Droichead Arts Centre Strategy 2022 - 2026

FOR ARTISTS FOR AUDIENCES FOR YOU...

We in Droichead have long known that the arts, artists and audiences matter.

Presenting new work, supporting collaborations, engaging audiences with thoughtful, vibrant, beautiful and sometimes challenging work, connecting artists with audiences and supporting those artists are why Droichead exists. We support the sense and non-sense makers, we encourage experimentation, we nurture human expression in its many diverse forms and honour the simplicities and complexities of the individual and collective lived experience.

Droichead Arts Centre was realised over 30 years ago now, by a group of multi-disciplinary artists who wanted to develop a creative hub for local artists and local audiences. That founding ideal continues to propel the Centre today, as we work to put art at the heart of people’s lives and ambitions in Drogheda, East Meath and Louth.

Before Covid, we were proud to record that over 33,000 people were engaging with the Centre every year. We are very pleased that despite Covid, the work of local artists, commissioned and supported by Droichead, has continued to be shared in-person and online, extending and diversifying our reach. Because art matters it endures.

This strategy is well-timed to carry us forward with optimism and clear intent beyond the restrictions imposed upon us by Covid. The resilience and ingenuity that characterised our crisis response now take flight in ambitious and enterprising goals that seek to ensure the relevance and vitality of our work and impact within and beyond the arts. Over the next few years, we look forward to playing an expanded and valued role in supporting regional development, tourism, social inclusion and wellbeing priorities. Most of all though, we take great pleasure in realising the opportunity to work towards a future where art matters and is easily, enjoyably and meaningfully part of everyone’s everyday life.

Vivienne Byrne Chairperson

I am delighted to introduce Droichead Arts Centre’s new strategy, which sets out our vision and ambitions for the next five years.

We look forward to building on our successes and responding with agility and ingenuity to the challenges and opportunities that will present themselves in the years ahead.

One thing I am sure of, as we set out on this course, is the resilience of this organisation and the commitment of its people. Working together, with our artists, our audiences, our funding and creative partners we have come through a tough period. This strategy was developed as we navigated the public health restrictions that had catastrophic effects on our work. However, out of crisis came opportunity. We had time to stop and think and to consult others about our future focus. We were able to consider and define afresh such fundamental concepts as our purpose, our vision, our mission and our values, which have been given cogent expression and are shared here.

We also defined our ambition: to be a flagship arts centre, renowned for our vitality as a creative hub and for our relevance to our many, diverse communities in Drogheda, East Meath and Louth. In this strategy we set out the goals that will focus our efforts as we work toward the achievement of that ambition. They encompass activities to support art and artists, to ensure more people know the arts in their lives, to strengthen our organisational capacity and to create a fit-for-purpose home for the centre.

There is ambition in our ambition, of course. What is positive and promising is that so much of what we want to achieve aligns with the ambitions of others, notably The Arts Council and Louth County Council. We look forward to ongoing, deepening partnerships with these two bodies in the years ahead.

The idea of relevance courses through this strategy and is called out explicitly as one of our values. Over the next five years relevance will be our mantra. We will work hard to ensure that Droichead is relevant to artists, to audiences and to our local communities, and to ensure that art is recognised and relevant within the ambitions of others. It is our purpose after all, to put art at the heart of people’s lives and ambitions in Drogheda, East Meath and Louth.

Collette Farrell Director

Who We Are

Droichead exists to put art at the heart of people’s lives and ambitions in Drogheda, East Meath and Louth

Established in 1989, Droichead Arts Centre is a multi-disciplinary centre in the heart of Drogheda Town that provides an extensive curated arts and cultural programme. The Centre is housed over two buildings: Stockwell Street, which hosts a modern 169-seater theatre and a bright contemporary visual arts gallery, and Barlow House, an 18th century Georgian style townhouse, which hosts artist’s spaces and print studios.

Droichead actively supports artists and arts organisations, and particularly those in or from the North East region, through residencies, bursaries and other bespoke development support. Droichead is equally committed to its audiences, with people of all ages, backgrounds, cultures and traditions encouraged and enabled to engage with the Centre through a wide variety of responsive and imaginative schemes and initiatives. Droichead is also proud to host and be a key resource for the very many local community, voluntary and amateur groups.

The work of Droichead is supported and amplified by its participation in key networks including NOMAD, Louth Creative Ireland Culture Team and The Live Network, by its affiliation with festivals such as Cruinniú na nÓg, Bealtaine, and Drogheda Arts Festival and by its partnership with other cultural providers including Drogheda Classical Music and Drogheda Traditional Music Weekend.

Droichead is governed by a voluntary board of eight people (including the Chairperson). The work of Droichead is delivered by an artistic and administrative team led by the Director, who has overall responsibility for the programming and corporate management of the organisation. Droichead is a company limited by guarantee not having a share capital and is also a registered charity. The Centre is supported by the Arts Council, Louth County Council and Creative Ireland, and by private donation and commercial sponsorship.

