‘Percent for Art’ and new five-year plan will shape cultural direction of Westmeath

A revival of the Percent for Art scheme and the development of a new five-year arts plan are set to shape the cultural direction of Westmeath over the coming years, councillors have been told.

At the council’s February monthly meeting, newly appointed arts officer Nicola Gilcreest outlined an ambitious roadmap that will see a draft Arts Plan for 2026-2030 brought before members by September of this year, while also signalling the reactivation of a long-dormant public art advisory structure to unlock funding under the national Percent for Art scheme.

Ms Gilcreest, who took up her role in December, told members that the arts plan process is already moving into its “discovery stage”, focused on gathering insights through one-to-one interviews, surveys and desk-based research.

Artists, creative practitioners, community representatives, arts centres, galleries and other stakeholders will be invited to contribute. Children and young people will also be engaged through dedicated focus groups.

The process will then move to analysis and priority-setting, with workshops and closed inquiry meetings planned for senior management, elected members and sector representatives. A draft plan is expected to go out for public consultation in July for one month, before returning to the September SPC meeting for approval and then to full council for formal adoption.

Alongside the arts plan, Ms Gilcreest confirmed that work is under way to revive the council’s public art policy and re-establish a public art advisory committee to oversee commissions using the national Percent for Art scheme, which allows up to 1% of the budget of eligible publicly funded capital projects to be allocated to the commissioning of original artworks.

Ms Gilcreest said she has begun auditing outstanding and potential Percent for Art projects across the county to determine what funding may still be available. A revised public art policy will be brought before the SPC, and elected members will be invited to nominate representatives to a reconstituted advisory committee, likely to serve for at least two years.

The aim, she said, is to create a clear financial and governance mechanism so that departments can embed Percent for Art allocations at the budgeting stage of capital projects.

She cautioned that accessing the scheme is not always straightforward and that a national review – due at the end of 2024 – has yet to report. Local authorities across the country have raised concerns about difficulties in drawing down funds outside major infrastructure projects.

Ambition

Councillors across the chamber welcomed the renewed focus, with several urging that the committee be established quickly and that the scheme be used to maximum effect.

Cllr Mick Dollard pointed to Mullingar success stories, including the statue of Joe Dolan in Market Square, which he said would not have materialised without Percent for Art funding linked to social housing in Dalton Park.

He also cited sculptures in the town park and other public works as examples of how the scheme can transform a place, boost civic pride and attract visitors.

Without the Joe Dolan statue, he argued, many tourists would not come to Mullingar. “You see people getting their photographs taken there every day,” he said, adding that permanent, visible pieces should be prioritised.

Cllr Dollard suggested future works could commemorate the long military history of Mullingar, St Loman’s Hospital, and Irish Rail, while also encouraging murals and temporary displays to enhance

the visual appeal of the town.

Cllr David Jones called for more outreach and regular clinics to ensure local artists – from musicians to glass workers and food producers – are aware of the supports available through the local authority. He also advocated expanding public art into rural communities, including the possibility of commemorative sculpture in Delvin.

Cllr Aengus O’Rourke highlighted the scale of public investment in Athlone in recent years, including drainage, public realm upgrades and flood defence works, and suggested the time was ripe to embed ambitious art commissions in to such projects.

He referenced past debate around a river-themed artwork in Athlone and suggested that future commissions could reflect local mythology and heritage.

Museum

Cllr Ken Glynn used the discussion to renew calls for a museum facility in Mullingar, arguing that the town’s military, cultural and entertainment achievements deserve a permanent showcase. While acknowledging that museums typically fall under heritage rather than arts, he urged the local authority to take a lead.

Chief executive Barry Kehoe responded that while opportunities under Percent for Art must be maximised, projects must have allocations built in at budgeting stage. If a project is completed and no provision was made, funding cannot be retrospectively drawn down.

He stated that museums are capital-intensive and costly to operate, requiring ongoing reinvestment, but said the issue of commemorating the history of Mullingar would continue to be explored.

In response to questions about the magnitude of funding currently available, Ms Gilcreest said it is too early to provide figures until the audit is complete, though she indicated that potential allocations could run into the millions of euro across multiple projects.

She stressed that the scheme provides “up to” 1% of project costs, with sliding caps – for example, projects under €5m capped at €50,000, and projects between €5m and €20m capped at €125,000.

Cllr Dollard warned that the revived advisory committee must not become “a toothless tiger” without resources, urging clarity on how far back allocations can be claimed.

Officials reiterated that while past projects may no longer qualify, new and upcoming capital schemes present fresh opportunities – provided the Percent for Art allocation is embedded from the outset.