Two arts groups to benefit in bank fund

Two Mullingar arts groups planning a joint project are among the projects named as midland beneficiaries of Bank of Ireland’s Begin Together funds.

Mullingar Town Band and The Petitswood Art Makers from Mullingar Resource Centre are working on a collaborative project, Fusion. The two groups found themselves sharing a space during Covid-19, and the project they are planning tells the story of how both groups had to re-imagine ways of working allowing them to continue to make their art and music.

Fusion will culminate in a musical performance, a visual arts exhibition, and a documentary film.

Patricia Magee, chairperson of Mullingar Town Band is looking forward to the collaboration: “We did a major refurbishment of our band hall for our 140th anniversary in 2019. We did to such a high spec that we were able to rent it out to the group. They are based in the band hall for about a year now, although they are in the process of moving to new premises.

“Myself and Lucy Tormey – who is the artist in residence with the group – were chatting and started wondering if maybe we could do something together. Then we saw this opportunity to apply for funding.”

Covid meant that the attendees at the resource centre group couldn’t meet in real time and had to become familiar with using Zoom to communicate with each other.

At the same time, the band had rehearsals and committee meetings and other activities over Zoom.

“So we wondered could we do something in that line, and have a project at the end. We came up with the name Fusion and basically we’re fusing two groups together via technology.

“We applied for funding but we also added another artist into the project and her name is Fiona McGinty. “Fiona is a filmmaker and an art facilitator and her job is to document the band and document the Petitswood Art Makers and the collaboration.”

The thinking is that next summer, an exhibition can be staged. “It will include the band performing it’ll include the Petitswood Art Makers with an artistic display and it will also include a technology input as well and Fiona’s job will be to present that for us.”

Orchestra

The band is also about to engage in another collaborative project, with the Midland Youth Orchestra t hanks to a grant allocated by Westmeath County Council.

Max Wrafter is the conductor of the Youth Orchestra. “He and our band director, Kim Magee, will rehearse music over the next couple of months and will perform what they have rehearsed in a collaborative concert.”

The Bank of Ireland Begin Together Community Fund, in partnership with The Community Foundation for Ireland, provides financial support to grassroots groups, social enterprises and charities.

The Begin Together Arts Fund, in partnership with Business to Arts, supports artists creating inspiring artworks to uplift their local communities.

In total, €825,000 is being allocated to groups across the island of Ireland. Community Fund grantees will receive up to €20,000 for projects spanning financial literacy and wellbeing, mental health, disability, inclusion and diversity, and social isolation.

Arts Fund grantees will receive up to €10,000 to support new works in music, theatre, dance, traditional arts, the visual arts, film and craft.

Other midland projects being supported by Begin Together include:

• Embrace FARM, County Laois, offers services to families and friends of those affected by farming accidents.

• New Horizon Athlone Refugee and Asylum Seeker Support Group provides social supports to asylum seekers and refugees living at the Accommodation Centre in Athlone.

• Exchange House Ireland – Midlands Traveller Preparation Programme will help prepare travellers working to access the Diploma in Community Development Practice, from NUIG.

• Sorca McGrath, Westmeath; workshops for artists to share psycho-educational material on creativity and mental health.