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Twelve New Arts Organisations Embark on Transformative A&B NI Blueprint Journey

16 Jan 2025

Twelve New Arts Organisations Embark on Transformative A&B NI Blueprint Journey

Twelve organisations are set to begin a transformative journey, as they join the second cohort of the cutting-edge A&B NI Blueprint programme. 

This ground-breaking initiative, the first of its kind in the UK and Ireland, has been developed to address the financial fragility of the arts and cultural sector, and the challenges which come from short-term funding cycles. The Blueprint programme is designed to empower arts and cultural organisations to become more financially resilient, less reliant on short-term public funding and to confidently diversify and grow. 

The Blueprint programme has truly earned its reputation as a game-changer," said Sarah Jones, Blueprint Programme Manager. "The arts and cultural organisations in our pilot cohort have embraced the challenge of stepping back to identify the changes needed for growth and stabilityThey’ve developed new strategies and are testing their ideas to strengthen their organisations for the future – the results of which are proving transformative."  

"This marks an exciting new chapter for the programme, as we welcome 12 new arts organisations onto the Blueprint journey. This cohort brings a dynamic mix of ideas and energy, and over the next three years, they’ll work closely with our mentors, trainers and their peers on the programme. Together, they’ll tackle challenges, exchange learnings and develop strategies for sustainable growth. Ultimately, the aim is to unlock greater creative potential for their organisations, and we can’t wait to see the impact unfold." 
 
The twelve arts organisations taking part in round two of Blueprint are – Beat Carnival, Bruiser Theatre, Dylan Quinn Dance, Greater Shantallow Community Arts, Imagine! Festival, Kabosh Theatre, Millennium Court, New Lodge Arts, Open Arts NI, Ps2, Thrive, Tumble Circus 
 
Blueprint is supported by funding from the Dormant Accounts Fund NI delivered by National Lottery Community Fund NI, Department for Communities NI, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Belfast City Council and Arts Council Northern Ireland. 

Beat Carnival

Beat Carnival

Beat Carnival, established in Belfast in 1993, aims to produce spectacular, participative carnival arts events with diverse communities that inspire and leave a legacy of creative skills, collaboration and celebration in local neighbourhoods and beyond. Their core activities include drumming, dance, puppetry, costume design and production as well as prop, set and float construction for everything from bespoke celebrations to large-scale outdoor events. Situated in a former industrial building in one of Belfast's interface areas, Beat Carnival Centre is home to its ongoing adult and youth participatory programmes as well as hosting skills training for artists and open public workshops. They also offer off-site arts outreach activity for community and voluntary organisations. Beat Carnival participates in a number of national and international networks and exchange programmes.   

Bruiser Theatre

Bruiser Theatre

Bruiser Theatre Company is Northern Ireland’s foremost physical theatre company, producing high quality theatre that excites, engages and inspires audiences. Founded in 1997 and based in Belfast, Bruiser produces theatre that is exciting and innovative, down to earth and accessible to all. Bruiser are committed to providing high impact theatre experiences for their audiences in Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and further afield. 
Bruiser aim to use minimal set for maximum impact, whilst further exploring the notion of the actor as the centre of the action, enforcing them as the main mechanism of performance. This approach is echoed throughout Bruiser’sproductions and is the central artistic premise in their work. Inspiring the next generation of talent is a core part of Bruiser’s vision. Bruiser are dedicated to providing training and development opportunities to young actors through their education and engagement programmes - A Day With Bruiser and The Arts Academy. 

Dylan Quinn Dance

Dylan Quinn Dance

Dylan Quinn Dance Theatre is Northern Ireland’s only professional dance organisation based in a rural environment. Artistic Director Dylan Quinn has over 26 years of experience in the creation, production and delivery of professional and participatory creative arts and dance projects.  

The company has a commitment to: 

  • Presenting original professional dance and artistic experiences that place social issues and themes at their heart of the work.  

  • Articulating what it means to be a professional artistic organisation located in the heart of a rural community - connecting local and international creativity. 

  • Developing a critical reflective practice. 

  • Establishing partnerships and collaborations that enhance capacity and skills. 

  • Working with people in communities around the company base to develop open and respectful partnership projects. 

  • Developing a blend of introductory and long-term projects. 

  • Establishing proactive evaluative processes for participatory work. 

  • Drawing together participatory and performance programmes under one roof creating a valuable creative resource embedded in its locale. 

Greater Shantallow Community Arts

Greater Shantallow Community Arts

Greater Shantallow Community Arts (GSCA) is a community arts registered charity whose aim is toprovide direct access to the arts within disadvantaged communities in the Greater Shantallow Area/Outer North region and right across Derry while also being a conduit in bringing communities from “edge to centre” and into strategic plans for the arts, both locally, regionally and nationally. GSCA aims to promote artists, cultural activity, grow audiences, increase participation in the arts and provide opportunities for communities and individuals to develop skills and provide showcasing for talent using a wide range of art forms.  They also acknowledge the transformative powers of the arts in making strategic social interventions to alleviate complex problems such as social exclusion, isolation, lack of opportunity and poverty.  

GSCA is committed to equality regardless of cultural background, age, disability, sexual orientation or economic status. Their aim is to bring the joy and magic of the Arts into the lives of residents and enhance their health and wellbeing through engagement in the arts at every level. 

Imagine! Festival

Imagine! Festival

The Imagine! festival takes place in Belfast every March and presents a unique way of imagining the future of this great city — and the wider world. They present high-quality showcases for the discussion of contemporary political and societal issues including new ideas on politics, culture and activism from some of the world’s leading contemporary thinkers. But it’s not all brain-melting policy discussions: there’s something for everyone in the form of exhibitions, humour, family events, music, theatre, tours, workshops and film and whatever else can find to fire your imagination. The next festival edition will run from 24-30 March 2025. 

