Arts Council Funding 2017

Arts Council Funding for local arts provision in 2017:
The Arts Council of Ireland awarded €69,992 to Carlow Arts Office through its Annual Application Grant for 2017 Revenue Funding. In addition to this 4% increase, the Arts Council offered Local Authorities the opportunity to apply for an additional 4.4% funding in 2017.

In 2017 Carlow County Council’s investment in the arts was €748,500.
Carlow County Council continues to invest significantly across a number of key strategic areas that includes VISUAL. We also invest in our artists and communities through professional development, bursaries, grants, advice and support and through key strategic youth arts initiatives such as Music Generation Carlow and County Carlow Youth Theatre. Additionally, the Arts Office supported a number of highlight initiatives such as leading and coordinating Culture Night and Arts Officer, Sinead Dowling was appointed to coordinate the Creative Ireland Carlow programme.

Alongside the Local Enterprise Office Carlow County Council Arts Office continues to invest in Festivals such as Carlow Arts Festival and The Festival of Writing and Ideas at Borris, County Carlow and a number of other countywide cultural festivals who continue to showcase the very best in Irish and International artists and attract significant cultural tourists to the county. In 2017 Carlow Arts Office continued to develop with Carlow Arts Festival a temporary site specific multi-disciplinary arts commission called Site Works which sees sites around Carlow town activated by artists interventions during the festival.

The Arts Council hosted a Creative Places seminar in Carlow on September 28th, as a direct result of local arts development in County Carlow and the initiative Take A Part Carlow. This seminar was part of a research phase of the new Creative Place program which is intended to be rolled out in 2018/2019. The program endeavors to enable more communities to choose, join in and generate remarkable arts experiences in the places where they live.

Carlow was one of just two venues chosen as a Creative Place alongside Dublin. The seminar was hosted at Askea Parish center and was well attended with many participants from Carlow as well as participants traveling from Galway, Clare, Cork etc. to attend.

Artlinks

In February, The Artlinks partners of the Arts Offices of Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford and Wexford local authorities, supported by the Arts Council, announced that over €50,000 in bursaries has been awarded to artists from the South East by the Artlinks.These awards enable both emerging and established artists who are resident in the four partner counties in the South-East region to access professional development opportunities across all art forms. The following 5 artists were awarded grants from County Carlow:
Dance: Sinead McCormack; Visual Arts: Mark Buckeridge, Tadhg O’Sullivan, Maree Hensey; Music: Nuala Dalton

Artists and Community Grants

In 2017, The Arts Office of Carlow County Council awarded a number of artists and community groups funding through the 2003 Arts Act Grant. The Grants permit a local authority to provide financial assistance for the purposes of stimulating public interest in the arts, promoting the knowledge, appreciation and practices of the arts, or improving standards in the arts. In this act, the expression “the arts” means creative or interpretative expression (traditional or contemporary) in whatever form and includes in particular visual arts, theatre, literature, music, dance, opera, film, circus and architecture. These grants are set in two competitions, one for individual artists living in Carlow or who are from Carlow to enable them to pursue their practice and to develop within their chosen discipline.

Carol Nelson recipient of Arts Act Grant 2017

Total Budget 2017 Artist Grant allocation was €14,000. 30 applications were received with a total fund of €64,414.77 sought. Following assessment by an external panel 16 individual grant applications were awarded to artists from across the County.

The second available grant scheme is under organisations/community groups who wish to undertake an art related activity or project, 19 community organisations and groups received funding in 2017 that included: St Dympna's Hospital; Presentation School Band; Equal Chances Polish School; Carlow Writers Co-Operative; Co. Carlow Womens Network; Barrow Valley Group of Painters; CIFE; Aspiro; Lá Nua, Bagenalstown; Blueprint Artists Network; Carlow Youth Orchestra; Oakley Wood Community Group; Carlow Choral Society; Extraordinary Bodies, CAF; Carlow’s Active Retirement; Striking Productions; Between Your Love & Mine and Carlow Little Theatre. A total of €46,677.55 was sought and a total budget of €22,000 in 2017 was available and awarded.

