‘Arts a cornerstone of community’

‘Arts a cornerstone of community’


Áine Ryan

WESTPORT’S annual arts festival is ‘very much part of the social, cultural and commercial life of the west of Ireland’, according to Des Mahon, County Manager.
Speaking at the launch of the town’s 34th festival in the Custom House Studios on Friday night last, Mr Mahon expressed his belief that the programme for the 2009 ten-day festival – with 120 events – is ‘the best arts programme Westport has ever had’.
Mr Mahon particularly praised the ‘wow’ factor in artist Pamela Gray’s festival poster, which he observed ‘set the tone for a fantastic, high quality’ programme.
Dismissing the notion that the arts are ‘a luxury’ or ‘elitist’, Des Mahon argued that they are instead ‘one of the cornerstones of any well-developed, mature and inclusive society’.
“Sports and arts together motivate minds and unite people around common goals. They generate shared experiences. They are the cement that binds our communities and our society together,” Mr Mahon said.
“Our continued investment in and support of the arts is even more fundamentally important in a recession. When economic activity slows down and the absolutely helter-skelter pace of the last ten years eases off, it is critical that we continue to provide opportunities for people to develop their skills, to nurture their talents and explore their sense of self, which is what the arts are all about,” he continued.
Mr Mahon added that he had a long-held belief that the pivotal role of the arts in society helped to encourage, enable and empower people and communities.
“I have seen the sense of achievement for both individuals and groups which has resulted from involvement in the arts, across the entire range, from basic beginner to accomplished participant,” he added.
Before concluding Mr Mahon congratulated those who organised the exhibition of works by the late artist MicheΡl de Burca RHA, opened at the same event by, by his former pupil, Carey Clarke PPRHA.