It is utterly amazing and perplexing how the time flies. It seems like only yesterday that I was doing songwriting workshops in various locations in Belfast for an organisation wanting to support real change in my home city - New Belfast Community Arts Initiative.
But of course, one cursory glance in a mirror and the realisation that indeed that was almost a quarter of a century ago is all too vivid.
But, the time I believe (and indeed, the evaluations show) has indeed been well-lived.
24 years ago, on December 22nd 1999, our patron Martin Lynch established this organisation as the Belfast child of the Community Arts Forum. Of course in 2011 through the merger of CAF and New Belfast, a new organisation was born... Community Arts Partnership that now serves the whole region and indeed beyond.
Over the course of all those years there have been many trials and tribulations, not least the untimely loss of our good friend and music champion Geoff Harden in 2006, to whom we have dedicated our music studios. We have seen other friends and colleagues battle hard against disease, some winning and some unfortunatly losing that battle. Ill-health can be so hard to endure and so indiscriminate in its impact. And of course, for many of those we serve, their health status has left them more vulnerable to a society that more and more only seems to care for winners. The relationship between poverty and ill-health is so clear and well-documented and yet, for so many in N Ireland, we see public support for the vulberable and the disadvantaged constantly reduce over the last 25 years. Now, we see public services under almost daily existential threat. The harsh Darwinian realities of life are all too often too real today - where has the social contract to protect the weakest and most vulnerable gone, amidst all the squabbling and wrangling, the pettiness and hubris?
But, some organisations have managed to survive the turmoil of constant cuts to arts and cultural funding over the last 15 or so years, and these surviving organisations, like the people they support, may yet have a longer timeframe to realise their strengths, pursue their dreams, and leave a legacy. And these reflections offer us greater freedom to be who one wants to be, express oneself, and choose what is personally meaningful. Will you support us to take advantage of new possibilities for leading a more fulfilling life?... because engaging in community arts can do just that.
As we enter our 25th year of operation, we renew our offer hope and ambition for better days ahead, through connecting community and creativity.
I never dreamt that in encouraging community groups and individuals to write songs and express their innermost dreams that I would be here, directing this orgainsation almost 25 years later. And in this year of renewal and celebration, we will herald new strategic developments for this organisation; to not only recognise the legacy of those 25 years, but to build upon it and renew the basis for taking community arts forward into the next quarter of a century. We will be making a series of ground-breaking announcements and opening new possibilities over the weeks and months ahead. Do stay tuned.
So, I pay tribute (again) to all trustees, staff and freelance artists, volunteers and facilitators who have helped us reach this point and also to all our community hosts and partner organisations and centres of learning, thank you for the ongoing support and participation.
To you and all of them, to all our funders, especially our principal supporter, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and to Belfast City Council with whom we have been a multi-annual client for over 20 of those years and indeed to all our colleagues and friends, we wish you a happy and healthy 2024 and we at CAP look forward to working with you and supporting you through dedicated community arts practice, advocacy and delivery for this year and the years ahead.
Mind yourselves
Conor
ceo CAP
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