The Arts Council recognises the important and valuable contribution made by older people in the arts as artists, audience members, critics, arts workers and board members. Arts participation is a core value across all areas of the Arts Council's work as reflected in the current strategy, Making Great Art Work, which commits to increasing public access, participation and engagement in the arts. Older people are an important constituency in this regard. The Arts Council is also committed to assisting artists of all ages to make work of excellence, including those who center their practice specifically in the area of arts and older people.

There are a small number of key agencies, funded by us, who have a central role in supporting this area of work. One such organisation is Age and Opportunity, which coordinates the Bealtaine Festival, a celebration of creativity in older age, which takes place around the country in May each year. 

Financial support

Other Arts Council funding is channeled through arts centres, local authority arts officers, festivals, and production companies, many of which co-ordinate high-quality arts programmes directly targeting older people as participants and audiences.

The Arts Council offers a wide range of financial supports across artforms and arts practices, including arts and older people. Those supports, direct and indirect, are described in detail on our Available Funding page. They include bursaries and project awards as well as specific schemes such as the Artist in the Community Scheme which is externally managed by Create.