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 February 2019 – Dermot Seymour
Friday 1st February 2019 at 10am
Dermot Seymour studied at the University of Ulster, where he received a BA in Art & Design in 1978 and an Advanced Diploma in Art and Design in 1981. Dermot’s work has been included in many internationally recognised and award winning exhibitions, and he has held solo shows in Belfast, Dublin, New York, Berlin and Paris.
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Artist of the Month January 2019 – John McKeag
Thursday 3rd January 2019 at 11am
John McKeag graduated in 1988 with a BA Hons Degree in Fine Art (Painting) from Medlock Fine Art Centre in Manchester, and then completed a Diploma in Ceramics at Wandsworth College in London in 1995. Following a brief period assisting the potter Lisa Hammond at her studio in Greenwich, John returned to Belfast in 1999 and went on to complete the “Craftworks” pottery skills course in Derry.
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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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