Northern Ireland
Browse ArchiveThe Arts make a major contribution to life in Northern Ireland.
They make a strong contribution to the economy, with our excellent arts venues driving the night-time economy, our distinctive arts and cultural attractions drawing visitors and business to the region, and our Creative Industries rapidly becoming one of our main sources of job and wealth creation.
The arts are also firmly engaged at the heart of community life in Northern Ireland – in schools helping to build young people’s confidence and communications skills; in care homes helping older people to cope with isolation and loneliness; in our hospitals introducing a reassuring human dimension to clinical environments; in local neighbourhoods driving the many successful neighbourhood regeneration programmes that are enabling residents to rebuild their communities.
Here are some recent highlights of inspiring work by artists and organisations working in Northern Ireland today, supported by the Arts Council.
Recent Northern Ireland Projects
Artist of the Month December 2018 – Dougal McKenzie
Monday 3rd December 2018 at 11am
Dougal McKenzie was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, and studied painting and drawing at Gray’s School of Art in Aberdeen, before moving to Belfast in 1990 to undertake an M.A. Fine Art Course at the University of Ulster. Dougal continues to live and work in Belfast to this day.
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Artist of the Month November 2018 – Gareth Reid
Thursday 1st November 2018 at 10am
Gareth Reid was born in Belfast, and studied at the University of Ulster, the Glasgow School of Art, and the Florence Academy of Art. He currently lives and works in Glasgow. In addition to teaching portraiture and life drawing at the Centre for Lifelong Learning at Strathclyde University, Gareth runs his own drawing classes in Glasgow and abroad.
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Artist of the Month October 2018 – Anne Butler
Monday 8th October 2018 at 2pm
Anne Butler is a ceramic artist based in Belfast. Anne received a BA Ceramics from Ulster University, and an MA Ceramics from the University of Wales in 2000. Anne is a member of both the Royal British Society of Sculptors (RBSS), and Contemporary Applied Arts, London (CAA).
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