In the MAC (Metropolitan Arts Centre) we have a clear and ambitious aim – we want to make Northern Ireland a better place by creating space for people to imagine, enjoy, participate in and create art.  We are in the business of moving Northern Ireland forward, leaving no one behind.  

The MAC works because it is full of people – workers, artists, customers and community partners –who are deeply committed to helping Northern Ireland achieve its potential. Our customer research tells us time and again that the MAC makes people proud to be from Belfast and Northern Ireland because of the part our work plays in breaking down old, tired and constraining beliefs.

The MAC is one of Ireland’s leading arts centres and a hotbed of creativity.  Since opening in 2012 the MAC has quickly become a beacon for the ongoing regeneration of Belfast, offering an eclectic programme of visual art, theatre, dance, family workshops and lots more.

Our core values are centred on our twin commitments to art and to audiences. We support artists to create and present new and often challenging work. Above all, we champion artistic excellence. We value partnerships by co-designing, co-creating and co-delivering – enabling artists, other charities, communities, health organisations and educational & arts groups throughout Northern Ireland to present ideas, to challenge convention and to showcase their creativity. 

Why we need your help now:

The Troubles took a heavy toll on our society; the poorest citizens are continuing to pay a heavy and disproportionate price.

The arts in NI have been systematically de-funded over many years; some have tried to co-opt culture for political purposes by characterising it as green or orange while devaluing the power of great art to transform lives and communities.

Our young people, our artists and our society deserve better and we know that the arts can transform small-mindedness into big thinking.

When we talk about art, we mean hope.

The MAC exists for everyone – always for the many, never the few. This is a crucial tenet of what we do. We live this in many ways: through our outreach work, through affordable ticket prices, through having a free family room, subsidised transport for school groups, and deep partnerships with some of our socio-economically deprived communities here in North Belfast and further afield. Last year alone we worked with 50,574 people from our poorest neighbourhoods including people who are struggling with addiction, mental ill health, homelessness and children living in poverty.  

These are just some of the ways in which the MAC opens wide its doors to share the true, transformative power of art. Now, as we look to our next ten years, we hope to consolidate our organisation at the heart of our community as a safe, engaging, rewarding and inspiring space for all. 

How you can help, now

To do this work we must raise around $3.5M each year.  We have been – and continue to be – highly successful in attracting investment from central and city government and from grant-giving trusts and foundations.  We want to and could do so much more with additional support.

With the help of our friends in the US we secured peace, and we need your help again now to finish the job by tackling the legacy of the conflict so lasting reconciliation can occur. Our people need hope and pathways to a new and better future. 

Please donate today and we promise your donation will make a difference to the people back home in Northern Ireland.

Please consider making a tax-deductible gift to the MAC below.