Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 580 and 581 together.

The current Programme for Government contains a commitment to support measures to increase the provision of affordable workspaces for artists and creative practitioners. The following initiatives are in place or in planning to address this issue.

I am conscious of the pressures that artists and creatives face in finding suitable workspaces, especially in Dublin and the difficulties in the provision of artistic venues there. Last June, I announced, along with the Lord Mayor of Dublin, details of a €9 million capital works programme called Space to Create. I was pleased to direct €3 million in funding to this initiative that will see 60 artists provided with turnkey workspaces as well as opportunities to use performance and gallery space and flexible office spaces.

I first announced an allocation of €7m under Budget 2023 for the provision of artists’ workspaces. It is now proposed that a new capital scheme will shortly be opened by my Department to progress this proposal. Under this scheme, local authorities will be invited to apply for funding towards projects that provide artists’ workspaces in their towns or cities on a sustainable basis.

In recent years, other arts and culture capital schemes have been rolled out. While the primary focus of these schemes is towards the refurbishment and enhancement of existing arts and culture facilities, funding was also being provided towards the provision of additional working spaces for artists in these buildings.

A breakdown of annual expenditure on these capital schemes is available on my Department’s website under the heading Cultural Development Expenditure at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/b1eab-creative-arts-grants-and-funding-previous-schemes/.

The Deputy may be also aware of the pilot capital support scheme for arts, culture and the night-time economy will support the development of vibrant late night arts and culture scenes in Irish cities, particularly in Dublin city, towns and villages. This will also provide additional capital to assist artists through the provision of building and equipment needs.

There has been sustained investment in arts and culture in recent years and in budget 2024 a total of €367.406 million was provided for arts and culture elements of the Department's budget, an increase of €10.424 million from €356.982 million in 2023. These funding schemes speaks to the Government’s commitment under the Programme for Government to increase the provision of affordable workspaces for artists and creative practitioners and ensure the timely delivery of arts and culture investment commitments, such as our national cultural institutions, as outlined in Project Ireland 2040.

The Arts Council currently provides programming and revenue supports to a range of initiatives such as arts centres bursaries and residencies, required to sustain artists nationwide. The record level of €134m funding for the Arts Council under Budget 24 represents significant investment in supports for artists across Ireland.

The Arts Council also supports a range of artists' residencies across many artforms and in many different contexts across Ireland. In such cases, these are initiatives of the Arts Council, often taken in partnership with host institutions or organisations. The purpose and priorities of these residency programmes is generally to afford artists’ time and space to develop their practice and allow a period of relative financial stability to those artists.

The range of artists’ residencies are varied and include the following:

- Residency Partnerships with Universities - The Arts Council operates and/or funds a number of residency programmes, which are the result of institutional partnerships with universities.

- Residency schemes; these offer offers a range of residency schemes in the delivery of policy priorities and include Colleges of Education Residencies as well as the Dance Artist Residency, for example.

- Residencies through Arts Council Strategic, Arts Centre and Partnership Funding. These residencies range between those where Local Authority Arts Offices offer artists’ residencies at a local level and support individual artists with a subvention from the Arts Council. Also included here are where a number of arts organisations in receipt of Strategic and Arts Centre funding from the Arts Council, support artists' residencies as part of their overall annual programme. Examples include residencies offered by arts organisations such as the Tyrone Guthrie Centre in Monaghan, the VISUAL in Carlow, West Cork Arts Centre in Skibereen, the Táin Arts Centre in Dundalk, and the Model in Sligo.

In addition to residencies, the Arts Council also operates many current funding schemes and initiatives towards particular support of visual arts, including the Visual Artists Workspace Scheme, to support artists’ and provide the best possible working environment for visual artists and, where feasible, to enable a level of subsidy for the artists working in these spaces.

It is also worth noting that support for the artist has been identified as a priority by the Arts Council under its 10-years strategy. To this end the Arts Council is working to ensure that artists are supported at key stages in the life cycle of their careers and that they have a supportive working environment. Between 2020 and 2023 the Arts Council have invested over €42 million in bursaries to support artists. Furthermore, artists support schemes such as the Basic Income for Artists pilot programme operated by my Department have significantly expanded the range of artists that are being supported in Ireland today in the face of social, economic and environmental challenges.

Arts Council funding decisions from 2007 are published on its website at the following link www.artscouncil.ie/funding-decisions/. Decisions are also recorded in the Arts Council's annual reports which are available online.

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Under the Arts Act 2003, the Arts Council has primary responsibility for the development of the arts in Ireland. The Arts Council's commitment to the arts is provided for in its 10-years investment Strategy - Making Great Art Work.

Arts participation is a core value across all areas of the Arts Council's work and it is committed to increasing public engagement in the arts in Ireland. The Council provides financial support to a number of initiatives aimed at increasing public access, participation and engagement in the arts. Its festivals investment scheme, is specifically designed to support local and voluntary organisations. The Arts Council provide funding to Sing Ireland which is a membership organisation for choirs in Ireland. Sing Ireland provides information, support and development programmes for anyone interested in, or involved with, choral music in Ireland.

In addition, the Arts Council invests funding in a range of developmental projects including Creative Schools, Creative Places, Creative Europe and Culture Night, and towards the Arts Council’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion plans. For example, Culture Night, creates opportunities for artists at all levels. Details of all these programmes are available on the Arts Council's website.

In Budget 2024, I provided a record €134m funding for the Arts Council in recognition of the transformational impact of this funding and to support the sector.

A network of cultural infrastructure exists throughout the country with the majority in the ownership of local authorities. Annual support, including programming and revenue supports, is provided to arts centres by local authorities and the Arts Council. Arts Centres are where artists and audiences meet and this is a key part of the Arts Council strategy to invest in public engagement. My Department focuses on providing capital grant funding to assist and maintain these arts and cultural facilities. Funding is administered through applications received for specific Grant Schemes. Within my Department, there are a number of measures in place to support the arts at amateur levels and include:

- Annual funding is provided to Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann for its work in the protection and promotion of Irish traditional music and culture.

- Increased funding for the Safe to Create Programme, including Minding Creative Minds, that supports all artists and creatives.

- A new pilot capital support scheme for Arts, Culture and the Night Time Economy will support development of vibrant late night arts and culture scenes in Irish cities, towns and villages as well as additional capital to assist in the provision of building and equipment needs, artists’ workspaces, and adapting facilities to reduce energy needs and carbon footprints.

- The Music Capital Scheme managed by Music Network provides funding for the purchase of musical instruments to both non-professional performing groups/ensembles and professional musicians. This includes equipment for choirs.

- Creative Ireland Programme funding in 2023 is supporting the delivery of a number of creative projects nationwide.

- Funding is provided for cultural events such as St Patrick’s Festival, Other Voices, Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann that in turns helps to sustain the arts at all levels.

- In collaboration with the local authorities, Fáilte Ireland's regional festival scheme is available to local community festivals;

- A small-scale local festivals and summer schools scheme designed to support local cultural festivals and summer schools that are not be eligible under funding criteria for larger scale events supported by Fáilte Ireland, the Arts Council and similar bodies. The maximum funding available under this scheme is capped at €5,000.

- Some funding programmes within the Broadcasting and Gaeltacht areas also serve to promote many artists and creative talents from across the music sectors.

- Finally, in response to Covid-19, capital funding was provided to local authorities to adapt, equip or otherwise improve public spaces for cultural and events activities as part of the pilot Outdoor Public Space Scheme 2021. These outdoor public spaces will provide year-round use and can improve well-being and contribute positively to the public realm.