Liz Meaney appointed new Arts Director with the Arts Council

Friday, 29 August 2014, 12.10pm

The Arts Council has today announced the appointment of Liz Meaney as its new Arts Director to join its senior management team.

Orlaith McBride, Director of the Arts Council said: “We are delighted that Liz Meaney is joining us as a member of the senior management team as Arts Director for Performing and Local Arts. Liz has already demonstrated her wide-ranging expertise and successful experience in the arts. In her executive role as Arts Officer with Cork City Council over 12 years and across a range of organisations, she has proven her ability in delivering high quality arts experiences and building organisations. As a former board member of Cork 2005 European Capital of Culture, Cork Midsummer Festival, Association of Irish Festivals and Events and as Chair of the Association of Local Authority Arts Officers, she has a tremendous strategic insight into the challenges facing artists and arts organisations across a range of artforms as well as an understanding of the impact of the arts on lives of people and communities”.

Liz is an experienced Arts Manager, who has worked in both the private and public sectors.  Following graduation she worked with the Cork Film Centre, Cork Film Festival and was Development Officer with the Kino Cinema.

She was Manager of the Galway Film Centre from 1997-2001. Returning to Cork in 2001 she took up her position as Cork City Council Arts Officer and was involved both in the bid for the nomination and the realisation of Cork as European Capital of Culture 2005.

During her time with Cork City Council their support for the arts has increased as part of overall budget provision, particularly post European Capital of Culture 2005.  These levels of support were substantially maintained in recent years, with increased support for project, bursary and arts in context funding being announced in 2013.

She has served on the boards of Cork 2005 European Capital of Culture, the Association of Irish Festivals and Events, and Cork Midsummer Festival.  She has served as Chair of the Association of Local Authority Arts Officers.  Her experience ranges from the commissioning of large scale public spectacles with audiences in excess of 150,000 to long term strategic planning for the arts as well as grand aid management and execution. 

Capital cultural development projects on which she has worked include Triskel Christchurch, the Munster Literature Centre and the Guesthouse Project Space.  Events managed include A Cork Christmas Celebration, winner of Best Festival in Ireland from Chamber Ireland in 2010, to Culture Night, which attracted in excess of 37,000 individual visits to venues in 2012.  She also was responsible for the Arts & Cultural Strategy of Cork City Council 2011 – 15.

Liz has commissioned cultural work for the Shanghai Expo 2010 and for the Cork programme during the Irish tenure as President of the EU 2013.

A graduate of University College Cork, Liz has a Masters in Irish History.  She is a certified IPI Project Manager, and has a Diploma in Irish Local Government Studies through the Institute of Public Administration.  She was selected by Business to Arts for a leadership development programme in 2007.

Liz will take up her position in October.

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Published by Benedict Schlepper-Connolly on 29 August 2014

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