New Member: South Tipperary Arts Centre

We know that the arts are fundamental to our humanity – and to our economy! As a business, you are aware of the value of a recognised, well-run and vibrant Arts Centre to a town and region. For a company, it’san asset that attracts new talent to a region and encourages employee retention at the top level. We only have to look at the value of its cultural institutions to business in places like Kilkenny or Galway to see that the arts are a genuine credit to a town.
From coordinating Clonmel’s participation in national events like Culture Night and Cruinniu na nOg, to bringing high quality Irish and international art to its gallery, South Tipperary Arts Centre has a broad remit. The appointment in 2017 of Cliona Maher, a new and highly experienced Manager (now Artistic Director), has allowed the arts centre to expand the programme of events and exhibitions.
None of this can be done without financial assistance and part of the function of the Artistic Director is to find a range of income streams and supports to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Arts Centre. It will probably come as no surprise to you to hear that the period from 2010 was quite brutal for South Tipperary Arts Centre, as it was for Ireland's wider creative community.
In the past year alone, however, the new management structure has allowed the Arts Centre to access grants from the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, LEADER and the Arts Council of Ireland, bringing significant national funding back to south Tipperary. It is very important for the cultural life of the region to have an implanted agency that has the professional capacity to attract such funding.
The vision under the new Artistic Director is for the Arts Centre is be a true centre for the arts in Clonmel and county Tipperary: a hub for high-level exhibitions, a focal point for supporting local artists, and a place for learning, investigating, and playing for both children and adults, from those that paint as a past-time to those that create for a living. 
In the last few months, with LEADER funding, they have transformed the upstairs studio into a multi-purpose space for not only exhibitions and workshops, but also talks, screenings and performances. They have rebranded, with a new logo and a high end, performative website that enhances marketing capacity, thanks to a grant from the Department of Culture, Heritage and Gaeltacht.
At the launch for the website on June 16th, the Arts Centre also launched a new Friends scheme, inviting individuals, families and businesses to ‘Be Part of the Arts’.
Have a look at the new website www.southtippartscentre.ieto see the wide range of activities and events coming up over the next few months.

South Tipperary Arts Centre 
Nelson St., Clonmel, Co. Tipperary, E91 TP60
Tel: +353 52 61 27877
Artistic Director Cliona Maher
manager@southtippartscentre.ie