Carlow Writer in Residence Program

Due to the successful nature of the Carlow Writer in Residence Program initiated by the Arts Office over the last 10 years as a long-term program for nurturing emerging writers from all corners of the county, Carlow Arts Office continued to support this project through 2017.

Over the year, Carlow County Council Arts Office in partnership with County Carlow Library Services worked with Playwright and Author John MacKenna on this exciting initiative with 28 new and emerging writers of all ages and backgrounds from across County Carlow as they continue their journey on the road to writing through regular workshops. Over 75 local people engaged with John MacKenna during the duration of the 2 year residency period.
Carlow Library Writers Group presented their first public reading of 2017 on 14th February last. The group expressed their views on love in prose and poetry at this free and lighthearted event in Carlow Central Library. Another successful reading took place in VISUAL during the pop-up festival where they read some of their new work to a full house. As part of Culture Night Carlow the group premiered a series of short films of their poetry readings. These short films were commissioned through Carlow Arts Office and can be viewed on line here

Music Generation Carlow

Throughout 2017, Music Generation Carlow continued to support over 5,500 young people actively involved in the schools and communities’ music program throughout the county. This represents the largest music education partnership in the country.

Music Generation Carlow choral performance

Led by Music Generation Carlow Co-ordinator Paula Phelan based in the Kilkenny Carlow Education Training Board, the lead partner of Music Generation Carlow and funded and supported by Carlow County Council. The 3rd Music @ Mount Leinster, Traditional Music Festival in Borris Vocational School was held in February 2017. With invited traditional groups coming from all over Ireland including Carlow, Laois, and Cork. The festival included two main concerts, workshops and sessions for young musicians from around the county.

During the week of the 9th April students from Carlow Vocational School and Carlow College of Music traveled to Cork city to attend CIT Cork School of Music as part of BRASS OFF! a Music Generation National Partnership Project. Members of Music Generation Carlow were lucky to work with the incredible Barrack Street Band and Foxford Brass and Reed Band representing Music Generation Cork City and Music Generation Mayo. This was a fantastic opportunity for young Carlow musician to showcase their talents on a national stage.

In 2017 Music Generation Carlow Gala Concerts took place on 24th and 25th May in the George Bernard Shaw Theatre. The Gala Concerts allowed participants to showcase their talents over two magical nights of performance from young musical ambassadors throughout County Carlow.

Sing Carlow Encore Vocal Performances! was a fantastic weeklong event for schools involved in the Music Generation Carlow Vocal program. Six performances by over 1000 children from around County Carlow participated in this event running from May 15th to May 22nd at venues in Borris, Bagenalstown, Tullow and Carlow.

Music Generation Carlow’s traditional music ensembles ReelÓg and Reelig were privileged to feature on the Gig Rig stage at the All Ireland Fleadh in Ennis Co. Clare on the 17th August.

ReelÓg traditional music ensemble member

13 young musicians from Music Generation Carlow packed their instruments and jetted off to Sitges, Barcelona to perform alongside celebrated dance duo ‘Velocity’ on Saturday 28 October, as part of the Creative Connexions Festival of Irish and Catalan Culture. This is the second successive year that ‘Reelig’, performed in Sitges.

During December Music Generation Carlow’s young musicians performed at a whole host of festive musical events including ReelOg junior traditional musicians performed at Ducketts Grove Christmas Food and Craft Fair and Carlow Music Hub performance at Scoil Mhuire.
Reelig young traditional musicians from County Carlow performed in Dublin Castle at the Creative Ireland Forum on December 13 to the Taoiseach, this showcase was an exemplar and a nationally recognised, it was a proud moment for County Carlow to be given this opportunity.
In November, Music Generation Carlow officially launched their Strategic Plan 2017 – 2021 and Carlow Arts Office greatly look forward to witnessing their next stage of growth.

