Madam, – So the Arts Council has had its budget cut by 5.6 per cent. While this is regrettable, in the present climate it is hardly draconian (“Arts organisations to discuss severe funding cutbacks”, February 6th).
Yet instead of spreading this cut evenly across the spectrum of its clients, the council has elected to cut all funding to an apparently arbitrarily selected number of the livelier theatre companies and contemporary music ensembles, as well as the Association of Irish Composers, while “larger theatre companies have been less severely affected”.
One can only conclude that the council’s aim is to prevent new Irish theatrical and musical works seeing the light of day, while continuing to favour those established arts institutions that are seen as part of the tourist industry.
It is thereby negating at least three of the goals set out in its Partnership for the Arts document: to “assist artists in realising their artistic ambitions”, to “make it possible for people to extend and enhance their experience of the arts”, and to “strengthen arts organisations countrywide so as to secure the basis of a vibrant and stable arts community”. It is also, in my view, violating its public service remit. – Yours, etc,