Minister appoints new Arts Council Board

Culture Minister Carál Ní Chuilín MLA today announced the appointment of a new Chair and five new Board Members to the Arts Council.
~ Wednesday, 21 December 2011

Following open competition, Bob Collins has been appointed as Chair and David Alderdice, Anna Carragher, Noelle McAlinden, Katherine McCloskey, and Paul Mullan have been appointed as Board Members.

Welcoming the new members Minister Ní Chuilín said: “I am very pleased to make these appointments and I am looking forward to working with the new Board. I recognise the valuable contribution the arts make to our social, economic and cultural life and the vital role the Arts Council plays in supporting this.

“While I am all too aware of the challenges facing the sector in the coming years, I am confident that the new Board Members will build on the work of the previous Board to enrich the lives of our communities and make this an attractive place to live, visit and do business.”

Minister Ní Chuilín also paid tribute to the outgoing members of the Arts Council for their contribution and commitment to the work of the Arts Council during their terms of appointment. “I would like to personally thank Rosemary Kelly and the other outgoing members of the Arts Council for the leadership, vision and time commitment that they have given to the arts sector. They have laid solid foundations on which the new Board can build over the next four years.

“There are three vacancies remaining on the Board and the Department will initiate a new competition early in 2012 to fill these positions. These vacancies will be used to broaden the range of skills available to the new Board.”

Notes to editors:

1. The Arts Council is the statutory body through which public funding for the arts in Northern Ireland is disbursed. The Council was established as a statutory body by the Arts Council (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 on 1 September 1995. It is funded via grant-in-aid by the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL) and it is managed by a Board normally consisting of 15 members.

2. The terms of office of outgoing members expired on 30 November 2011. The new terms of appointment commenced on 1 December and will expire on 30 November 2015. Members are appointed by the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure.

3. The post of Chair will receive an honorarium of £10,000 per annum plus expenses. The Vice-Chair will receive an honorarium of £3,500. The members’ positions are unpaid, with members receiving expenses only.

4. The appointments process was carried out in accordance with the Commissioner for Public Appointments Northern Ireland Code of Practice for Ministerial Public Appointments. A selection panel, which included an independent panel member, as required under the Commissioner’s Code, considered the suitability of all candidates. The final decision on the appointments rested with the Minister. All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland requires the political activity of appointees to be published.

5. The following members of the Council have been re-appointed to serve a second 4 year term:

Mr Damien Coyle (Vice-Chair)
Mr David Irvine
Prof Paul Seawright
Mr Brian Sore
Mrs Janine Walker
Prof Ian Montgomery

The outgoing members are:

Ms Rosemary Kelly OBE (Current Chairman)
Mrs Eithne Benson
Mrs Kate Bond·
Mr Anthony Kennedy
Mr WHC Montgomery
Ms Sharon O’Connor
Mr Joe Rice
Mr Peter Spratt
Mr Raymond Fullerton

6. Biograghical details for the new Board members

Bob Collins – New Chair

Bob Collins has been Chief Commissioner of the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland since August 2005 and his term of office will end on 31 January 2012. . Remuneration for this position is in the range of £80,000 to £85,000 per annum. He is a former Director-General of RTÉ, the Irish national broadcasting organisation, in which capacity he initiated significant organisational change. He played a key role in developing RTÉ’s approach to the Arts, including the place of the performing groups within the organisation and the introduction of a new music and arts radio service, lyric fm. He has a keen interest in the arts. Mr Collins is Chair of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. He has served as a member of the Boards of the National Concert Hall, the National Library of Ireland and of the Ulster Orchestra Society. He was also a member of Comhairle Theilifís na Gaeilge. Mr Collins has not been involved in any political activity in the last five years.

David Alderdice – New Board Member

Mr Alderdice is the Director of the British Council NI having formerly held a number of positions in the Council in England, Bangladesh, Iraq, Netherlands, Argentina and Thailand. The purpose of the British Council is to create international opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries through Arts, Education and English. Through his work with the Council, Mr Alderdice has worked on a number of projects which have used arts to address community issues including “Arts for Development”, a programme which will focus on the young communities emerging from repression via the Arab Spring. Mr Alderdice has not been involved in any political activity in the last five years.

Anna Carragher – New Board Member

Miss Carragher was formerly Head of Programmes and then Regional Controller at BBC NI where she made local arts coverage a priority, most notably setting up Radio Ulster’s popular Arts Extra programme. She was a member of the UK City of Culture assessment panel which unanimously selected the Derry~Londonderry bid. Miss Carragher is a former Chair of the Grand Opera House Trust and Board member of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority. She is also the outgoing Chair of the Grand Opera House. Miss Carragher studied English Literature at Queens University under Seamus Heaney and is a keen theatre goer. Miss Carragher serves as a Commissioner on the Equality Commission for which she receives remuneration of £5,000 per annum. Miss Carragher has not been involved in any political activity in the last five years.

