Arts Plan 2012-2016 - Offaly County Council

THE GRAND CANALIn 1960, the Grand Canal closed to commercialtraffic. Today the Grand Canal is one of Offaly’sbest natural resources and it is an artery that wewould like to celebrate further for its historical,cultural and social impact on the county.Through a Public Art Commission in 2012,we are fostering the idea of the Grand Canalin Offaly as a Cultural Corridor; to become anationally visible cultural signature of Offaly.By commissioning three artists of differingdisciplines to make artworks in response totheir journey and experiences along the GrandCanal, as a solitary pursuit or by engagingwith communities, we are opening a new andcreative dialogue around the canal and its futureuses. The resulting work will form a collection ofartistic responses to the Grand Canal which willbe documented and displayed nationally andinternationally in various ways over the nextfew years.Objectives:1. Manage a touring exhibition of the artworkover Irish waterways and other venues/festivals nationally and internationally andensure its online presence through a websiteand other new media.2. Work to ensure the Grand Canal in Offalybecomes nationally synonymous with artisticexpression and devise an evaluation processto observe how this is developing.3. Consider further commissions/projects ofsignificance along the canal, including thosewith other agencies, which would meetsimilar objectives of creating a CulturalCorridor through Offaly.4. Promote the processes and outcomes of thecultural development of the Grand Canalthrough multiple service providers, culturaland tourism agencies.45arts plan 2012–2016