Governance & Policies
Governance Overview
Imagine Arts Festival is a registered trading name of Waterford Arts Festival CLG. Waterford Arts Festival, CLG is governed by a voluntary board of Directors. The Organisation is committed to good governance and is compliant with the Governance Code. The organisation complies with all regulatory requirements and operates in accordance with its governing document, available here.
The organisation keeps detailed books and records of accounts and maintains strict financial controls. The organisation is transparent in its financial statements, with the most recent statements (2022) available here. These statements are prepared in accordance with the Companies Act 2014 and FRS102, the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Ireland
Our current list of members can be found under Our Team page
As part of our commitment to being transparent in all that we do; Imagine Arts Festival has adopted a number of policies in order to deliver on its key priorities and objectives as ratified in the summer of 2023 together with a revised mission statement and vision to which we will work towards in all Festival activities going forward.
Our Mission Statement:
Our Mission is to continue to develop the scale and ambition of our Festival, growing our confidence, the understanding of our impact and our reputation while achieving the following:
To identify and present contemporary, imaginative and provocative new work made by Irish and international artists with a focus on platforming Waterford artists.
To create a multidisciplinary festival that evokes curiosity and creates memorable encounters that enthral and embolden audiences.
To offer a framework for artistic risk, offering year-round support to artists across disciplines to challenge and invigorate their practice, and to extend the possibilities of what art can be.
Our Vision:
Our vision is one where the imaginations of artists are supported through our Festival and its programme, while allowing innovative art become the guiding force of all that we do.
Our Purpose:
To create a Festival that is a respected and crucial perennial feature of cultural calendars locally and nationally; all the while championing artists and enticing audiences.
Our Values:
We value that communities and individuals are empowered through creative exploratory collaboration and experience
We value the importance of access to creative space for collective participation and appreciation in and of the arts
We value the ability of collaborative, collective and participatory Arts as a means for social and cultural preconceptions to be challenged
We value diversity as a source of vibrancy
We value excellence, best practice, quality research and evaluation to ensure the highest quality of service to our audiences
We value the important impact that making visible the work of individuals, collectives and communities has on audiences and participants alike
We value the importance of public space as a democratic forum to give voice, expression and visibility to the creativity of all
The Priorities of the Festival are as follows:
Artists
Artform Development
Audience
While the objectives under these three priorities are as follows
Lead thinking and conversation about new and contemporary performance practice and artform development.
Identify and remove barriers to access to our programmes, resources and opportunities.
To curate a compelling, imaginative programme that brings interesting art into interesting spaces within the cultural landscape of Waterford.
Ensure commissioning projects challenge the artform and the artist.
Seek out and build relationships with early career and genre-defying artists.
Cultivate visible, approachable entry-points for artists, maintaining a year-round open-door policy and creating opportunities for peer network building.
Commission imaginative projects from Irish artists (with a Waterford connection) that push the boundaries of the artists themselves and the audiences’ experience.
In relation to the Festival organisation, we have identified the following objectives.
Strengthen and diversify our revenue base, deepening our relationship with the Arts Council of Ireland and Waterford City and County Council and building other financially advantageous alliances.
Maintain rigour and excellence of governance and management, adhering to best practice protocols and planning for succession.
Put in place processes of review and reflection to ensure our organisational well-being, influence and impact.
Reinforce the Imagine Arts Festival brand to ensure its local, national and international recognition and appeal.
Build and sustain a loyal festival community of new, existing and alumni artists and audiences.
Create entry points to the festival in our artistic programme, through our volunteer programme, affordable tickets and by diversifying our community and venue partnerships.
Ensure the promotion of the festival continues to be welcoming and inventive, to utilise new methodologies and to reach and entice audiences under 35 as well as first-time Festival goers of all ages.
Enhance our understanding of our audience base to identify areas for ongoing development.
Current Policies:
We are also fully cognisant of the need to be in line with national policy frameworks and as such have adopted the following policy produced by the Arts Council of Ireland.