Take A Part Carlow

Young people from Tullow Road, Carlow performing as part of Take A Part Carlow in 2017

Take A Part Carlow Mask Making workshop 2017

The first Take A Part Carlow Arts Action Group meeting took place on January 26th at John Sweeney House on the Tullow Road. This Arts Action Group is made up of residents, young people and local agencies from the Tullow Road area. The group acts as representatives of the Tullow Road community and act as advisors/participants in Take A Part Carlow as the project develops.

Take A Part Carlow aims to break down barriers of what art is and how it can act as a tool to transform local communities, creating opportunities for social exchanges, participation, access and involvement in decisions relating to their direct locale. This initiative was designed and led through the Arts Office in partnership with Take A Part UK based in Plymouth.

In May, Sile Penkert was appointed as Project Manager for Take A Part Carlow to work alongside the Tullow Road Arts Action Group to develop a program of events for the Tullow Road Community. A logo and branding for the project was developed further concreting the groups identity.

Projects and events run through Take A Part Carlow during 2017 included:

• A site visit during February to Waterford Youth Arts and the Waterford Spraoi Festival in order to learn more about community arts initiatives already established in the South East. Over 10 local people from the Tullow Road area came on this visit.
• TAP Carlow was represented at the Family Fun Day on the Tullow Road on Sunday July 16th. This event featured Dublin Circus Project, have a BIG DOODLE, Make some artistic noise, and provided an opportunity to local communities to have some artistic fun, over 643 local people participated in this event.
• Workshops for the Tullow Road Community with artists Spoken Word artist Sarah Clancy & Print Maker Kate O'Shea during the weekend of 9th and 10th September. The workshop was fully booked out and a highly successful event.
• Sile Penkert, Project Coordinator for Take A Part – Carlow attended an international conference entitled Plymouth Art Weekender hosted by take A Part UK.
• Samhain Mask making: Mask Making Workshop with artist Caitriona McGowan carried out two free workshops over Halloween providing the young people from the Tullow Road area a chance to keep themselves busy and in the Halloween spirit.
• During December Sile Penkert, Take A Part Carlow coordinator began working collaboratively with the Arts Office of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council on developing ways of measuring the Social Impact of this community arts project in that area and how the arts can be used as a tool for social cohesion and inclusion, community development and well-being. A highlight of the Take A Part Carlow program so far is the commissioning of artist Michael Fortune. Michael was commissioned to work in the Tullow Road Area for eight months. Helping TAP Carlow to explore Carlow’s culture and folklore, while working with the Tullow Road community.

Michael Fortune residency with Take A Part Carlow in 2017

County Carlow Youth Theatre

County Carlow Youth Theatre, managed by Carlow Arts Office, are housed in VISUAL and meet weekly on Monday evening with the young people. There are currently 45 young people actively participating weekly. On February 6th CCYT presented new project entitled Resolution that formed the basis of their artistic programming for 2017. Directed by YT leader Eimear Cheasty the CCYT members explored spoken word, performance poetry and verbatim theatre as a vehicle to explore their own stories. This project culminated in an evening of new written works and performance presented in VISUAL by the members of CCYT.

Having been awarded Arts Council Young Ensemble Scheme funding for the production of new work in 2017, County Carlow Youth Theatre worked with visual artist Yvonne McGuinness to create a new production entitledYou Can’t Feel What You Feel which was presented as part of Carlow Arts Festival in June in the Ground Floor Galleries of VISUAL.

During the summer CCYT ran its Performing Arts Summer Camp in the George Bernard Shaw Theatre from 24th – 28th July with a great attendance and very positive feedback.

In the Autumn of 2017 a recruitment drive for younger people/members of CCYT began from the ages of 11-15, there is now as a result of that an established young group of 15 members who participate regularly and weekly in youth theatre.

