Picture by Shane O’Neill, SON Photographic

On Monday May 29^th, A&L Goodbody & Business to Arts hosted a Writer in Residence event at St.Joseph’s Co-Ed Primary School in East Wall. Pupils, teachers, family members and A&L Goodbody employees were in attendance to celebrate two years of partnership with the A&L Goodbody Writer in Residence Catherine Ann Cullen under the Docklands Arts Fund. Music and songs composed during the programme by the students were performed by the students with Catherine Ann, accompanied by musician Imogen Gunner.

Catherine Ann has worked with the pupils at St. Joseph’s Co-ed Primary School in East Wall in Dublin with a view to improving their creativity and literacy skills. Each week the pupils ‘commissioned’ her to write a poem on a theme of their devising, and the following week’s session opened with that poem. Catherine Ann compiled her poems into books called ‘Themes for Third’, ‘Fourth Class Favourites’ and ‘Scribbles for Sixth’.

As well as working with the children to create poems and develop their creative writing, Catherine Ann has written songs together with each class, such as ‘East Wall Thank You Stew’ and ‘Jumper Justice’.

Students from St Joseph’s Co-ed Primary School in East Wall, Alisa Usacova and Alesia Tuca both aged 9. Picture by Shane O’Neill, SON Photographic

A specially commissioned artwork was presented to the school by Sinéad Smith, Corporate Responsibility Manager at A&L Goodbody. Catherine Ann composed a short poem, and Chris Judge added the visual characters, to represent the spirit of creative writing and poetry, which have been part of the Residency.

By Andrew Hetherington, Chief Executive, Business to Arts

This is the second article in our ‘Preparing for Brexit’ series and is a follow up to the article by John Ward (of the Global Freight Group, Maurice Ward).

Increasingly, the team at Business to Arts are being asked more focused questions about the impact of Brexit on the arts sector. These questions started to develop out of our annual Arts, Festival and Music Sponsorship Report. This report identified a softening of sentiment toward sponsorship/marketing spend (in 2016 & 2017) as a result of market volatility created by Brexit. In early May 2018, we also co-hosted a panel discussion with English National Ballet at the Bord Gais Energy Theatre during Dublin Dance Festival where Brexit was the focal point. In this article, I’ve brought together a range of resources and opinions (including our own) that might be helpful for artists and arts organisations.

To start with, here are some things we know about Brexit’s impact on Ireland:

Foreign exchange volatility. Since the UK’s vote to leave the EU in June 2016, we’ve seen a volatile performance of sterling. The general trend has been a weakening of sterling versus the euro. Currently at €1 to £0.88p (as of 23 May 2018)

Competitiveness of British arts/cultural product. In Sept 2017, Failte Ireland CEO Paul Kelly outlined the agencies position on the impact of Brexit, namely “volatility generated by Brexit during the last year would have led to significant revenue and job losses had other traditional markets, particularly the US, not performed so well.” He warned the Irish tourism sector and its stakeholders, “We cannot always assume that other markets will continue to compensate in this fashion – particularly as we now face a challenge in those markets from a British tourism product made much more competitive by the lower sterling value.”

Reduction in numbers of UK-based visitors to Ireland. In January 2018, Dublin Airport reported that, “Traffic between Dublin and British airports increased by 1% to just under 10 million last year [2017]… The impact of weaker sterling following the Brexit vote in the UK contributed to a decline in British originating traffic last year, but this was more than offset by an increase in both Irish outbound business and transfer traffic to the UK.”

Focus on Retention of Common Travel Area. In an interview with The Irish Times, John Hickey of The Irish Film Board emphasised that audio-visual productions in Ireland are often located on both sides of the Border, as well as in Britain and Ireland. His warning was that, “Any tightening of the Common Travel Area between the Republic, the North and Britain would be harmful to the audio-visual industry”

Below are examples of some of the questions we are being asked in relation to Brexit:

Typical question: I don’t know if Brexit will impact me/my organisation? In what scenarios is it more likely that Brexit will impact me/my organisation?

In our opinion, Irish artists and arts organisations that are more likely to feel the impact of Brexit are those that have significant UK activities. For example, those that:

• are programmed into UK venues and festivals and as a result travel to the UK regularly (e.g . for performances / exhibitions etc)
• export artworks to and/or from the UK (e.g. prints, original works of art etc)
• have a portion of their audience that travel to Ireland from the UK
• have significant relationships with suppliers based in the UK (e.g. designers, manufacturers etc)
• are UK-based Irish artists who return to Ireland regularly to perform/sell/exhibit etc

Typical question: I know Brexit will impact me/my organisation. What should I do?