Noelle McAlinden – New Board Member

Ms McAlinden is Creative Adviser with ILEX URC and City of Culture which has involved a wide range of work with voluntary, community and statutory organisations. She describes herself as a committed Arts Educationalist, Arts Activist and Arts Adviser as well as a practising visual artist for 30 years. Ms McAlinden has a background in teaching as a former Head of Art and Design in a Post-Primary school and as a Senior Lecturer for Arts at Fermanagh College of Further Education. She was Chair of Creative Youth Partnerships and is currently serving as Chair of the Forum for Local Government and the Arts. Ms McAlinden is a Director of the Nerve Centre and Gordon Gallery. Ms McAlinden has not been involved in any political activity in the last five years.

Katherine McCloskey – New Board Member

Mrs McCloskey began her career as a librarian in the Fine Arts Department of the Central Library before moving on to the College of Art library and eventually rising to become the Chief Librarian and a member of the senior management team of the Belfast Education and Library Board. She is a former Chair of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals. Mrs McCloskey gained experience in community arts during her time as Divisional Librarian for North and West Belfast and as Chief Librarian in Central Library. She has a wide ranging interest in the arts and particularly Irish Art and Literature. Mrs McCloskey has not been involved in any political activity in the last five years.

Paul Mullan – New Board Member

Mr Mullan is a former Chairman of BEAT Initiative where he was involved in engaging communities from deprived areas with the arts. He is also a member of the BBC’s Audience Council for NI and has participated in a number of service reviews of the performance BBC Radio and TV Channels. Mr Mullan is Chair of the Special Educational Needs Advisory Centre. Mr Mullan has not been involved in any political activity in the last five years.

7. Re-appointed Boards Members

Damien Coyle (Vice-Chair)

Mr Coyle is Deputy Director of the Stroke Association Northern Ireland and formerly held senior management positions in a number of arts organisations and public bodies which include Old Museum Arts Centre, Arts and Research Exchange, Community Fund and Big Lottery Fund. He has been Chairperson of Circa Arts Magazine and the Kabosh Theatre Company. His writing on arts and cultural issues has been published in a wide range of publications. Mr Coyle has been a visual arts practitioner for over 25 years and has exhibited locally, nationally and internationally. He has been Vice-Chair of the Arts Council since 1 December 2007. Mr Coyle has not been involved in any political activity in the last five years.

David Irvine

Mr Irvine is a Business Risk Consultant with Marsh Ltd, a global risk and insurance services firm. Apart from general business experience, he has particular interest in Governance and Risk Management issues. Mr Irvine has had a long association with Arts and Business. He has been a National Judge for the Arts and Business National Awards in London and a mentor on the Young Professionals Scheme. Mr Irvine is currently the Chair of ‘Moving on Music’, an organisation which promotes and presents quality music, supports emerging Artists and provides support services to the Arts Sector. He was awarded the “Arts and Business and the Individual Award” in the 2005 Arts and Business Creativity Awards for his work with Moving on Music. Mr Irvine was appointed to the Arts Council Board on 1 December 2007. Mr Irvine has not been involved in any political activity in the last five years.

Prof Paul Seawright

Prof Seawright is Professor of Photography at the University of Ulster and was formerly Dean of Arts and Media at the University of Wales, Newport, where he was awarded a personal chair in 2001. A practising photographer he has exhibited extensively and represented Wales at the 2003 Venice Biennale of Art. He was appointed to the Arts Council Board on 1 December 2007. Prof Seawright has not been involved in any political activity in the last five years.

Brian Sore

Mr Sore lives in Moira and has been a Board Member of the Arts Council and Chair of the Arts Council’s Finance and Capital Committee for four years. He is currently the Regional Director of the Royal Town Planning Institute. He has been project Director of a number of significant public works and he has a keen interest in the built environment and the public art. As the former Acting Chief Executive of the Greenpark Health Trust, he is an ardent supporter of art in the healthcare environment and has worked with artists and the voluntary group “Arts Care” to support art in patient services and hospitals. Mr Sore has not been involved in any political activity in the last five years.

Mrs Janine Walker

Mrs Walker is a freelance arts consultant and drama workshop facilitator. She is Co-Founder of Belfast based theatre company “Spanner in the Works” and has extensive theatre experience having worked as an actress and workshop facilitator with Spanner in the Works over a ten year period, as well as being a member of the Lyric Drama Studio for three years from 1996-99. She graduated from Queen’s University Belfast in 2009 with a Masters in Drama & Performance Studies and specialised in Contemporary Irish Theatre. Janine has also worked in various arts administration roles. From 2004 to 2007, she was the Arts Manager at Arts & Business. In a voluntary capacity from 2001 to 2008, Mrs Walker was a founder member & Vice-Chair of Down Arts Forum and from 2006 to 2008 was a Board Member of ArtsEkta. She was appointed to the Arts Council Board on 1 December 2007. Mrs Walker has not been involved in any political activity in the last five years.

Prof I Montgomery

Professor Montgomery is Dean of the Faculty of Art Design and the Built Environment at the University of Ulster. Prior to this appointment he was Head of the University's School of Art and Design, the largest art and design higher education provider on the island of Ireland (established in 1849). He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Architecture and Manufacture, a member of the International Society of Typographic Designers and a member of the Design Research Society. He was appointed to the Arts Council Board on 1 December 2007. Prof Montgomery has not been involved in any political activity in the last five years.

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