Delivers on the Number One recommendation of the Arts and Culture Recovery Taskforce
Local TD and chair of the Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Committee, Niamh Smyth, has today welcomed the launch of a new and pioneering pilot scheme to support artists and creative arts workers.
The Basic Income for the Arts pilot scheme will examine, over a three year period, the impact of a basic income on artists and creative arts workers. Payments of €325 per week will be made to 2,000 eligible artists and creative arts workers who will be selected at random and invited to take part. The scheme will open for applications on April 12.
The scheme is recognition, at Government level, of the important role of the arts in Irish society. It also places a value on the time spent developing a creative practice and producing art. The main objective of the scheme is to address the financial instability faced by many working in the arts.
A basic income for the arts was the number one recommendation of the Arts and Culture Recovery Taskforce Life Worth Living Report which was set up to examine how the sector could adapt and recover from the unprecedented damage arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Deputy Smyth commented, " Government is committed to supporting the arts and this initiative has the potential to be truly transformative in how Ireland supports the arts in the future. Ireland’s arts and culture in all its distinctiveness and variety is the well-spring of our identity as a people and is internationally recognised.
"The Basic Income for the Arts is a unique opportunity for us to support our artists and creatives in the sector and ensure that the arts thrive into the future.”
The scheme will open for applications on Tuesday, 12 April and close on Thursday, 12 May 2022.
Information on the eligibility criteria and how to apply for the pilot scheme can be found
here.
