Ireland Will Pay Artists & Cultural Workers Basic Incomes For Pandemic Recovery

While much of the world readies to welcome visitors, Ireland is looking inwards and thanking its intrinsic cultural forces. The country is drafting a financial support program that will give art and cultural workers a basic income to tide them over challenges brought unexpectedly by the pandemic.

The Irish government will dedicate €25 million (US$28.4 million) for this fund, which will give a supposed 2,000 individuals in the arts, culture, events, and performance sectors a basic salary for three years.

Catherine Martin—Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media—has put together a task force to help gather feedback and firm up this pilot program, described as a “once-in-a-generation policy intervention” and “a key priority.”

“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 culture minister shared in a statement.

According to the BBC, the government is considering handing out an hourly rate of €10.50 (US$11.90), though this amount might be revised later.

The initiative will run on a non-competitive basis. Its suggested coverage is for 2,000 people, but if there are more eligible participants than the budget allows, a randomized selection might be used to choose awardees.

For now, the government is still working out the eligibility criteria and the selection process, and it is asking the public to join in on an online consultation, available through January 27, to help finalize the program’s details.

A similar program is being run in San Francisco, as per ARTnews. In October, city officials set aside US$6 million to provide monthly incomes of US$1,000 for up to 130 artists and cultural workers over six months in 2022.

Martin’s office noted in the news release that the minister acknowledges the value that creatives bring to the nation.

“The importance of Irish culture, Irish art and Irish productions as a whole cannot be understated—it contributes to individual and societal wellbeing, as well as contributing to Ireland’s reputation as a country with a rich cultural history and output,” it added.

[via ARTnews, Artnet News, BBC, cover photo 225895353 © Alexander Cimbal | Dreamstime.com]