Exhibition: In The Making

Chance Tshiteya and his mother at the opening of an exhibition by students from St Ita's School, Drogheda.

Policy Context

Droichead operates within the context of several important local, regional and national development plans and policy frameworks. The Centre looks forward to contributing to their ambitions and priorities over the next few years, across the arts, society, place-making and the economy.

The new Louth County Development Plan 2021 2027, sets out to “promote County Louth, in particular the Regional Growth Centres of Drogheda and Dundalk, as uniquely attractive places in which to live, work, employment and educational opportunities, natural 2026

the arts, and recognises their positive contribution

enhancement of arts and cultural infrastructure is crucial for continued socio-economic development

Given our catchment area we also attend to Meath County Council’s Development Plan 2021 2027 which seeks to “improve the quality of life of all citizens in Meath by creating an environment that supports a vibrant growing economy and a wellconnected place to live, learn and do business”, and to the Meath County Arts Development Plan 2019 2024 which seeks to “work closely with artists, individuals and communities to increase access to, awareness of and participation in the arts across all disciplines and sectors of society”.

Project Ireland 2040, the Government’s overarching policy initiative to make Ireland a better country for all citizens, has put a spotlight on Drogheda not just as a Regional Growth Centre but also as a Destination Town. We will work with Fáilte Ireland as they seek to drive sustainable growth in tourism locally.

We also recognise we have an active role to play in the transformation of the Westgate area in Drogheda, in increasing links between culture and business through our engagement with Drogheda and District Chamber of Commerce and Love Drogheda B.I.D.S (Business Improvement District Scheme), and in advancing the recommendations of the Drogheda Implementation Board and Plan.

Alongside this local context, we must continue to align with the policies that define the sector in which we operate. The Arts Council’s ten-year strategy Making Great Art Work (2016 2025) will conclude a year before this strategy is completed. There is strong consonance between the Arts Council’s on-going resolve to support artists “to make excellent work which is enjoyed and valued” and to enable more people to “enjoy high-quality arts experiences” and our intent as set out here.

Within the Arts Council’s priorities, there is growing emphasis on their Equality, Human Rights and Diversity policy, which seeks to “respect, support and ensure representation of all voices and cultures that make up Ireland today, from all sections of society, from existing and new communities, inclusive of people of all abilities, backgrounds and traditions” and their Paying the Artist policy with its vision of “an environment in which artists can make work of ambition and quality and be remunerated appropriately”. We support and will effect both policies in the course of our work.

More broadly, we also acknowledge Creative Ireland, the all-of-government, culture and wellbeing programme that “inspires and transforms people, places and communities through creativity”.

OUR PURPOSE

Droichead exists to put art at the heart of people’s lives and ambitions in Drogheda, East Meath and Louth.

OUR VISION

We look forward to a future where art matters and is easily, enjoyably, meaningfully part of everyone’s everyday life

OUR MISSION

We are a creative hub, nurturing, presenting and promoting art of, by and for the many, diverse communities of Drogheda, East Meath and Louth.

OUR AMBITION

Our ambition is simple. We want to be a flagship arts centre, renowned for our vitality as a creative hub and for our relevance to our many, diverse communities in Drogheda, East Meath and Louth.

• We want to be a destination for art, artists and audiences.

• We want to support artists, to be a space for their innovation and ambition.

• We want to nurture audiences, extending who we reach and enjoying how we engage with each other.

• We want to bring people together and to make things possible.

• We want to make art. We want to share art. We want to make art matter.

OUR VALUES

OPTIMISM — We are positive about the future and confident that we can make a difference in the lives of the artists we support and the communities with whom we engage.

OPPORTUNITY — We are committed to creating opportunities for artists and to opening up the arts for audiences and for all those within our communities, equally, inclusively and with a warm welcome.

RELEVANCE — We care about the world about us and want to respond to what matters in people’s lives. That means, sometimes we need to ask questions and sometimes we need to celebrate. At all times, we want to be there and be relevant.

BELONGING — Being a vital part of our community is important to us. In what we do and how we do it, we want to promote the arts are for everyone and to create a sense of belonging to Droichead.

SUPPORTING ART & ARTISTS

Why this goal?

This is at the heart of who we are and what we do. It is why we exist. To put the arts at the heart of people’s lives we need to ensure two things. We need to take care to create a programme that is of interest and relevant to all those within our many, diverse communities. We also need to enable artists to make work of ambition. As such, we must be part of an ecology which nurtures art and artists, and which makes the production and presentation of highquality work available.

Objectives

• Curate a coherent programme that considers our current and future audiences and advances our ambitions to be relevant to our many, diverse communities.

