Roscommon County Arts Office

Roscommon County Council has a policy for the utilisation of 'Percent for Art' as a means of funding arts projects which contribute to the cultural well being of Roscommon. The underlying principle on which Roscommon County Council utilises this funding mechanism is the support of arts development consistent with capital development and economic growth.

The Percent-for-Art Scheme is a source of public funding to commission artists from any arts discipline to make new work throughonce-off arts projects associated with major public capital works such as housing, water treatment works and roads. The purposes of the policy include the following -

•	Enhance and enrich the county's cultural and physical environment and public spaces.
•	Integrate the work and thinking of artists into the planning, design and construction of county facilities, buildings and public spaces.
•	Contribute to a sense of ownership and pride in public facilities and spaces.
•	Make available ambitious and innovative art projects to the people of Roscommon which otherwise would be not viable.
•	Engage communities in creative partnerships with artists.

Roscommon County Council adopted this Public Art Policy and established an internal Public Art Working Group to oversee commissioning of public art projects, most of which are funded through the Per Cent for Art Scheme. The County Council has commissioned a number of projects to date including -

•	'The Gaelic Chieftain' by Maurice Harron on the N4 at Boyle.
•	A multi-disciplinary project led by artist Eamon Coleman at Roscommon Arts Centre.
•	'On Home Soil' by Barry Linnane at the Douglas Hyde Interpretative Centre.
•	A community arts project by Cathy Carmen, Peter Fulop and Brigitta Varadi in Strokestown.
•	'Coracles' by Irene Benner on the N5 at Scramogue.
•	'Scars on the Mountain' by Colin Beggan and Frank Molloy in Arigna.
•	'Portrait of the Service' by Pamela Wells in Roscommon town.

The Council is currently carrying out a five year plan containing upwards of 15 projects designed to have a diversity of artforms, commissioning approaches and geographic spread throughout the county. This five year programme willl form a core part of the upcoming county Arts Plan.

The first of these projects include an interdisciplinary arts project by Yvonne Cullivan in Castlerea and Choral Theatre Project by Johnny Hanrahan, John Browne and Cormac McCarthy in Rooskey.