“It is in Apple’s DNA that technology alone is not enough—it’s technology married with liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields us the results that make our heart sing.”–Steve Jobs, in introducing the iPad 2 in 2011.
In a world dominated by technology which shapes nearly every aspect of our lives, we are blessed in Galway that the arts remain very much at the heart of Galway - and there are few cities that can claim such similar vibrancy.
This week's Galway Film Fleadh, next week's Galway International Arts Festival, and then the Galway Races, are the showpieces that have contributed so richly to our community. They have indeed been a huge galvanising factor in promoting our city as Ireland's cultural capital.
While it is important to record that last year's arts festival was worth in excess of €20 million in direct economic spend during its two weeks, and the number of international visitors increased from 25 per cent to 34 per cent last year, the benefits are more than just economic. Research has shown that a high concentration of the arts in a city leads to higher civic engagement, more social cohesion, higher child welfare, and lower poverty rates.
Michelle Obama's view is as powerful: "It is through our music, our literature, our art, drama and dance that we tell the story of our past and we express our hopes for the future."
While Galway might seem a natural choice as a City of Culture, it will be interesting to see how the vision develops and how it will engage with all the people and make a lasting impact.
Certainly it has started on a positive note - consulting with local communities - and importantly reaching outside the city limits to encompass county towns.
It is not that long ago that the city and its guardians thought more of economics than creativity, and that is a positive change.
We can also learn from the experience of other cities. Glasgow used the designation to help regenerate urban areas - not totally culturally based, but one that could reflect its special identity, and it too went beyond the city limits in an effort to stimulate less wealthy areas.
To do that for a specific time is possible, but to ensure it leaves a lasting legacy will also be a challenge for Galway that will require ongoing vision and commitment.
In a week in which our fellow Europeans in Greece are teetering on the brink of collapse, it is interesting to note that it was in 1983 that Melina Mercouri, then Greece’s minister of culture, who came up with the idea of designating an annual Capital of Culture. Culture was the soul of society, she believed, and her idea was to bring Europeans closer together by highlighting the richness and diversity of European cultures and raising awareness of their common history and values.
Linley MacKenzie
