Ms Annette Nugent:

I thank the committee for inviting the National Campaign for the Arts to this meeting on local and community arts. As a sector, we really recognise the stellar work and investment by many arms of government in recent years, particularly through the Covid emergency. We acknowledge that the committee knows that artists are not just guardians of our global reputation, but are equally invested in improving the quality of our daily local lives.

As members probably know, the National Campaign for the Arts is a volunteer-led grassroots movement that makes the case for the arts in Ireland. We work to ensure that the arts are on national and local government agendas, including the committee's agenda, and are recognised as a vital part of contemporary Irish life for everyone. In our submission on today's subject, we outlined five elements which are particularly central to the development and prosperity of the arts in diverse localities around the country and to ensuring equitable distribution of arts benefits to Ireland’s more than 5 million residents. We also make some recommendations for action by national and local government. In this brief introduction, I will draw the committee's attention to these.

The first relates to space. The chronic lack of affordable and accessible space for artists to make and share their work has escalated in recent years for many reasons. Alongside the housing and cost-of-living challenges faced by all workers, including artists, the vast majority of whom are low-paid, this reduces opportunities for artists and also reduces opportunities for the public to experience art near to where they live. In our submission, we recommend the protection of, and investment in, existing spaces, the prioritisation of arts organisations when building stock becomes available for civic use and the introduction of a requirement for arts space in all multi-use developments as a condition of planning.

Moving to our second recommendation, to ensure everyone can participate in cultural life, including the 14% with a disability, we need to identify and address barriers to working and participating in the arts. We would particularly welcome the commissioning of research into diversity in the arts and the creation of a diversity task force to address any obstacles. We know we also need to adapt our work practices in light of the climate emergency. Investment and training are needed to bring us in line with European models of climate adaptation. We call on Government to ensure the recently-formed climate unit within the Department is funded to fully support the arts sector in this area.

Finally, we ask that members, in every aspect of their work, continue to invest in placing the arts at the heart of local communities. Invest additional resources programmes by the Arts Council and Creative Ireland, and in arts offices themselves, which are overseeing complex arts and creative programmes, actioning regional and national objectives and affecting real change at a community level. We look forward to working with our elected representatives, nationally and locally, towards to a sustainable, diverse, inclusive arts sector that is accessible and affordable to every person in this country.