Firstly, don’t panic! The exact impact of Brexit on artists and arts organisations is yet to be seen. It is highly likely much of the finer detail will remain unknown until last-minute agreements are made between the UK and the EU… and for years afterwards as these decisions are implemented.

If you want to plan as best as you can, why not start with some of the following:

• Start a Risk Assessment that is appropriate to the size and complexity of your UK activities (travel, sales, audiences etc). You can start by analysing the amount of:

(a) Goods and services you / your organisation procures from UK-based people / organisations. Try to calculate the average value of this over the last three years.

(b) Travel you undertake between the UK and Ireland. Take particular care to identify costs of hotels in GB£ and stipends/per diems you may have for people that work for you in GB£

(c) Audiences based in the UK that travel to Ireland to see your work. Understand their value to your organisation. Know how you segment this audience profile, communicate with them and sell your organisation to them. This is particularly relevant to some of Ireland’s larger music and arts festivals and venues. This audience profile could be at risk… particularly if sterling continues to weaken.

By doing the above, you start to build a better picture of the exposure your organisation might have to Brexit. You can then rank the financial exposure(s) you/your organisation has as either low/medium or high risk.

• Talk with UK-based partners, co-producers, commissioners, peers or customers/audiences. Ask them how they are planning for Brexit or the impact they believe it will have on them. I’ve always believed in the importance of sharing knowledge among arts/cultural professionals and the value of this tradition in terms of business planning/strategy.
• Talk to your accountant and other professional advisors. It is highly likely they have started to think about the implications of Brexit for other clients.

Typical Question: What implications does Business to Arts expect? Are there any opportunities?

• Additional human resources and/or time required for dealing with customs/excise. As the UK will exist outside of the EU, it is certain that some forms of customs and trade registrations will be required. For example, if you travel or export your artistic goods or services to the US, you will be aware of some of the red-tape that is involved. You can begin to consider which declarations, registrations, authorisations and reliefs are required OR will need to be put in place.
• Revenue Commissioners Responsibilities, Cashflow and Binding Tariff Information Considerations To understand more about this, read part one of this series by John Ward, CEO of Maurice Ward and Co Ltd.

Among some of the potential opportunities identified (among our network) include:

• Potential for increased EU Funding. Ireland will become the only English speaking country in the EU as a result of Brexit and has the potential to become a more attractive EU funding partner as a result. This may be more relevant if you have UK-based comparators/competitors that already avail of EU funding. Keep an eye on the work of:

(a) The EU Lab at Dublin’s Culture Connects https://www.dublinscultureconnects.ie/eu-lab/

(b) Creative Europe Desk Ireland at the Arts Council of Ireland http://www.creativeeuropeireland.eu/culture

• Focus on growing Irish Tourism Markets We expect the US and German markets to remain a focus of Tourism Ireland with some additional investment in new opportunities from Asia and the Middle East. The global popularity of Star Wars film locations in Ireland is expected to continue too.

Typical Question: What other resources are out there for me?

• Failte Ireland’s ‘Get Brexit Ready’ http://www.failteireland.ie/Supports/Get-Brexit-Ready.aspx Fáilte Ireland has developed a suite of supports to assist businesses through Brexit volatility. They include, Training programmes, Market diversification tactics, Competitiveness resources, GB & NI tourism statistics, Research and insights, and a Calendar of Support.

• British Irish Chamber of Commerce and particularly the output / policies of their Culture, Arts, Sports and Tourism Committee http://www.britishirishchamber.com/culture-arts-sports-tourism-committee-cast/ Have a read of ‘A Post-Brexit Vision to 2020 : A Policy Paper by the Culture, Arts, Sports and Tourism (CAST) Committee of the British Irish Chamber of Commerce’ available here.

• Brexit Advisory Services for Business from your auditors, banks and other professional advisors. Particularly those for Small to Medium Enterprises. Some examples include:

AIB https://fxcentre.aib.ie/resource-centre/brexit

Bank of Ireland https://businessbanking.bankofireland.com/business-supports/sectors/prepare-for-brexit/

EY http://www.ey.com/ie/en/issues/business-environment/ey-brexit

KPMG https://home.kpmg.com/ie/en/home/campaigns/2016/10/brexit.html

Mazars https://www.mazars.ie/Home/Our-expertise/Brexit

PwC https://www.pwc.ie/campaigns/brexit.html

Pupils in the classroom drawing fruit, as part of ‘Coastlines, Maps and Melons’, Martina Galvin’s visual art project 2017/18

We are very happy to announce that Business to Arts are seeking applications for the Docklands Arts Fund Small Grants 2018 from artists and not-for-profit, charitable & voluntary arts organisations.