The Pan Celtic Children’s Traditional Singing Project

During February 2017 Carlow County Council’s Arts Office unveiled a new initiative in association with the 2017 Carlow International Pan Celtic Festival – a children’s traditional singing project devised and delivered by traditional singer Aileen Lambert, who has a wealth of experience working on traditional song projects with various communities and is a specialist on traditional song with the Heritage-in-Schools scheme.

Aileen Lambert at the Pan Celtic Children’s Singing Project 2017

The project which ran over six weeks in Ballon culminated in a performance at Carlow County Library on Saturday April 22nd as part of this year’s Pan Celtic Festival. The project reached its capacity quickly with ten children taking part in workshops. Over fifty people attended their one hour performance and it proved a great opportunity for the young people to show case their work.

Creative Ireland

Enabling creativity in every community is a core pillar of the Creative Ireland Programme, an ambitious five-year initiative, from 2017 to 2022, which will place our strongest assets – our culture and creative communities - at the centre of public policy.

Carlow County Council and the Creative Ireland national team welcomed over one hundred people to an open meeting which took place on 21ST March at Carlow Old Town Hall. This meeting was the first opportunity for the County Council to share details about the Creative Ireland Programme and to explore opportunities to increase access, engagement and collaboration in the local arts and creative industries in Carlow.

Music Generations Reelig performing at the Creative Ireland Carlow open meeting in March 2017

The Creative Ireland Carlow Culture Team then went on to host a program of events on Easter Monday, 17th April as part of Cruinniú na Casca a national Creative Ireland initiative. Cruinniú na Cásca, Carlow provided an opportunity for all to get involved in the Cultural institutions in Carlow as we opened the doors of Visual, Carlow County Museum and Carlow Library for a range of free, family friendly events and also welcomed the Pan Celtic Nations as they arrived in to Carlow for The Pan Celtic International Festival 2017.

Events included a guided one hour tour of Carlow County Museum by museum curator, Dermot Mulligan. Carlow County Library presented an exhibition of work by artist Caroline Cunningham, Old Carlow Photos exhibition by Dermot O’Brien and Spring into Storytime a family story time session for young children and parents. VISUAL provided a drop-in make and do area, for budding artists to try their hand at designing their own ideal play space while visiting the current exhibition, The Playground Project.

Thursday 25th May saw the launch of 31 Local Authority Culture and Creativity Plans as part of the Creative Ireland Program. An Taoiseach Enda Kenny TD, and the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Heather Humphreys TD, announced the roll out of 31 Local Authority Culture and Creativity Plans for 2017, at a special event in Dublin Castle, which included a performance by Music Generation Carlow, an accomplished collective of young traditional Irish musicians. County Carlow’s activiation plan for 2017 saw over 92 promoted events from across the county.

Members of the Creative Ireland Carlow Culture Team at the launch of Carlow’s Culture and creativity Plan for 2017

The national launch was then followed in June by the launch of the Creative Ireland Carlow Culture and Creativity Plan 2017 by the Arts Office of Carlow County Council which can be downloaded from www.carlow.ie or https://creative.ireland.ie/en/local-plans/carlow. The plan features a Calendar of Cultural Events in Carlow for 2017 further helping to spread the word about culture and creativity in Carlow. July 2017 saw the Creative Ireland Carlow Culture team launch a new round of funding for 2017 through the Creative Ireland Carlow fund.

Through this Carlow Arts Office were able to support a wide range of arts, crafts, music and cultural groups, communities, public spaces, schools and clubs from across the county who were interested in developing a creative Samhain (Halloween) Community Event, funded through a new Culture Ireland.

Creative Ireland Carlow Samhain festival Trail

In all 11 groups qualified for this grant and the festival ran from 27th October to 5th November with successful events running in Carlow, Myshall, Ballon, Tinryland and Hacketstown. Groups such as Aspiro, Take A Part Carlow, The Irish Wheelchair Association, Tinryland NS, Ballon Improvement Group, An Gairdin Beo and St. Johns Caring Centre all hosted their own Samhain celebration as part of the Festival with great attendance at all events in particular at the Family Celebration of Oiche Samhain at Ducketts Grove which proved to be a sellout success.

