More than 9,000 artists have applied for a new dedicated basic income scheme which will see successful applicants receive €325 a week.
Minister for the Arts Catherine Martin said there had been a "huge level of enthusiasm" for the scheme and described the plans as a "watershed moment" for the sector.
Assessment of the applications has started and the process will take a number of weeks given the high volume received.
The basic income scheme was launched in April when the Government announced the payment would be made available to 2,000 applicants in total.
The Coalition has said the objective of the scheme is to address the earnings instability that can be associated with the intermittent and sometimes project-based nature of work in the arts.
The process for selecting successful applicants will be non-competitive, so once a person satisfies the eligibility criteria they will be included in a randomised selection process to pick the successful 2,000. It is understood unsuccessful but eligible applicants will be invited to participate in a control group to help with an appraisal of the pilot scheme.
A basic income for artists was the main recommendation of the Arts and Culture Recovery Taskforce set up in 2020 to examine how the sector could adapt and recover from the crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The scheme opened for applications on April 12th and closed on Thursday, May 12th.
The Department of Arts said the highest number of applications came from those in the visual arts sector, followed by those involved in music, then film and then literature.
‘Watershed moment’
Speaking to The Irish Times, Ms Martin said it represented “a watershed moment in the funding of artistic practice in Ireland”.
“The new measure makes a statement about our values as a nation – that the voices of artists have been heard and that the arts matter. This is a unique opportunity to research the impact a basic income could have on the arts and to provide the evidence base for a permanent support.
“I am very pleased with the huge level of enthusiasm for the basic income for the arts pilot scheme and am delighted that over 9,000 artists and creative arts workers were willing to participate in this innovate research project.”
Mr Martin said the scheme “heralds a new approach to the way the State funds and recognises her artists and I look forward to seeing the data and findings of the research during the pilot”.
There had been significant interest in the new scheme for artists from other countries, media and practitioners, which indicated the enthusiasm in the arts globally for the move, the Minister added.
