Sixteen grants have been allocated to a range of community groups, organisations and individuals from the Creative Waterford programme funding scheme. Katherine Collins, Creative Waterford Coordinator said of the 73 applications that the standard of applications was exceptionally high. She said
“It’s wonderful to see all the creative ideas out in the community, from festivals to arts, from heritage projects to book publishing and environmental themes.” She added that “2020 will be an unusual one for communities, and it’s important to promote the value of creativity and innovation in times of adversity.”
Programmes and groups awarded were:
- Ah go on…/ Waterford Healing Arts Trust
- Art Pollination /Waterford Sustainable Living Initiative
- Blueway Poetry Festival / The Red House Poets
- Cotton Library Project / Cotton Library, Lismore
- Creative Art for Survivors / Right of Place Second Chance
- Creative Collectives / Creative Collectives
- Dunes / Derek Flynn & Joanne McCarthy
- Mercy Creative Arts Week Our Lady of Mercy Secondary School
- New Play for Waterford / Red Kettle Theatre Company
- New Ways of Looking / Garter Lane Arts Centre
- Péacóg Féile Ealaíne / Dún Garbhán le Gaeilge
- Recovery Rythyms /Aiseiri Ceim Eile
- Tramore Circus Skills Workshops / Tramore Youth & Family Project (Foróige)
- Space For Lismore – Photo Archive Project / Lismore Castle Arts
- Wall of Sound / St Paul’s Community college
- Waterford Women’s Centre History Group / Waterford Women’s Centre
Commenting after receiving the news about funding, youth member of Dún Garbhán le Gaeilge – Ríain O’Donoghue, said “the “Péacóg – Féile Ealaíne” or “Péacog Arts Festival” is a bilingual arts festival for young people that aims to empower young artists by giving them a stage on which they can create and express themselves in Irish or English.
Claire Meaney, Arts Director of Waterford Healing Arts Trust said the funding will be used for ‘Ah go on’ “a 12 week pilot art project for people living in the community who access community mental health services.”
Waterford City and County Council has run the Creative Waterford Open Call since 2017and invites everyone to look at the superb projects delivered by Waterford communities and artists at https://www.creativeireland.gov.ie/en/waterford/