Carlow County Council Creative Ireland Culture Team, coordinated by Arts Officer, Sinead Dowling was tasked with the production and development of a Culture and Creativity Strategy Plan for County Carlow 2018-2022. To successfully deliver a plan which engages local community and nurtures creativity in all Carlovians, the Culture Team held three workshops during November and December in both Municipal Districts welcoming stakeholder and public input through ‘Open Engagement Workshops’. These workshops were highly interactive and collaborative in order to future proof cultural development in County Carlow as well as to listen and respond relevantly at local level and were well attended with wide spread public participation.

An invitation to participate in open engagement workshops

Carlow Arts Festival

The Carlow Arts Festival 2017 program supported by Carlow Arts Office, was officially launched on Wednesday 26th April in Carlow College, St. Patrick’s. Carlow Arts Festival is a celebration of the many extraordinary riches the arts has to offer from national and international artists.

Extraordinary Bodies, recipients of Arts Act Grant 2017, at Carlow Arts Festival

This year the festival hand-picked world festival premières, award-winning shows, immersive visual arts projects, the best possible gigs for the O’Haras Pavilion and a whole host of family-friendly and free events with the Festival HQ on the beautiful grounds of Carlow College.

Visitors to Carlow Arts Festival on the grounds of Carlow College.

County Carlow Youth Arts Development Strategy

Carlow Arts Office have been leading the development of a cohesive countywide approach to youth arts provision. 22 local stakeholder organisations have been consulted with and working closely with Kilkenny Carlow ETB and Carlow Regional Youth Services.

Carlow County Council adopted its Local Arts Development Plan in 2016. This plan sets out the Council’s ambition, vision and mission for arts development, together with its investment priorities for the five year period 2016-2021. Under its strategic theme: To Sustain; we will develop a Youth Arts Policy that looks at the long-term provision for Youth Arts in County Carlow.

Carlow County Council, through its Arts Office, will develop and implement a Youth Arts Policy over the coming three-years which will provide for a pilot -model for integrated Youth Arts provision. This will focus on the development of an inclusive model of arts and cultural provision targeting children and young people across the county. This is a result of a recently completed rigorous consultation process that involved twenty two stakeholders including national and local youth arts, community and education partners, as well as local arts organisations and the cultural team in the local authority.

The key activation proposal is a long-term embedded partnership that seeks to secure resources to implement this pilot initiative. Over the next three years’ leadership and governance for the totality of arts and cultural program developed and offered to children and young people would shift to a new structure, which will be the first in Ireland, County Carlow Youth Arts Development Partnership.

Culture Night Carlow

Facilitated by Carlow County Council Arts Office Culture Night Carlow took place on Friday 22nd September from 3pm-10pm with 16+ free events happening around County Carlow on the night. Culture Night created a real sense of belonging through a rich display of arts, heritage, entertainment and activities for all the family. And audiences responded in their hundreds to support and enjoy the night.

Culture Night Carlow 2017 Program

With everything from a multicultural celebration at Forward Steps Family Resource Centre, Tullow. Guided Hands on tours of Carlow County Museum, and the Institute of Technology. Not to forget open nights at St. Patrick’s College Carlow, Carlow Library and Visual who hosted everything from pop up exhibitions, musical performances, film screenings, storytelling and art workshops throughout the evening.

A particular highlight on the night was the spectacular five-woman Fire Performance entitled Firefly on the grounds of St. Patrick’s College Carlow which was featured on the RTE Nine o’clock news!

