Call For NI Arts Strategy

The Executive must work towards creating a strategy to promote the arts across Northern Ireland, according to Culture Minister Carál Ní Chuilín.

The Minister made the comments at the first meeting of the Ministerial Arts Advisory Forum (MAAF), which has been set up to inform an arts and culture strategy.

"Arts aren’t a luxury and I appreciate that there is limited funding but we must make sure that the funding that is available is dispersed as fairly as possible, and reaches out to support those accessing the arts for the first time," she said. "For example young people, non-attenders, those with a disability and those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

"I believe the time is right to bring forward an arts strategy to promote the arts as a valued contributor to the health and well being of our society and underpin the core value that arts should be accessible to all and that anyone who wishes to avail of the benefits they bring should have the opportunity to do so."

(IT/MH)