SOCIAL Democrats councillor Shane Hickey-O’Mara has called on Limerick Council to write to Arts Minister and Limerick TD Patrick O’Donovan expressing collective support for the retention, extension. and expansion of the Basic Income for the Arts (BIA) pilot scheme beyond 2025.
The City North representative explained that the scheme, introduced by former Arts Minister Catherine Martin, provides weekly payment of €325 to 2,000 professional artists, creative arts workers, and recent graduates across the country. This income is taxable alongside income from artistic practice.
“This scheme is due to end and there’s no guarantee of continued funding. The 2,000 people currently on the scheme were selected from over 9,000 who applied and spots were given to applicants from most art forms including: visual arts, theatre, literature, music, dance, opera, film, circus and architecture,” he said.
Cllr Hickey-O’Mara pointed to a recent report compiled by Dr Jenny Dagg, a sociologist from Maynooth University, who interviewed a selection of scheme participants to assess its contribution to their lives. The results, he told the Limerick Post, were universally positive.
“Participants in the pilot scheme stated that it significantly reduces financial anxiety and increases time for creative pursuits, allowed greater autonomy, and has supported some of the participants to secure more sustainable housing, address health issues, establish pension schemes, and even start families,” he explained.
While researching this scheme and it’s impacts on artists, Cllr Hickey-O’Mara spoke to two Limerick-based artists selected for the scheme.
“The first, who applied as part of the recent graduate strand, said it’s been ‘life-changing’, sharing that as a result she has been able to be a full time artist for the past few years. She has invested the income into expanding her practice, renting studio space, and exhibiting locally, nationally, and internationally,” the Soc Dems councillor revealed.
“The second participant was frank in telling me that it’s not possible to be an artist in Ireland without the scheme. This participant mentioned the precarity of being an artist in Ireland and its affects in terms of housing insecurity, trying to get a mortgage, and deciding whether or not to have a family.”
According to Cllr Hickey-O’Mara, 72 per cent of artists working in Ireland earn less than the minimum wage and 48 per cent of arts workers don’t have health insurance. A further 72 per cent, he claims, don’t have a pension.
“More people attend paid arts events in Ireland every year than attend GAA championship matches. Cultural tourism is worth over €5.1 billion to the economy. For every €1 invested in arts and culture, almost €2 is returned in direct taxation to the government,” he concluded.