Dublin Circus Project perform Fire Fly as part of Culture Night Carlow

Visual

In 2017, VISUAL achieved some significant milestones, with achievements and activities including:

• Publication of our Strategic Plan 2017 – 2021
• Increase of 7% in Theatre audiences
• Increase of 14% in VISUAL’s percentage of Box Office income
• Increase of 11% in VISUAL Bar Sales
• Over €103,000 paid out to local performance groups during the year
• Retention of our 2016 Arts Council program funding increase of 19%
• Awarded €20,000 through the Arts Council Engaging with Architecture funding stream for the Town Planners 2018 project
• Funding of €10,000 from the Heritage Council to produce the My Carlow Town Narrative project
• Sustainability of 39 full-time and part-time jobs
• Spin-out economic effects, including approx. 350 local bed nights for visiting performers and crews
• Capital Funding allocation of €20,000 from Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaelteacht Affairs

Social inclusion was a key focus, with 35% of theatre ticket sales going to targeted social groups, and partnerships to develop inclusive access with the National Council for the Blind, Carlow Integration Forum and Equinox Theatre Company.

VISUAL continued to support practitioners through commissioning new work, through payment of fair artist’s fees and through using our resources for the benefit of practitioners and groups in the region:

• Sinead McCormack – use of rehearsal room as part of Mermaid Art Centre Gap Day scheme
• John McKenna – rehearsal space for Between your Love and Mine
• Dance artist Emma Martin - supported with a week rehearsing in the theatre in advance of her new show in Dublin Theatre Festival as part of her residency in VISUAL
• Visual artist Rennie Buenting - supported her application to Culture Night to run print workshops
• VISUAL provided support for two Creative Ireland Samhain projects providing workshops for young people, by Carlow Youth Theatre and Aspiro Choir.
• Annabel Koenig – exhibition of poster as part of World Refugee Day project
• Carlow Photographic Society - supported through an exhibition of their images of Carlow as part of the ‘My Carlow’ town narrative project
• Irish Photography Federation - supported through an exhibition the work of the new members accepted into the IPF in 2017
• Visual artist Saidhbhin Gibson - supported through a solo exhibition in the upstairs Lobby Gallery as part of the Autumn exhibition season
• Local artist Gala Hutton held a pop up exhibition and launch in the bar in December.
• Monkeyshine Theatre Company - supported through programming into our Summer season as part of Penfest
• Hosted Drummin Bog pop up exhibition and art auction, organised by artists from the Nine Stones group in aid of the Drummin Bog in Carlow. Over 100 artists from the region participated.
• VISUAL engaged Carlow based artist Bridget Flannery as freelance schools and workshop facilitator
• Local productions and performances included Carlow Little Theatre’s Philadelphia Here I Come, Striking Productions A Christmas Carol and a music night by Eric Butler, all of which were very well-attended and well-received.
• VISUAL continued to give local community organisations free rehearsal space when the theatre is available in the lead up to productions, and offer support and advice on aspects of stagecraft, lighting design and marketing.
• VISUAL supported Dennis McNulty and Michelle Browne in successful Project Funding applications to the Arts Council

VISUAL continued to build on developing engagement in the arts through programming. In 2017 notable engagement projects included:

