Gift amazing Art to someone you love this Christmas, supported by The National Lottery
17th November, 2023
The Arts Council of Northern Ireland has rounded up some gift ideas, perfect for someone you love this Christmas, supported by The National Lottery.
Get crafty
At Craft NI you can buy handmade work by some of NI’s most talented designer-makers, supported by The National Lottery. So much to choose from! Visit www.craftnigallery.org
Gift an amazing show
There are so many great shows on, supported by The National Lottery! Winter Circus, Out to Lunch Festival, The MAC, Portico of Ards, Lyric Theatre, Ulster Orchestra, Grand Opera House, Millennium Forum, Waterside Theatre and The Playhouse all have fantastic festive shows to offer, supported by The National Lottery, so why not buy some tickets or a voucher?
Music from Northern Ireland
So many Arts Council award-winning musicians with great albums out, supported by The National Lottery, check out the new pop/rock albums Daylight Savings by Reevah, and Rosborough’s, Every Memory. If folk/trad is more up your street, Dani Larkin’s new album, Walking with Natives, and Gino Lupari’s No turning Back, are musts! Jazz enthusiasts will enjoy Scott Flanigan’s Clouded Lines, and Linley Hamilton’s Ginger’s Hollow. Available from all good music shops and streaming services.
Dun Uladh
Not sure what to get for your loved one this Christmas? Give the gift of music!
Gift vouchers can be used for concerts, music classes and our online store! Visit www.dunuladh.ie/shop/
Books galore
Books always make a great gift, check out Michael Magee’s, Close To Home (Hamish Hamilton), winner of the Rooney Prize and Susannah Dickey’s ISDAL (Pan Macmillan), shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Poetry. Available from all good book shops.
Why not gift a 2024 Irish Pages Literary Diary. A week-to-view diary, this elegant and practical publication gathers extracts from twenty years of outstanding writing from Irish Pages and The Irish Pages Press. With an array of distinguished Irish and international authors, The 2024 Irish Pages Literary Diary is an essential holiday gift for readers, supported by The National Lottery.
'Terri Hooley: 75 Revolutions' by Stuart Bailie celebrates one of our great cultural figures at a milestone birthday. It remembers the punk legacy of Good Vibrations, The Undertones The Outcasts and RUDI, but goes back to Terri's radical youth and also pictures his current life as a senior, alternative upstart. Stuart Bailie is a music journalist, former Assistant Editor of NME and a long-time Terri associate. He has reached into his archive of interviews and Hooley adventures to find reason in a turbulent life. No other story spins out like 75 Revolutions. It's a self-published book with 144 pages and over 100 images available at www.digwithit.com
Buy a dream art work
The 142nd Royal Ulster Academy Exhibition is now on at the Ulster Museum with all artworks available to buy. The RUA Annual Exhibition is one of the most eagerly anticipated exhibitions in the Northern Irish cultural calendar and contains examples of painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, video and more. The must-see exhibition is free to view until 1 January 2024. Visit www/royalulsteracademy.org
Own Art is an interest free loan scheme which makes buying a piece of art more affordable by spreading the cost over 10 months. Choose from jewellery, ceramics, paintings and more. For participating galleries in NI visit www.ownart.org.uk
Belfast Exposed's Big Christmas Photo Sale, supported by The National Lottery, provides the opportunity for anyone with a passion for photography to have their own work exhibited while also being available for sale, with proceeds going towards Mitchell House School in east Belfast. Pieces will be on display from 21 November to 23 December. Visit www.belfastexposed.org
Also check out the Queen Street Studios Christmas Show & Sale from 30 November to 20 December and buy art direct from local artists in their studios. www.queenstreetstudios.net
Pop along to Belfast Print Workshop’s to buy framed prints by BPW members working across a range of techniques, supported by The National Lottery, www.bpw.org.uk
Buy a new musical instrument
The Take It Away scheme offers the opportunity to buy a musical instrument, equipment or software, with an interest free loan repaid over 10 months. See www.takeitaway.org.uk for participating retailers in Northern Ireland.
#GiftTheArts this Christmas!
Give someone you love the gift of the arts this Christmas, while supporting a local charity.
You can purchase Young at Art gift vouchers in handy denominations of £10, £20 and £30.
Vouchers may be redeemed against any of the performances in Belfast Children’s Festival, 8-16 March 2024, or one of their year round Baby Raves, the original and best interactive dance event for parents and children.
Belfast Children's Festival 2024 launches in January.
Visit https://youngatart.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/products/regular
