Body to promote Limerick culture
The model for the company will be based on UK ventures Glasgow Life and Culture Liverpool.
Documents on the plan state: “As Limerick City of Culture 2014 draws to a close, its organising body will be wound down. This creates an opportunity to set up a new company to build on the delivery model set up for the year of culture.”
It is envisaged the CEO will be paid in the region of €100,000 per year. Much of the funding will come from Limerick City and County Council with support from the private sector and philanthropic agencies
The Creative Limerick Agency will be tasked with planning and delivering cultural services through working with a wide-range of national and international agencies.
The outline plan states: “The Creative Limerick Agency will advance and deliver key cultural infrastructural projects in collaboration with statutory agencies and partnerships; make financial arrangements for these projects and act as agency for procurement and funding targets. The agency will also engage, promote and facilitate the growth of the cultural sector in Limerick city and region along with developing creative industries.”
It is hoped the agency will have a board made up of five to seven directors who will have backgrounds and experience of management of cultural activities. A key aim will be to draw up a strategy for Limerick’s 2020 bid for European Capital of Culture.
The plan states: “What is proposed is a potential model for the growth and development of the cultural sector, that values culture as a central component of the infrastructure and philosophy of the city as a regional capital with strong identity.
“We want to enrich Limerick as en environment for people to live; provide a creative atmosphere to study and engage in cultural activities; offer an exciting destination to explore and visit, and develop enterprise through creative industries.”
The plan states that cultural events such as the visit of the big ‘Granny’ which drew up to 250,000 people over three days, have led to a renewed confidence in Limerick.
“This is an opportunity to utilise the power of a strong cultural sense of ourselves, to place culture at the centre of our plans,” says the prospectus.
