Marie Louise O'Donnell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

It is terribly important an institution such as the Crawford Gallery is completely independent in its ideas, passion, imagination, creativity and artistry. There is a development regionally and rurally but there is a trend towards a Tesco-ising of the arts. I have a feeling about this in that everything will happen everywhere almost at the same time and that we will all believe in this word "creativity". One has one's own pace, time, artistry, purity, beauty and passion. It frightens me a little that people might think they have to do things a certain way or be influenced by the person who tells them how to do their artwork, even though the artists are the greatest mentors. The Crawford should remain unique and wonderful. It should use the Department and the committee, as the chairman said, but should remain unique and wonderful in its own way and not lock into someone's view about how the arts should be.