Signal Arts Centre was set up in July 1990 to address the lack of a focal point for the visual arts in Bray and North Wicklow generally and at the same time create a practical facility where artists could both develop their own work and make the arts readily accessible to the local community as a resource. Signal in common with other arts organisations is registered with the CRO as a not-for-profi
t limited company having a voluntary board of directors who are charged with the responsibility for the centres development. The long-term aim is to establish a permanent centre of excellence for the visual arts in north Wicklow that will act as a facility both for local artists and arts bodies as well as the general community. The Centre has made a significant impact in Bray, not only in the arts and educational fields but also as an addition to the towns basic tourism infrastructure. Signal first opened to the public since 1990 and in that time has embedded itself firmly into the cultural and social fabric of the community. The centre has provided an irreplaceable resource for artists and the general public alike and continues to upgrade and develop its arts programme each year. Over the years we have seen many sister arts organisations, locally and nationally, disappear due to lack of proper structure, lack of finance or simply because those responsible for them moved on or ran out of energy. The fact that Signal is still going strong is a testament to the people who over the years have supported the centre. In seventeen years we have employed several hundred artists, giving them the opportunity to renew or perfect their skills or learn new ones, avail of specialist training and gain valuable experience when working as part of the centre's outreach programme. Our arts staff have come from all arts and crafts disciplines: sculpture, dance, music, design, graphics, painting, photography, multimedia, ceramics, community arts, poetry, etc. Many ex-staff retain close links with the centre through participation in events using the centre's faculties or through membership of the Signal Arts Society. The fact that Signal operates as a "working artists" facility is central to the ethos of the Centre and both the quality of our artists and the projects they undertake have been widely recognised.
