Here are a few of the most frequently asked questions. If you can’t find what you’re looking for here contact us.

What is community arts?
How do I find out about local arts events or community arts organisations?
Who is listed on the CAF directory?
Does CAF provide funding to groups/individuals?

What is community arts?
“Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.” - Article 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

There is a common perception that the arts are only for a select few; that only a small elite is entitled to access the arts and a gifted few have the ability to produce art. This is not the case; everyone is essentially creative and has something valuable to contribute to society through creativity. Community arts practice encourages everyone to participate and share in the cultural life of their community.

At the core of community arts is an ethos of inclusion and shared experience. The key elements of this ethos are access, participation and ownership.

• Access - everyone has the right to participate in the creative process, to speak, to be listened to and to ask questions
• Participation - everyone has the right to be actively involved during the creative process
• Authorship - everyone has the right to contribute to what is being recorded during the creative process
• Ownership - what we have recorded through our active participation belongs to us collectively

Involvement in the arts is hugely rewarding, and offers tangible benefits those who take part. Participants in arts programmes, and particularly in community arts projects, report improved confidence, increased levels of self esteem, improved communication and social skills and improved in their quality of life.

Community arts projects encourage the use of artistic activities to support community development and can be used to safely explore a huge range of personal and social issues, and have been used across Northern Ireland and internationally to successfully promote reconciliation, challenge stereotypes, and encourage community activism. Community arts projects can give groups the confidence to go on to tackle other issues and have proved a very effective way of addressing weak community infrastructure.

Participants in community arts projects can discuss explore and challenge their experiences in a relaxed and non-threatening environment and learn a wide range of skills, ranging from practical and technical expertise to project delivery.

In mainstream arts, the focus is frequently on the artistic product or finished piece of work, i.e. the painting, the final performance or the completed poem.

In community arts the process of producing art is at least as important as the outcome, if not more so. It is during the artistic process that participants explore their creativity, interact and exchange ideas with others, and learn new skills.

Back to top

How do I find out about local arts events or community arts organisations?
There are countless community and voluntary arts organisations and individuals running projects across Northern Ireland, you just need to know where to start looking.

CAF offers a number of services to help you find out local arts events and activities.

The CAF online directory – this has hundreds of listings and you can search it by artform or area.

The Wee CAD – a free weekly e-bulletin service, with up to date community arts news, events, and opportunities. Click here to sign up.

CAF events calendar – has information on We also have an events calendar.

The Wee Can – the Community Arts Newsletter is published three times a year by CAF, CAF members receive a free printed copy by post. You can download back issues from 2004-2007 free here, or buy a back issues from 1995-2007 for 1.75 each, contact codonnell@caf.ie for more information.

Web links page - has links to arts and community organisations locally, nationally and internationally.

Try contacting your local community centre to see if they are running or know of any local projects. You local council will also have an arts officer who will be able to direct you local community arts projects.

Who is listed on the CAF directory?
The CAF directory is made up of over 1,000 individuals and organisations who work in or run community arts projects in all artforms and areas of Northern Ireland. All CAF members automatically get a listing on the online database. Click here to find out more about CAF membership.

Does CAF provide funding to groups/individuals?
CAF is not a funding body and does not currently offer financial support to groups or individuals.

CAF does however provide a free funding advice service.

We offer information and assistance on how to set up as a group; have a dedicated funding section on this website; produces a free monthly funding e-bulletin with funding deadlines for the month ahead and relevant training; and can offer advice and support on finding relevant funding and completing applications.