THE BONNYMEN STEPHEN JAMES SMITH CURATES ‘CREATIVITY’ Winter/Spring OUR FUNDERS FOREWORD From our Principal Funder The Duncairn is at the heart of what is happening in the arts in north Belfast. It is creating opportunities for people to engage with a whole range of top quality creative experiences, in a shared space that is welcoming to all and which actively encourages people from different backgrounds and circumstances to come together. The Arts Council is proud to be the principal funder of this remarkable creative hub though our National Lottery funds. This year the National Lottery celebrates 25 years of making it possible for arts organisations just like this to be ambitious and innovative and make a big impact on their local communities. With the help of this investment, The Duncairn continues to deliver an excellent programme of inspiring, enriching and inclusive arts and cultural experiences for everyone to enjoy. Roisin McDonough, Chief Executive, Arts Council of Northern Ireland work for our events team, but we are all determined to make this work and we are grateful for the support INTRODUCTION we’ve received for this from you - our audiences and our community. From our Creative Director We are working with Bryson House and other agencies, taking advice It’s 2020 and here’s our new on to the next level, not only as an on how we can become better with programme. To everyone out there, organisation, but as a part of this our recycling and environmental I want to say please have a look at community. practices. It’s early days, and we have what’s happening at The Duncairn. a lot to learn, but we have so much Come and join us, don’t be put off by It’s all change with the catering at to be proud of in north Belfast, and words like ‘arts’, or ‘creativity’. We The Duncairn as well. Café Krem the environment needs to be part of just want people to get involved and moved on to pastures new at the end that. Let’s try hard to get even better, enjoy themselves. Whether it’s to get of last year, and I would like to thank not just at The Duncairn, but on our your head showered, to learn a new them sincerely for the commitment streets as well. skill, catch a show, meet friends, make and time spent with us. But we think new friends, read, sing, paint, or take we’ve found the perfect replacement Lastly, none of this would happen a photo - we want to offer something and we’re delighted to welcome Love without my small but mighty that is hopefully going to suit you, it’s Works who have taken over the café at staff team, our volunteers, artists, as simple as that. If you have Belfast The Duncairn. Love Works is a workers performers, funders, audience in your DNA, please come on down, cooperative based here in north members and the wider community. this place is for you. And if you aren’t Belfast, and we reckon that ethically Thanks for all your continued support from Belfast, we want you to come and in terms of our organisational throughout 2019. We’re looking here and get a taste of what Belfast ethos, they are a perfect fit. This is forward to getting stuck into 2020. has to offer. a cooperative café that values its customers and aims to give its very, Ray Giffen, In many ways 2020 is no different very best to people at affordable Creative Director, The Duncairn from previous years in that we’ll prices. If you’ve attended any Fifty be doing our very best to provide Social Club or 100 Club nights here, superior high-quality arts for you to you will have tasted some of their enjoy and take part in. However, we fare already. Yup! It’s going to be that also hope to start working with some good. different partners over the course of this year, just to make sure we In 2019 we started our single-use keep things fresh. We can’t let the plastics ban, which meant that we grass grow under our feet. You’ll get asked our audiences not to bring bored with us! We’ll get bored with disposable plastic bags or plastic us! We want to continue offering our bottles with them. We began offering community the services they deserve. reusable plastic glasses for people to So, we’ve submitted two new funding use on the night, which they return, applications, and if they’re successful and we wash at the end of the event. they could help move The Duncairn To be honest, that does add more THE ARTS MATTER Philip King, Other Voices The arts matter for at least four sets of reasons: first because creativity, culture and the arts are essential to our wellbeing and valuable in their own right as uniquely irreplaceable human activities; second for the individual and personal benefits that they confer by enabling us to imagine, invent, interpret and communicate diverse ways of seeing the world; third for the communal and societal value and diversity that they create, promote and share; and fourth for the value that they add to our reputation globally and for their potential to strengthen our role in developing bilateral relationships by enriching common ground. John Tusa, former Director of The Barbican in London puts it like this: “The arts matter because they embrace, express and define the soul of a civilisation. A nation without arts would be a nation that had stopped talking to itself, stopped dreaming, and had lost interest in the past and lacked curiosity about the future.” The Duncairn’s is a significant venue for the performing arts, and as a venue that values artists and treats them with the dignity and respect that they deserve. The Duncairn is building connections locally and more widely across the Belfast region. Our work with The Duncairn is driven by the belief that culture and the arts build the bridges that we need, and they empower people to navigate the borders and boundaries that get in the way of full, active participation in community and society. Philip King, Director of Other Voices Love Works Café delicious wheat loaves. new project called the 100 Club. So, because of this, everything increases, “new year new venture” The first six weeks or so will be a indeed the amount of Tapas and wine settling in period, but they are open doubles. With that in mind we’ve had We’re really, really, excited about and ready for business. Operating to increase the admission fee, yet it the new caterers who have taken up Monday-Saturday they want to keep still somehow manages to be the best residence at The Duncairn, and we things simple, delicious, fresh, and value (and sometimes the hottest can’t wait to hear what you think. good quality. Come down and check ticket) in town. Our brand-new café is part of Love out the new Love Works Cooperative Works, a workers cooperative based café at The Duncairn, you’ll love it! in north Belfast, and their operations 100 Arts & Social Club include an artisan bakery, gardening We’re upping the ante. The last series and landscaping service, and a Prices bike repair workshop. “We want to of 100 Clubs reached a clear peak regarding talent and musicianship, generate dignity and well-being for Making arts accessible for as many stagecraft and innovation and people, for our workers, and for the people as possible is at the heart of tradition. But we didn’t challenge community we are part of by giving what we do, so if anybody out there you enough. We didn’t send you workers the right to decide the best feels that you can’t afford to attend home with questions in your head, way forward and by supporting a a class, if our pricing inhibits you, if or points to be examined further. vibrant family-based community,” you qualify for a subsidised fee, or Our new season though, that’s they explained, referring us to their you reach our criteria for a free place, different. From Young-Turk-spoken- website for more info. “We want to please just call. This discussion is word-upstart Stephen James Smith, create a welcoming and inclusive private, if you speak to a member of to globally recognised musician- working environment which sustains our team about this it is treated with filmmaker-broadcaster-Other livelihoods, healthy relationships and utmost confidentiality. Tell us your Voices-founder Philip King, we provides a place of belonging.” We circumstances, and if the person is intend to get you pondering know this is a meeting of minds with eligible we’ll have no hesitation in and pausing and double-taking. us here at The Duncairn. providing a number of free places. We have the contemporary and “Our new café at The Duncairn will With regards to music events, in traditional Irish music singer and be serving freshly made food, with general tickets prices have stayed Fair Plé campaigner Pauline Scanlon as many locally sourced ingredients still or even decreased. The only curating the International Women’s as possible,” they explained. The price increase has been a move Day event. While the last 100 Club menu will be based around the from our first year of extremely of this programme will gather the products that the Love Works bakery successful events at the Club Fifty Creative Collective of singer and produces including cakes, pastries, Arts and Social Club, to the 100 multi-instrumentalist John Francis and bread - but not just any bread! Club.