When was the Company set up and why?
Galway Cultural Development and Activity CLG was initially established in 2016 to run and operate the ECoC designation. Upon completion of the project, the company began trading as the ‘Galway Culture Company’ The inaugural meeting of the Galway Culture Company board was held on the 7th September 2022. The company honours the relationships and builds on the learnings, outcomes and legacies of Galway’s many European and Global designations including Galway’s designation as European Capital of Culture, UNESCO City of Film, European Green Leaf, European Region of Gastronomy. The company will work closely with Galway City Council and Galway County Council to deliver a collective creative vision for Galway. Galway Culture Company works in partnership and collaboration with local, national and EU partners. Over an initial 2 year implementation phase from September 2022 to September 2024, Galway Culture Company will embark on a range of projects with partners forming a series of open calls, limited calls and direct invitations which respond to our strategic objectives.
What does the Galway Culture Company Do?
Our work can be broadly divided into 3 strategic aims;
- Develop EU and International Relationships and Funding
- Support and develop place-based cultural programming
- Provision of Supports to the Cultural and Creative Sectors
Do you administer grants?
We do not administer grants, our partners Galway City Council and Galway County Council administer arts grants and artist bursaries.
What do you mean by culture?
As per the Galway City Cultural Strategy, The Council has adopted the broad UNESCO (2001) definition of culture: “The set of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features of society or a social group, that encompasses, not only art and literature but lifestyles, ways of living together, value systems, traditions, and beliefs”. This may include art and heritage but also sports, science, nature, food, hobbies, community involvement and more.
How can I work with you?
Opportunities will be posted on our website so feel free to check here frequently for updates. You can also sign up for our newsletter and follow us on social media for news and information.
How are you funded?
The Galway Culture Company is supported by the Government of Ireland under the National Development Plan through the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. To supplement our work, we make applications for funding to other sources to support individual projects. You can see a full outline of how our individual projects are funded under the projects section on our site.
Who is on your board?
Click here to view our board members.
Why were these board members appointed?
To achieve our mission statement of bringing together key agencies and stakeholders to drive forward a collective creative vision for Galway through meaningful partnership and collaboration to better support cultural placemaking, artists and those working in Culture and Creative Industries our board comprises of local and regional leaders of organisations with a role and remit in the support of Culture and creative industries in Galway.
Our board will work collaboratively towards a collective creative vision for Galway.
Where can I read your annual reports and accounts?
Our annual reports and our annual audit and accounts will be published here on our website. We will also publish quarterly reports on our work.
Where did the Galway Culture Company Logo came from?
The Galway Culture Company Logo was developed by creative designers at Ourside, a company based in Portershed in Galway. It is inspired by the ocean waves that meet our shores, circular and inclusive, representing our Local, National and International ambitions.