THE ARTS CENTRE The Linenhall Arts Centre started Life in 1976 as the Education Centre located in the old Presbyterian Church on the Mall in Castlebar. It was funded by the Department of Education and set up as a pilot project to take temporary exhibitions from the important collections in the National Museum, the National Gallery and the National Library. But quite quickly the Centre also began to develop its own programme of exhibitions and events, focusing on the contemporary arts and on bringing quality performances into the area. In 1986 the centre moved to its present home in the Linen Hall. When the pilot project was reviewed a commitment was made to continue providing an arts service for the area and in 1990 the Arts Council came on board to fund the newly formed Linenhall Arts Centre. LINENHALL POLICY STATEMENT The Linenhall Arts Centre’s policy is to provide an arts service for the community by programming local, national and international arts events and activities, by supporting those working in the arts who live in the region and by providing opportunities for everyone to participate in making art. The Linenhall serves an urban population of 11,500 and county population of 120,000 with significant tourist numbers during the season. ACTIVITIES The Linenhall Arts Centre has been providing an arts service to the people of Mayo for the last twenty years, comprising: Music - The Linenhall’s ongoing programme includes world music, traditional, blues, jazz, classical, country and anything else you can think of. As one of Music Network’s first partners we have established a reputation for quality music in a friendly informal atmosphere. Drama The Linenhall is visited regularly by many professional touring companies, both Irish and international. It also facilitates the production of new work: The Birdcage, a winner of Best New Play at the National Amateur Drama Festival, was premiered here, as was the children’s play The Wrong Powder. Visual Arts The Linenhall Gallery shows a range of contemporary art in a series of exhibitions throughout the year. The work ranges from that of younger emerging artists to those of international reputation. We produce a quality catalogue to accompany each exhibition and arrange gallery talks and workshops during its run. Children - Saturday afternoons frequently find children engrossed in the variety of theatre and puppet shows that we regularly programme. We also run a plethora of summer camps, workshops and classes in art, drama, textiles, puppet making and print. This year sees the 4th annual Roolaboola children’s arts festival, which runs from 8th - 10th December with a packed programme of events and workshops. Adult Workshops - Summer 2000 saw the first Summer Schools for adults, with Clay Sculpting and Residential Painting courses. It is clear from the success of these first courses that the Adult Summer Schools are set to become a regular feature of Linenhall programming. Community Arts The Linenhall is committed to providing an arts service for the entire community, reaching out to people who may not have easy access to arts activity. Working in partnership with a variety of organisations, recent projects have involved movement, rhythm and voice workshops for people with learning disabilities, felt-making for young traveller women, art from recycled waste for teenagers, puppet-making and drama with children from a local authority housing estate, and the local Active Age Group has just completed a series of giant masks. Literature Poetry readings, lectures, book launches, informal get-togethers - in fact anything to do with the written word - all are regularly accommodated and indeed celebrated at the Linenhall. Film - The Linenhall Film Club runs through the autumn and spring seasons with monthly screenings. We screen the latest international releases, with a bias towards the art house end of the market. The Linenhall Film Club is a member of the Federation of Irish Film Societies.