donations which are covenanted over a period of years for the purposes of education or research in the natural sciences. The Council has submitted a proposal to the Department of the Taoiseach for the inclusion of "creative and performing arts" under this legislative heading The most significant piece of legislation affecting the arts in 1980 was the Film Board Act, which is discussed later in this Report (see page 00). This legislation is broad in its intention and scope and enables the Minister for Industry, Commerce and Tourism to establish a Board to "assist and encourage by any means it considers appropriate the making of films in the State and the development of an industry in the State for the making of films." However, as the Act also empowers the Minister to direct the Film Board on matters of policy the crucial test of the value of this legislation will be whether the Board will be able to initiate and implement a policy for film culture, or whether directions by the Minister will effectively limit the autonomy of the Board in this regard. The Act does provide for the first time a framework for the development of film making in Ireland, but the Council shares the apprehensions of Irish film makers about the dangers of an undue emphasis on studio-based foreign productions. The constitutional and procedural framework of organisations receiving grants from the Arts Council was considered by the Council during the year. It is important that publicly funded arts organisations, should have an overall structure which promotes the development of dynamic artistic programmes and utilises artistic and financial resources to the maximum benefit of the community.