The Isle of Man Arts Council Community Choir
Did you know that we run a Community Choir?
It is open to anyone in the community who enjoys singing! Led by Dr Mandy Griffin as musical director and with David Holland as accompanist, the choir is free, informal and sings a wide variety of music.
Rehearsals take place every Wednesday at 1.10pm to 1.50pm at St. George's Church, Douglas.
Email iomartscouncil@gov.im or phone 01624 694596 to sign up!
Culture Vannin
We have a close working relationship with Culture Vannin ranging from joint projects a shared vision to develop Arts and Culture on the island.
The Manx Bard
The Bard is a cultural initiative sponsored by the Isle of Man Arts Council and endorsed by Culture Vannin and Manxlitfest - the winning poet is selected by a panel of judges based on their poems, performance and bringing innovation to the role.
Unesco
As a UNESCO Biosphere Isle of Man partner, we are committed to cherishing and preserving the island's beautiful natural landscapes, celebrating the island as a special place to live and work.
Art has always had a voice. Communicating in a non-traditional way can often shed fresh light on contentious issues and equally has the power to reach a wider audience. I feel often its biggest advantage is offering a different perspective. When you take an everyday item out of context and present it to the world in a new way (or even in its original form) you’re shedding light on that item and asking your viewer to look again and consider its value.
-Excerpt from an interview with Colette Gambell on 'Raising Awareness Through Art'
How the Arts and Biosphere Isle of Man work together
The Isle of Man is a special place for people and for nature. We’re proud to have been awarded UNESCO status as a UNESCO world biosphere.
In a nutshell, UNESCO Biosphere Isle of Man is all about keeping our Island a special place to live, work and visit. It is the first entire Nation in the world to receive this prestigious endorsement from UNESCO.
Hon Geoffrey Boot MHK, Minister for Environment, Food and Agriculture, said:
Our arts and culture are a huge part of what makes us Mann and an important contributor to our economy, environment and community. Through the Partnership scheme, organisations and businesses join with us to celebrate and tell the world about our unique Biosphere status. I welcome the Isle of Man Arts Council as a partner and look forward to working with it to promote our Biosphere through music, drama, art, video, photography, poetry and other art forms practised by our talented people.
As a UNESCO biosphere partner, the Isle of Man Arts Council work to promote the values of UNESCO in the following ways:
Quality of life
Making sure we have the healthiest possible environment to support our wellbeing.
Economy
Helping to attract more investment to the Isle of Man.
Tourism
Raising awareness of our Island and making it an even more special place to visit.
National pride
A global accolade like this fosters pride in everything from our outstanding natural environment to our unique culture and heritage.
Stronger partnerships
Between the voluntary sector, businesses and government, helping everyone to achieve more.
Ellyn: A Tale of Contemporary Art
Ellyn
A Tale of Contemporary Art
"Ellyn: A Tale of Contemporary Art" is a collaborative artists’ book that celebrates the Isle of Man’s culture, nature, heritage and more in the form of fine art.
The Isle of Man Arts Council collected artwork from 66 artists through a process of invitation and open call, who each created work that responded to the theme “Isle of Man” and what this means to them.
In partnership with UNESCO Biosphere Isle of Man, an exhibition to launch and accompany the book took place from September to October 2021 in the Villa Marina Arcade. The exhibition showcased the work of over 60 artworks by artists with a Manx connection living both locally and afar and saw over 1000 people walk through the doors to see it.
The project was led by the Arts Graduate Intern, Olivia Savage (2020-21) who delivered this as part of her year with the Isle of Man Arts Council. Olivia commented: “Since “Ellyn” launched to the public, we have had such an amazing response, both in footfall and sale of “Ellyn” softback books and in kind words from visitors."
The Theme
The book was titled "Ellyn: A Tale of Contemporary Art" as "Ellyn" is the Manx word for "Art".
Artists were given the following brief asking them to submit pieces on what the Isle of Man meant to them:
Coming from an island as small as ours, there is a connection each and every one of us feels to the Manx soil beneath us in our individual ways. The Isle of Man is a place that we carry in our hearts everywhere we go, and manages to crop up in our lives everywhere we go. Being inspired by the Isle of Man does not have to mean that your creative outlet directly responds to it, but that the connection you have to it lives within your work. When thinking of the Isle of Man, don’t think about how it is written in the history books or spoken about in a documentary, think of what it means to you alone. Think of the challenges you’ll face with your work being shown 2D in a book and how you can play with these limits.
UNESCO Biosphere Isle of Man
The Isle of Man Arts Council undertook this project in proud partnership with UNESCO Biosphere Isle of Man.
As part of the exhibition, UNESCO Biosphere Isle of Man awarded a prize to one of the featured artists which they felt best reflected their organisation's aims. They awarded this to Janet Corran, an artist who submitted to the open call for Ellyn, for her artwork, titled, “The Teacher’s Cabinet”.
An extract from Janet’s accompanying statement to her artwork, explains, “This artwork is an assemblage of ideas that represents the balance or imbalance between the academic paper-led learning that happens inside the classroom and the diverse outdoor opportunities for real learning and sense of belonging, which the Isle of Man has to offer”.
Biosphere's aim is to celebrate our unique sense of place and ‘what makes us Mann’. It encourages us to connect with, and enjoy, our environment, culture and community - and tell their story creatively.
More information about UNESCO Biosphere Isle of Man can be found at www.biosphere.im
Harbour Lights Group Award for Under 25s
The The Harbour Lights Group were the official event sponsor for "Ellyn: A Tale of Contemporary Art" exhibition and in addition offered a prize for the best artwork created by someone under 25 of their choice.
Harbour Lights Group award for artwork created by under 25s was Laeth Quellin. Laeth created an original Lino Print called "Sea Swan" - accompanied by a poem - which depicts swans in Ramsey Harbour.
"I am honoured and delighted to receive the Harbour Lights Group Award, it was of the highest privilege to have my work displayed among such incredible artists, and it means the world to me that people can see my work. Thank you so much to the Harbour Lights Group and everyone involved in "Ellyn". It was a privilege to celebrate our Island."
Laeth Quellin
The Legacy
"Ellyn" was created to be a professional book encompassing the island’s contemporary talent that can be used as a point of reference for cultural insight – whether that be to learn about the island or about contemporary Manx art.
The aim of the project was to harness Manx Contemporary Art in a publication that could be kept as record of Manx and local art for years to come. The book contains work from 66 local and Manx artists, from those in their first year of practice to those that have been working for years and are internationally acclaimed. "Ellyn" will live in local libraries, schools and Manx Heritage sites across the Island and therefore will become embedded in Manx learning.
Copies of the book were gifted to all the island's schools, Henry Bloom Noble Library and the Manx Museum Library.
