Contributing to recovery: Pandemic lays bare major social value of the arts

When Yeats won the Nobel Prize in 1923, the story goes that his tax affairs were investigated, as it could not be countenanced that a poet of his stature would earn such a tiny income. “I made it out of a mouthful of air” is one of Yeats’s many memorable lines. Whatever the veracity of the tax tale, what is certainly sure is that, just like everybody else, artists can’t live on mouthfuls of air.

Covid-19 has shown how vital artistic expression is in a time of crisis. Throughout the last 16 months, cultural activity has enabled individuals and communities to express solidarity and to maintain a sense of collective wellbeing, despite the alienating effects of social distancing.

Without sustained investment, many artists and independent workers in the arts will consider leaving the profession

Artists and organisations responded to changed circumstances, and facilitated the needs of their communities by reimagining programmes or migrating their work online. Through their speedy response, artists have demonstrated deep wells of generosity and imagination, evidence perhaps of their familiarity with times of crisis. Like never before, it is now acknowledged that artistic expression is urgent and vital and that our artists have the potential to make a major contribution to Ireland’s recovery and renewal.

In a recent survey conducted by Behaviour & Attitudes, 61 per cent of people said that the arts are essential for their wellbeing and it has been proven that participation in the arts significantly improves our lives in a multitude of ways.

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As towns and cities have emptied out, the pandemic has revived interest in our locales. Artistic activity is an ideal vehicle to lead the revitalisation of these communities and to show places at their very best. Culture supports regional development and will animate and renew our towns, villages and cities.

This is especially manifest in the vibrancy of our festivals and arts centres, abundantly dotted across the map of Ireland.

Vulnerable livelihoods

The unprecedented, historic level of public funding provided to the Arts Council in 2021 will have a significant impact on artists, audiences and communities. This is hugely positive and provides a sure foundation for future generations.

Artists’ livelihoods are particularly vulnerable due to the variable and transient nature of their employment patterns. Over the past year, research conducted by the Arts Council shows that four of 10 jobs would have been lost without State support. These jobs were already among the lowest-paid. Findings also show that even with Government supports, 39 per cent of artists have experienced a 50 per cent drop in income.

Without sustained investment, many artists and independent workers in the arts will consider leaving the profession given the uncertainty which has been highlighted and exacerbated by Covid-19. This means that valuable stories deserving to be heard and shared across all art forms will not be told.

Over the past year, the number of funding applications to the Arts Council increased by 90 per cent, with the agency able to meet just 49 per cent of these requests. This confirms there is huge potential for growth and that, with the right level of investment, this sector is primed for explosion. The current level of funding for the Arts Council must be seen as a springboard, essential to the establishment of a sure and sound foundation for future generations of artists and audiences.

Universal basic income

Increasing diversity in the arts profession is a major priority for the Arts Council and this is intrinsically linked to any discussion about payment levels. A continuing scenario of inadequate pay for artists means that only people from particular backgrounds can realistically contemplate a career in the arts. Those without safety nets of independent financial support from family or elsewhere will be unable to consider this area of work. This will result in a homogenous landscape, unrepresentative of the diverse richness of contemporary Ireland. If the artistic landscape does not tell the story of Ireland in all its richness and diversity, it is poorer, and the public will be deprived of a true reflection of our contemporary society.

Now within our grasp is the opportunity to create a civic forcefield of artistic activity to energise and cohere the nation

Recent welcome discussions about the introduction of universal basic income for those working in the arts and sustained, increased investment in the Arts Council will enable us to follow through with pay the artist and equality, diversity and inclusion and spatial policies. Implementation of these will be transformative.

In the past, pandemics have changed the contours of human life. The shared existential threat of Covid-19 is stimulating and accelerating our understanding of how we can make the world better for future generations. Artists are reservoirs of energy, experience and empathy, and they are uniquely placed to be part of this future thinking.

Now within our grasp is the opportunity to create a civic forcefield of artistic activity to energise and cohere the nation. That forcefield will comprise appropriately paid artists delivering work of the highest quality to the widest possible public. The pandemic has shown us the societal value of the arts and, with continued investment in public funds, our artistic further will only get brighter.