Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I very much welcome the opportunity to address some of the issues arising within our arts communities due to the Covid-19 crisis. We in Waterford are very lucky to have a vibrant and thriving arts scene but, in common with the rest of the country, our venues, performance spaces and festivals have come to a dead stop. The arts community is among the sectors most acutely affected by the shutdown of our economy and those who work in the performing arts have been particularly badly hit. They have little sight of how or when their practice and profession may begin to return to whatever the new normal will look like.

We know that the arts are going to play an essential part in how as a nation we process the huge impact of the Corona virus on our society. Arts practice has always been a mirror by which we reflect on ourselves as individuals, communities and as a society. In the wake of the pandemic there will be a legacy of upheaval, of psychological strain and grief that we will need to work through as a nation. Our arts practitioners will be essential in mediating that process.

To understand the arts purely in terms of their economic function is to misunderstand the full value of their role. The straight economic assessment of the impact of Covid-19 on the sector makes for fairly sobering reading. The survey conducted by the Arts Council of its members estimates that organisations will lose approximately €2.9 million in income for each month of the shutdown. Expected losses in performances alone owing to cancellations are expected to top €5 million and this survey only captures data from Arts Council members. The wider impact through the arts community can be expected to be far greater. Yet artists will continue to create. Our poets are still writing, our painters are still painting, musicians are still planning and practising repertoire in anticipation of the reopening of our economy. Workers in the arts sector have often proved themselves both flexible and resilient. The reaction to the pandemic has been no different. Already over 65% of Arts Council organisations have initiated activities specifically in response to Covid-19 and over half have created, or are promoting, online content or services. However, these new modes of presentation represent a significant step outside the traditional funding streams. We need to make sure that artists will continue to get paid for the work they produce.

What are the Minister's plans to support the Arts Council over the coming weeks and months? I have noted that the National Campaign for the Arts, NCFA, has asked for an additional €20 million in funding for the Arts Council this year. It has asked for that to be made available to artists through the bursary system. It is also asking for a commitment that the Arts Council funding be retained at current levels in 2021 to allow them begin to plan ahead for the work in the coming year. I understand well the competing demands on the public purse at the moment but can the Minister give the NCFA some clarity on those specific asks? I welcome the establishment of the advisory group last week. While it was overdue I was glad to see some action in this regard. The membership of the group is strong and I am hopeful that good work will result from it. I would appreciate if the Minister could outline the scope of that group and say whether it is sector-wide or concentrated on specific areas. Could she briefly outline the timelines and the mechanisms for the implementation of any recommendations that advisory group produces at the end of its work?

We are all aware of the massive void that the cancellation of festivals will leave in our cultural lives and our tourism offering. Waterford, for example, is sometimes known as the city of festivals, with Spraoi, Waterford Walls, Winterval and many others punctuating our calendar year. Many, however, face cancellation but they have already committed a great deal of time and resources. Without sufficient support to help absorb those costs and manage lost revenues there is a distinct danger that many of the festivals around the country will not return in 2021. Has the Minister given any consideration to financial support that could be made available to this sector? Has she considered proposals from campaigns such as Give us the Night to use pop-up events and multipurpose spaces to help fill the void left by festivals on a smaller scale that would allow us to answer the requirements of social distancing? The arts sector has already shown its flexibility in responding to the Covid-19 crisis with many performances moving to online platforms. Has the Minister made any provision to support this move, in terms of facilitating the quality of that output by, for example, funding the upgrading of recording equipment but also allowing artists develop a revenue stream from online performance and arts practice? Many musicians are developing content online but without ensuring production values or income it is hard to see how that model can be sustainable in the long term. While none of us likes to think of opportunity coming from this health emergency perhaps there is a chance for arts organisations to use this quieter time to think through the structure and reach of their organisation to take stock, rethink and rebuild.

Arts organisations are typically busy and bustling places that often firefight on deadlines and details. With low-cost supports from the Department, now could be the time to refocus on the bigger picture so that when they eventually reopen they will have a clear idea of where they go from here to expand and develop their remit. Are there plans within the Department to facilitate and support this kind of development work within arts organisations to make best use of a quiet time?

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