Culture Vannin is the trading name for the Manx Heritage Foundation, established in 1982 by the

Isle of Man Government The Isle of Man Government ( gv, Reiltys Ellan Vannin) is the government of the Isle of Man. The formal head of the Isle of Man Government is the Lieutenant Governor, the personal representative of Charles III. The executive head is the Chief Mi ...

to promote Manx culture, heritage and

language Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of met ...

. It was rebranded in February 2014, having previously been known as the "Manx Heritage Foundation" ( gv, Undinys Eiraght Vannin), since the former title "held connotations more towards the cultural history of the island" which were not felt to be accurate to the organisation's progressive approach to invigorating Manx culture.'Re-brand to better reflect its work'
News item on IOM Today, published 18 February 2014 Culture Vannin's motto is "Taking our culture forward".

Organisation

The management board of the Foundation consists of two MHKs appointed by

Tynwald Tynwald ( gv, Tinvaal), or more formally, the High Court of Tynwald ( gv, Ard-whaiyl Tinvaal) or Tynwald Court, is the legislature of the Isle of Man. It consists of two chambers, known as the branches of Tynwald: the directly elected House of ...

, three members of the general public nominated by the

Council of Ministers A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...

and approved by Tynwald, and a representative from both the Isle of Man Arts Council and

Manx National Heritage Manx National Heritage ( gv, Eiraght Ashoonagh Vannin) is the national heritage organisation for the Isle of Man. The organisation manages a significant proportion of the island’s physical heritage assets including over 3,000 acres of coastlin ...

. It is chaired by Chris Thomas MHK. The Foundation currently employs four members staff: * Director: Dr Breesha Maddrell * Manx Language Development Officer: Ruth Keggin Gell * Manx Music Development Officer: Dr Chloë Woolley Its offices are based in Fairfield House, St. John's, opposite Tynwald Hill and next to

Bunscoill Ghaelgagh Bunscoill Ghaelgagh is a government-run Manx-language primary school in St John's, Isle of Man that has enabled 170 children to learn fluent Manx. it is the only school in the world where children are taught their lessons solely in Manx and whic ...

. Having announced plans for this relocation in June 2015, Culture Vannin opened its doors to the public at Fairfield House on

Tynwald Day Tynwald Day ( gv, Laa Tinvaal) is the National Day of the Isle of Man, usually observed on 5 July (if this is a Saturday or Sunday, then on the following Monday). On this day, the Island's legislature, Tynwald, meets at St John's, Isle of Man, ...

2016. It was previously located at The Nunnery, Douglas.

Activities

Culture Vannin's policy states that its four main aims are:

1) To identify the unique areas of Manx Heritage and Culture and;
2) To find practical ways of making them relevant to today's society;
3) To support the Manx identity and contemporary Manx culture.

The Foundation sets out to achieve these aims by offering financial assistance through grants or loans, by undertaking and commissioning its own research/publishing, and by offering practical advice and assistance where appropriate. The Foundation considers

Manx culture The culture of the Isle of Man is influenced by its Celtic and, to a lesser extent, its Norse origins, though its close proximity to the United Kingdom, popularity as a UK tourist destination, and recent mass immigration by British migrant worke ...

to include all of the following:

crafts A craft or trade is a pastime or an occupation that requires particular skills and knowledge of skilled work. In a historical sense, particularly the Middle Ages and earlier, the term is usually applied to people occupied in small scale pro ...

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

, natural history,

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

folk-lore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, r ...

art Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...

, folk dance,

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings ...

archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscape ...

, industrial development,

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vari ...

and

ecology Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps w ...

. Examples of key work carried out by the Foundation includes: * The awarding of '' Reih Bleeaney Vanannan'' (Manannan's Choice of the Year) in recognition of an outstanding contribution to Manx culture. This has been awarded annually since 1987. * Support of events that celebrate the Manx language, music and dance, including: Shennaghys Jiu, Yn Chruinnaght, Cooish and Bree. * The publication or support for publication of a number of books, CDs and DVDs. * Commissioning and supporting a number of oral history projects.'Oral History'
on the ''Manx Heritage Foundation'' website (accessed May 15, 2013)

References

External links

Official website
{{Coord, 54.203107, -4.641731, display=title, region:IM Cultural organisations based in the Isle of Man Organizations established in 1982 Manx language Celtic language advocacy organizations 1982 establishments in the Isle of Man Government of the Isle of Man