The objective of the grant round is to contribute funds to a range of artists and arts organisations with projects focussing on longer-term impact on the Dublin Docklands area.

Providing funds to artists and arts organisations which have strategic partnerships supports our mission to develop quality arts experiences with a lasting impact on the local community in the Dublin Docklands area.

Approximately 3 grants of between €2,000 and €5,000 each will be given to projects by September 2018.

The Open Call for Projects is live until Thursday, 28th June 2018 at 5pm.

We support activities that enhance the practice, appreciation and development of quality arts experiences in the Dublin Docklands area. These include:

• New/innovative art commissions/projects
• Projects that are delivered by OR involve professional artists
• Projects that involve partnerships with other cultural providers (show evidence)
• Projects that widen access to participation to arts activities and arts education for underrepresented groups, such as persons from low-income background, those with disabilities, older people etc.
• Projects that provide opportunities to engage in safe and productive out-of-school arts activities for young people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities
• Projects that promote arts/cultural awareness and understanding and develop new audiences
• Once-off arts events (performances/productions, festivals) that will occur in the Docklands area, and which show evidence of development of event or concept
• Projects that will take place between September 2018 and June 2019.

For full details, please click here.

For any queries on the application process, please contact Eileen.

The Docklands Arts Fund was established in 2015 to create Ireland’s first Arts Fund supported by companies, organisations and individuals located in the Docklands Area. It is a collaboration initiated by Business to Arts and Dublin City Council. Together with corporate and organisational partners, we plan to enhance the practice, appreciation and development of quality arts experiences in the Dublin Docklands Area.

John McGrane, Justin Bickle, Tamara Rojo, Andrew Hetherington, Stephen Faloon, Michael Seaver, Helen Carroll at Bord Gáis Energy Theatre Picture Conor McCabe Photography

On May 4^th, Business to Arts and Justin Bickle, Chief Executive of Glenveagh Properties and Chairman of English National Ballet hosted the second event in our 30^th Anniversary series at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre. Ahead of English National Ballet’s stunning performance of Akram Khan’s Giselle in association with the Dublin Dance Festival, Business to Arts’ corporate members attended a private pre-show panel discussion. The panel moderated by Michael Seaver, Arts Critic, Irish Times included Tamara Rojo, Artistic Director, English National Ballet (ENB), Stephen Faloon, General Manager, Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, John McGrane, Director General, British Irish Chamber of Commerce and Justin Bickle, Chair of ENB and host of the event

To start proceedings, Benjamin Perchat, Artistic Director, Dublin Dance Festival outlined some of the highlights of this year’s festival. This followed with a brief overview of dance traditions in Ireland, recognising one of the most influential figures in the history of ballet, Wicklow born Ninette de Valois, founder of the Royal Ballet. The career of Tamara Rojo, from her training in Madrid to Scottish National Ballet to the Royal Ballet and now Artistic Director of ENB offered our audience insight into the life and motivations of one the most celebrated dancers of our time. Tamara discussed the challenges of bringing an international ballet company on tour, considering the impact Brexit may have on ENB’s future touring productions and how important it is that her productions reflect and respond to present time and society. Stephen Faloon having sought to bring English National Ballet to Dublin in the early 2010’s spoke about the process of bringing a production to Dublin noting the importance of educating audiences on contemporary ballet verses the ever-popular classical repertoire. In relation to the motivations for companies to support dance as an art form Tamara noted:

“Dance is a growing art form. It is an art form that attracts a lot of young people. So it is an art form that should interest the business community because it can reach people that otherwise you may not”  

Stephen Faloon, Justin Bickle, Michael Seaver, Tamara Rojo & John McGrane at Bord Gáis Energy Theatre Picture Conor McCabe Photography

Justin Bickle discussed his unexpected introduction to ballet almost 10 years ago, recognising the athleticism and commitment of the dancers. His passion and belief in English National Ballet has enabled and supported the artistic and executive team in the realisation of the London City Island project, a partnership with Ballymore, which is now home to ENB’s new studios. Justin Bickle outlined what business people can bring to an arts organisation in addition to financial resources:

“What you can contribute by common sense or asking the awkward or obvious question in the room, that’s valuable to arts organisations. Having a different perspective and a different background” Justin Bickle on his role as Chairman of English National Ballet.

John McGrane discussed the opportunities of Brexit for Ireland, promoting the cultural offering of Ireland as an important factor that potential incoming workers consider when selecting a new home. A key takeaway is that Ireland may well be positioned attract more EU funding and co-production investment.

