Online consultation on pilot Basic Income for the Arts

An online consultation on the Basic Income for the Arts (BIA) pilot scheme to elicit the views of artists, those working in the arts and culture sector and the public opens today.

Catherine Martin TD, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media launched it, and it is available for response here until the consultation closes on January 27, 2022.

The online consultation follows a successful stakeholder forum on December 15 that saw over 150 participants, from 50 artists and arts workers resource and representative bodies come together to discuss the proposal and provide their views and feedback to the minister and her department.

As minister with responsibility for arts and culture, Catherine Martin, TD, said: “I encourage everyone interested to get involved in the online consultation for the Basic Income for the Arts pilot. Your views will help shape the final design of the pilot when it rolls out in the coming months.

“This is a once-in-a-generation policy intervention, a measure that I believe will redraw the landscape for the arts for hopefully many years to come.

“Our culture and the arts are a fundamental expression of who we are as a nation. Our rich cultural heritage is one of our greatest assets, and our artists weave a sense of identity, creativity and belonging into the fabric of our communities.

“The intrinsic societal value of culture and the arts was particularly evident during the pandemic, where it provided colour, light and hope in uncertain times.”

Minister Martin established the Arts and Culture Recovery Taskforce in 2020 as a response to the pandemic, and to provide a platform for solution-focused recommendations for the recovery of the arts and culture sector. The number one recommendation of the taskforce was the introduction of a basic income for the arts pilot scheme.

Minister Martin added: “I have allocated €25m in 2022 for the pilot BIA – it is a key priority for me and my department. I am determined to ensure that permanent damage is not done to the arts sector from the pandemic and that the basic income pilot scheme helps to ensure that the arts in Ireland come back stronger than ever.”

The purpose of the online consultation is to ensure that the public, artists and those working in the arts and culture sector have the opportunity to contribute to the policy development for the pilot scheme and to offer suggestions from their experiences as artists, arts workers and members of resource organisations on key issues such as the schemes objectives, eligibility criteria, supporting emerging artists and participant responsibilities.

The BIA pilot scheme will be launched in the coming months.

Further details will be published on the department’s website after the feedback and input from the online consultation is assessed and finalised.