Welcome to the website of the Royal Ulster Academy!
This is my first year as President and it is certainly an exciting time to have taken on the role. Not only have we recently taken up offices in the heart of the Cathedral Quarter, we have also obtained permanent staff and are in the midst of preparations for what promises to be our most challenging and innovative exhibition ever.

Together, with members of the Council of the Academy, the duration of my Presidency will be focused on the strategic direction of this historic organization. The top priority is to establish a permanent home for the RUA which will incorporate both office and gallery space. From this solid base, all our ideas will grow so that the visual arts, as a sector, will benefit and prosper.

There is a lot of creative territory to explore and of course, some of this will require a degree of reinvention. As a model, I have been particularly impressed by the Royal Hibernian Academy in Dublin , and look forward to working more closely with them in the future. It is worth noting , however, that at present , unlike the RHA, the RUA are not publically funded and that there is a huge gap in arts funding in general between Dublin and Belfast.

I believe that the RUA, which is after all, the largest visual arts body in the North ,are well placed to lead the way forward towards increased respect for the visual arts. As part of this I am delighted to announce that the 127th Annual RUA Exhibition will be at the former Titanic Drawing Offices at Harland and Wolff Shipyard , Belfast. This majestic and historic setting affords us the opportunity to do something exciting and dynamic in a building which is resonant with the history of Belfast. In tandem with this, we are developing our education strategy, in partnership with Queen’s University Belfast.

In conclusion, I believe 2008 will be a landmark year in the development of the RUA and that we will consolidate our position at the centre of the visual arts community.

 

Rita Duffy

RUA President