• Research project on Carlow Town Centre with DIT School of Architecture
• Research project on Carlow Town Centre with IT Carlow designCORE
• Graphic Design project with Waterford IT
• Carlow Town Narrative Project proposal devised with designCORE ITC
• Town Planners - VISUAL were awarded funding of €20,000 from the Arts Council Engaging with Architecture scheme for our project, Town Planners, a co-production with Workhouse Union. VISUAL have been developing program plans and the program will start in Spring 2018 with the design and build of a civic plaza in the Studio Gallery by renowned Spanish design collective Todo Por La Praxis and a display of the outcomes of 2017’s Carlow Town Narrative project.
• Join In Festival in partnership with Carlow Library, with activities including Play Day with Carlow Sports Partnership, teen and family activities. 1100 people attended events over the 4 days.
• Playtime Symposium –A day of talks and workshops on play, its relationship to culture and the arts and a child’s right to play and access to the arts and culture. Speakers included Adrian Voce OBE, Gabriela Burkhalter, Kunsthalle Zurich, Debbie Clarke Dublin City Council, Dr. Tim Stott DIT. The day included a workshop by artists Rhona Byrne and Tom Watt.
• This Thumping Heart: Performance choreographed by Dance Artist in Residence Emma Martin with participants from Carlow Regional Youth Services and Carlow Youth Orchestra, co-produced with Carlow Arts Festival. This performance, which received a standing ovation and attracted an audience of 140, was the culmination of Dancehall Youth, initiated by VISUAL in 2015 in partnership with Carlow Regional Youth Services.
• IFI Local Films for Local People - an evening program of films about Carlow or by Carlow film makers, taken from the IFI archives, programmed in partnership with Carlow Arts Festival
• You Can’t Feel What You Feel: Yvonne McGuinness working with Carlow Youth Theatre. 2 performances, programmed to take place during Carlow Arts Festival, which attracted audiences of approx. 250 people.
• Sun Trap: In response to the Spring and Summer themes, Tom Watt created a gathering space on VISUAL’s front steps which remained until Oct 2017.
• Residencies - VISUAL supported Emma Martin to continue her dance residency funded by the Arts Council
• Materials Library - Anthropologist Juliette Harvey was commissioned to research the work of Paul Mosse and develop the Materials Library in collaboration with VISUAL
• HUDDLE – VISUAL supported an artist’s discussion and reading group devised and led by Saidhbhin Gibson
• CIFET Partnership - Visual art, design and communications students had talks and workshops with both Paul Mosse and Dennis McNulty during the Autumn season, and made work in response, which was displayed in the reception area of VISUAL.

VISUAL continued to work in local partnership in ways that develop social capital, creativity and innovation, including:

• VISUAL partnered with Cultivate, a national sustainability organisation, to host a local event as part of Convergence 2017, promoting sustainability, environmental awareness and community participation
• VISUAL supported new organisation Happy Carlow through provision of meeting space during the Summer
• VISUAL supported Carlow Women’s Network in a creative writing project Oct - Dec 2017, culminating in a launch event to celebrate and share their writing.
• VISUAL developed a new Transition Year engagement program where students worked with us for a week and took on the responsibility of running an event.
• VISUAL hosted two Plenary Meetings of Carlow PPN
• VISUAL hosted a number of enterprise, including an innovation bootcamp for the audio-visual industry
• VISUAL continue to support creativity in young people through hosting Carlow Youth Theatre in permanent residence, through our weekly Parent and Toddler art classes and through our commitment to having a free drop-in art space for families throughout the year.
• VISUAL resourced Education planning and added new Senior Cycle workshops, a new TY work experience scheme and a communications system for schools. VISUAL saw a significant increase in school workshop bookings as a result.
• VISUAL partnered with the Local Enterprise Office in the delivery of Digital Carlow, with artist-led digital creativity programmes for primary and secondary schools. 10 primary schools and two secondary schools participated.

VISUAL continued to develop sustainability. County Council subvention of VISUAL is now 43% of their annual turnover; in 2013 it was 68%. In that time, VISUAL has increased the percentage of Arts Council funding by 3% and increased the percentage generated by VISUAL’s activities by 22%.

VISUAL have continued to champion Carlow as a creative and innovative space, with numerous national press and radio features on different aspects of our activities. In total there were 9 national press features, 2 TV features and three national radio features. VISUAL was called ‘the coolest arts centre outside of Dublin’ by Lizzie Fairrie in The Times. President Michael D Higgins attended a performance in VISUAL in 2017, the Arts Council chose VISUAL as the venue for the final event of their inaugural Laureate for Irish Fiction, Anne Enright, and the Assistant Secretary for the Department of Arts, Heritage, Region, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs visited to see the space.