“It’s about pitching the Ireland story internationally. You’ve got a situation, you need a solution. You do not want to walk away from the remaining 50 million consumers and citizens in the EU. Ireland and frankly Dublin are your gateway to the future” John McGrane

The performance of Akram Khan’s Giselle by English National Ballet was a powerful, thought-provoking and magnificent reimaging of a traditional classic. We hope that Irish audiences who may not have previously witnessed contemporary ballet are now encouraged to see new work by both domestic and international world-class talent.

Gerard McNaughton, Helen Carroll & Andrew Hetherington. Picture Jason Clarke

Business to Arts are very happy to announce that Helen Carroll has been appointed Head of Communications & Partnerships at Business to Arts. Helen has worked at Business to Arts since 2016 as Senior Manager- Marketing & Strategic Partnerships. This senior management team role will further develop current and potential partnerships at Business to Arts. Helen oversees the communications and sponsorship relationships of key Business to Arts events and programmes including the Allianz Business to Arts Awards, Fundit.ie, The New Stream Programme supported by Dublin City Council and Department of Culture, Heritage & Gaeltacht, Business to Arts’ CEO Forum & special member’s events.

On accepting the position, Helen states:

‘I have been on an incredible journey since starting with Business to Arts two years ago. Alongside our team and Board, I hope to continue to champion new and innovative partnerships beyond our 30^th Anniversary year. As Business to Arts continues to expand, I look forward to further engaging and developing relationships with all of our stakeholders’

To read more about Helen see her profile on the about us section of our website and on linkedin.

Garry Ferguson, Managing Partner, Walkers, Walkers Photographer-in-Residence Kate Nolan and Andrew Hetherington, Chief Executive, Business to Arts with transition year student Hollie Hanevy of CBS Westland Row. Picture Conor McCabe Photography.

Business to Arts and financial services law firm, Walkers, joined Irish photographer Kate Nolan and transition year students at CBS Westland Row to celebrate the completion of the first year of the Walkers Photographer in Residence project. The students’ project work was exhibited at the Walkers offices alongside Walkers staff photography, showcasing the development of their photographic skills together.

Kate’s residency included a series of workshops, where Kate introduced documentary photography to CBS Westland Row transition year students through ‘story walks’ of the Docklands. These workshops were led by the students themselves, who selected the locations to be photographed. Each week students explored a different theme, visually strategising their stories through photographic walks of the Docklands. On these walks, students learned new technical skills and aesthetic decisions. The images created were brought back to the classroom to discuss and combine with text.

Transition year students Casey Swaine, Caitlin Tucker and Csenge Horvath of CBS Westland Row at the launch of photographic exhibition titled ‘Docklands Story Walks’. Picture Conor McCabe Photography.

The exciting venture marks the first time that a business in Ireland has engaged a Photographer-in-Residence programme with Business to Arts and Dublin City Council. The residency supports Business to Arts’ wide programme of activity, which develops quality arts experiences for artists, businesses, communities.

Commenting on the milestone, Andrew Hetherington, Chief Executive of Business to Arts said:

“This collaboration between Kate Nolan, the students of CBS Westland Row and Walkers staff has enabled the students and staff involved to develop their photographic and creative skills while documenting life within the Docklands area. We have enjoyed watching the student’s photographic work evolve, capturing the essence of life in the Docklands and look forward to seeing how the Walkers Photographer-in-Residence evolves in the future.”

Garry Ferguson, Managing Partner at Walkers said:

“We were delighted to be part of this project not just as sponsors but as active participants.  The artistic output of the students was impressive and we are looking forward to having it on display on the walls of our new office, The Exchange IFSC, for years to come.”

To learn more about the Docklands Arts Fund click here or contact one of our team today.

Following a public recruitment process, we are very happy to announce that Joeleen Lynch has been appointed to the position of Membership and Project Manager.

Joeleen is an arts manager and curator with over 6 years experience in multi-disciplinary arts programming, project management, artist consultancy, education and visitor experience.

Joeleen has held various roles in public art galleries, commercial galleries, pop up exhibitions, heritage sites and cultural initiatives representing organisations such as: The Eden Project (Cornwall), The Ark (Dublin), The Design and Crafts Council of Ireland, the Contemporary Art Programme for National Trust, Trust New Art and Year of Irish Design 2015. Joeleen is also a contributor to CCQ: Culture Colony Quarterly; a contemporary art magazine based in Wales.

Joeleen graduated from the University of Aberdeen with an MA in History of Art, during this time she was awarded a place on the North American International Exchange Programme at the University of Guelph, Ontario. She later graduated with a Postgraduate Masters in Contemporary Curatorial Practice from Falmouth University.

To read more about Joeleen see her profile on the about us section of our website and on linkedin.