Tue 07 Mar 06

Growing up in Belfast, I was always aware of a lively arts scene going on there and was thrilled to hear recently that the city is finally going to have a new major arts centre built. Wherever I have travelled or worked, the vibrant cultural life of any city in these times seems to have stemmed from a modern purpose-built centre for creative excellence, which allows development for ALL the arts and gives essential resources and support to local artists, writers, actors, dancers etc. Not only that, but the possibilities of hosting other national and international artists and companies will give the people of Belfast a wonderful opportunity to experience the art and culture of other nations, something devoutly to be wished. The Old Museum Arts Centre has been successfully involving itself in these pursuits for some fifteen years with brave and adventurous planning and would appear to be in an ideal position to take these ideas onto a new level. I feel it is very important, however, that this extremely good news does not compromise, in any way, the cultural and community bodies that are already inexistence, and which have been doing creative and committed work, sometimes in the face of adversity, for many years.