• Create a suite of artist development supports including residence programmes, awards and bursaries.

• Undertake commissions and provide opportunities to showcase work.

• Produce discrete projects across all genres independently and in collaboration with others.

• Showcase the best of national and international work in a hybrid programme that offers inperson and online experiences.

• Continue and extend our local, national and international creative alliances and partnerships focussing on long term initiatives that advance our ambitions for artists and our communities.

Outcome

Droichead is a focal point of creativity, with a sustainable flow of development, production and presentation opportunities that support artists within our community to have viable careers and that motivate on-going engagement with Droichead and enjoyment of the arts.

Supporting Artists

Writer Nicola Pierce working in Barlow House.

BUILDING AWARENESS & ENGAGEMENT

OUR GOAL: More people across all our communities know the arts in their lives

Why this goal?

We know the difference the arts can make to people’s lives. That’s why we want to extend experiences of the arts to as many people as possible within our communities. We want the arts in Droichead to be of, by and for the people of Drogheda, East Meath and Louth. To achieve this, we need to sustain and deepen some of our existing relationships and to effect new ones. We need to listen and to learn from the very many diverse groups and communities about us. Working and thinking with them, we look forward to imagining and developing new ways for participation and for creating our future.

Objectives

• Increase appreciation of Droichead as a creative hub for the people of Drogheda, East Meath and Louth and as a cultural destination for those beyond our locale.

• Maintain ongoing inquiry and dialogue with existing and desired future stakeholders to ensure the relevance and impact of our work.

• Create bespoke programmes and initiatives to encourage the engagement and participation of people of all ages and abilities, from all sections of society, from existing and new communities, and from all social backgrounds, ethnicities and traditions.

• Support local voluntary and amateur groups to produce and present work of ambition for local audiences.

Outcome

Droichead is well-known as a hub of creativity and of welcome. The Centre is engendering a real sense of belonging in people across our communities who are confidently engaging with the Centre, responding to work that appeals to them, showcasing their own work or participating in discrete initiatives. Enhanced awareness of who we are and what we do means that we are attracting more visitors from outside the county.

A workshop with Sacred Heart Secondary School, Drogheda, facilitated by artist Eimear Murphy around her exhibition Shape. Heap; thing.

DEVELOPING OUR CAPACITY

OUR GOAL: We are a cohesive, appropriately skilled, financially robust organisation

Why this goal?

Over the last few years, we have worked to strengthen our organisational capacity. This work needs to continue as we seek to deliver on the ambitions of this plan. Specifically, we need to transition our reliance on current models of funding and to be equipped to take advantage of new opportunities, particularly those which may support capital development projects. We also need to ensure we have the requisite governance and management competences and culture in place to support our ambitions with responsibility, agility and innovation.

Objectives

• Affirm the centre’s relationship with Louth County Council and strengthen the funding base.

• Sustain and develop the Centre’s positive strategic relationship with the Arts Council.

• Develop a robust financial strategy that extends and diversifies our income streams.

• Forge mutually beneficial partnerships between Droichead and local and national businesses, enterprise bodies and authorities.

• Ensure our organisational capacity and culture to deliver this strategy.

• Explore and define the role of Intreo and other agencies in contributing to our productive capacity.

• Ensure that Droichead adheres to best practice in terms of governance and is fully compliant with requisite codes and standards.

• Develop an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policy which sets out the principles we espouse and the practices we bring to life.

Outcome

Droichead is confident of a sustainable future with local and national funding securely in place. The board and team have the knowledge, skills and ingenuity to support and advance the Centre’s ambitions and ensure the exemplary governance and management.

MAXIMISING OUR BUILT ENVIRONMENT

Why this goal?

Droichead currently operates across two sites: Stockwell Street and Barlow House. While there has been investment in both buildings and they function as arts spaces, neither are optimum. The duality of Droichead dilutes focus, divides our resources whilst also doubling the work and confuses the public.

There is now the opportunity and the appetite to explore the potential of the Barlow House site for redevelopment, to house a fit-for-purpose and future-proofed creative hub. The development of a new building would ensure Droichead’s capacity to be open and accessible to all those within our community and to be a landmark destination within the Westgate Vision.

Objectives

• Understand the opportunities available to Droichead to develop a fit-for-purpose arts centre.

• Ensure Droichead has a prime place within the Westgate Vision and is considered as part of other capital development projects in Drogheda.

• Investigate and source funding that supports capital development projects.

• Bolster Droichead’s capacity to deliver on a capital development project.

Outcome

We have significantly advanced our ambition to be one arts centre, in one location. We have secured the necessary financial support and have agreed plans for Droichead, reimagined as a state-of-the-art creative hub and landmark cultural destination.

OUR GOAL: A fit-for-purpose home for Droichead as a creative hub and cultural destination