Kabosh Theatre

Kabosh Theatre

Founded in 1994, Kabosh are a multi-award-winning theatre company based in Belfast.  Kabosh make world-class, socially engaged work that asks questions about the world around us, and the type of society we want to build for ourselves. The company’s primary focus is using high-quality arts activities to address the legacy of local conflict, and the myriad of social issues our communities are facing. This is achieved by harnessing the immense power of our talented local artists to commission, develop and present meaningful theatrical experiences that encourage audiences to reimagine a space, a person, or a moment in time. 

In the past three years alone, Kabosh have commissioned and presented 12 new pieces of locally focused work to over 13,000 audience members, discussing: queer activism, the workers' movement, human trafficking, female experiences of conflict, the partition of Ireland, and more. All productions are designed for revival, and for presentation in traditional theatres, found spaces, or community venues – allowing audiences to engage with the work in their own time, and on their own terms.  

Millennium Court

Millennium Court

Millennium Court is dedicated to fostering arts, creativity, and wellbeing in Portadown and its surrounding areas. Located on William Street, a key route to the town's main street, Millennium Court offer diverse economic and artistic initiatives to address the decline of the town centre and surrounding areas. 

Their arts programme spans visual and written arts, workshops, exhibitions, and community-led projects that encourage creative expression and participation. Millennium Court provide gallery space for emerging and established artists, and run collaborative art-making sessions to engage diverse groups. These activities aim to enrich cultural life, inspire innovation, and nurture local talent. 

Millennium Court’s mission promotes social cohesion, integration, and community development by creating shared, welcoming spaces. They aim to enhance wellbeing, quality of life, and mutual understanding through educational programs, training, conferences, exhibitions, and cultural events.As a leading community venue, Millennium Court connects people, communities, and businesses, offering a versatile shared space that inspires and engages. 

New Lodge Arts

New Lodge Arts

New Lodge Arts provide innovative, fun and educational activities that stretch right across the community and political divide in north Belfast delivering over 800 workshops per year. Working with approximately 2000 children and young people each year, New Lodge Arts has embedded itself at the heart of north Belfast. With a strong community focus and a passion for supporting the needs of children and young people within the area, New Lodge Artsdelivers a year-round programme of arts activities in partnership with local community and youth groups, in order to tackle the very real issues that affect local young people. 

Open Arts NI

Open Arts NI

Open Arts inspires and supports the creativity and artistic development of disabled people.Since it was founded in 1992, Open Arts has been running weekly classes for disabled adults in a wide range of art forms - music, drama, dance, writing and visual art. Their participants have a range of disabilities, including physical, sensory, learning, and mental ill health and those who are neurodiverse. In addition, they produce multiple other stand-alone projects each year to engage more disabled people, including children & young people.  

In addition to facilitating disabled people to express themselves creatively, Open Arts also produces high quality opportunities to showcase disabled people's talents through exhibitions, collaborations and live performances and support participants to access funding to create their own work.  The representation of disabled people extends to the board and staff, where half of the board members and three quarters of the staff team have a disability. 

Ps2

Ps2

PS2 (Paragon Studios + Project Space) is an artist-led visual artsorganisation, established in 1994 and based in Belfast city centre. The organisation’s mission is to bridge contemporary art and society by supporting high-quality, relevant artistic practices and engaging diverse audiences. Ps2 provide opportunities for artists to develop their work through the provision of nine affordable studio spaces, three residency spaces (for annual collective, writer, and curator in-residence schemes), as well as artist development activities for practitioners at all levels of their careers which are delivered on both hyper-local and national levels. Each year, Ps2 curate approximately 14 individual or group projects, chosen through proposals or by invitation. These projects prioritise experimentation, risk-taking, and playfulness, alongside workshops and talks that are free for the public. 

In addition to their on-site activities, PS2 also initiates community-centred offsite projects in urban, suburban, and rural locations. These often include long-term public engagement efforts, such as PeasPark: a growing space transformed from a former derelict housing site and conflict zone in North Belfast, creatively activated through PS2's fundraising, programming and community collaboration. 

Thrive

Thrive

Thrive has spent twenty years doing research with and for hundreds of arts organisations, both large and small, to better tell the story of cultural engagement in Northern Ireland. Whether it’s at a sector level or for the benefit of individual organisations, Thrive have created surveys, facilitated focus groups and interviews, carried out evaluations and ticketing analysis. Research of Northern Ireland audiences is part of Thrive’s DNA. 

Tumble Circus

Tumble Circus

Tumble Circus was founded in 1995 by Ken Fanning and Tina Segner after a chance meeting on Dublin’s Grafton Street. Today they are a pioneering professional company, creating extraordinary Belfast inspired circus. Tumble Circus tour extensively at home, throughout Europe and worldwide. Tumble Circus combines circus skills with comedy, theatre and social commentary to make people laugh, react, and act. Their work is high-skill and all human. With broad appeal, it is accessible to all, from the young to the not so young. 

Tumble Circus are Ireland’s first and only non-traditional big top touring circus are unchallenged innovators in outdoor performance. They have an extensive track record, with a national and international reputation for creating groundbreaking, award winning work. This includes Unsuitable; Starman; Death or Circus; Damn the Circus; This is What We Do For a Living; Toin Thar Ceann; and Up Above. In the virtual world Tumble Circus have made Non Essential Circus Providers, Winter Circus The Movie, Lost in Circus diaries and The MacCarnysons (premiering as part of St Patrick’s Festival 2021). 

Our Funders & Partners

Arts & Business NI is generously supported by The Arts Council of Northern Ireland.