Funding to help communities in Northern Ireland remove paramilitary murals and emblems has been announced.
Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness said nearly £600,000 would be split between 34 projects across Northern Ireland under the Arts Council's Re-Imaging Communities Programme.
The money has been awarded to community groups which applied for funding under the programme to aid the creation of 'vibrant and attractive shared spaces'.
People want and deserve a stable, inclusive and tolerant society, where people can work and play together regardless of community or ethnic background or their religious or political beliefs,' Mr McGuinness said.
'Initiatives such as the Re-Imaging Communities Programme play an important role in achieving that goal,' he added.
Speaking at a launch event in the Ormeau Baths Gallery in Belfast, Mr McGuinness said the arts have a very important role to play in delivering the transformation of society.
The projects that are being aided are an essential part of building a better future for all our children, he said.
The Re-Imaging Communities Programme was established by the Arts Council in response to the British government's Shared Future Agenda to help all communities in both urban and rural areas to focus on positive ways to express who they are and what culture means to them artistically and creatively.
