These arts practices and activities bring artists together with specific groups of people in a mutually beneficial two-way engagement that nurtures and values the different ideas, experiences and skills of all involved, providing the highest quality experience, artistically and personally, for all the participants at every stage of the project, from planning through to evaluation.

The Arts Council understands 'community' in its broadest sense i.e. a group which either lives or works in a specific locality, such as a housing estate, a rural area, or a prison, or which visits a specific place on a regular basis e.g. a café or a museum. In addition, it understands 'community' to encompass groups that share a particular interest, for example music, the environment or migrant rights.

The Arts Council is committed to assisting artists of all disciplines to make work of excellence, including those who base their practice on social engagement and collaboration.

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Town Ecologies invited three Irish emerging architects/designers to develop their co-design and participatory community engagement skills and experience within a rural context.

Town Ecologies is led by Workhouse Union and is funded by the Arts Council with further support from Kilkenny LEADER Partnership and Kilkenny County Council. Video by Éamon Little/LittleVision

Financial support

There are a number of key agencies, funded by us, who have a central role in supporting these areas of work. At national level Create provides advice, training and support across all artforms while a number of other funded organisations focus on specific artforms or specific geographical locations. The Arts Council in partnership with the Irish Prison Service provide opportunities for prisoners to work with professional artists through the Artist in Prison Scheme and the Writers in Prison Scheme which is administered through the prisons education programmes.