Image: Democracy by Mary Moynihan
Elections and the Arts in Ireland: National Campaign for the Arts
by Mary Moynihan
In terms of the forthcoming election in Ireland, it would be interesting to have an arts survey report card completed on potential candidates, revealing their position on the arts, how they have supported the arts in the past, and how they propose to support them going forward. This would be a form or survey that candidates are asked to fill out. If a candidate completes the form, it is displayed online – for example, on the website of the National Campaign for the Arts.
The National Campaign for the Arts is a fantastic organisation working tirelessly to generate support and funding for the arts. As part of their campaign, artists and arts organisations are calling on all candidates and politicians in the next general election to make the arts an election priority, and to support the arts and the important work that artists and arts organisations do. The National Campaign for the Arts are calling on all candidates who will be standing in the next general election to address key areas that are affecting artists and arts organisations nationwide. These areas include the provision of funding and art spaces, as well as action on social issues such as housing and climate change. The National Campaign for the Arts has the following twelve ‘asks’ to make, in line with the campaign’s pre-budget submission for 2025. These are
- Retain, extend, and expand the Basic Income for the Arts scheme
- Invest meaningfully in the arts by committing a minimum of €160 million to The Arts Council in 2025
- Bring Irish arts to the world by committing €10 million to Culture Ireland in 2025
- Nurture communities and retain current funding to Creative Ireland until 2027
- Develop housing initiatives
- Make space for the arts
- Remove barriers for artists with disabilities and arts workers
- Address the climate emergency
- Address the lack of diversity in the arts
- Implement insurance reform
- Support adequate research in the arts
- Implement taxation reform
As part of this work, the National Campaign for the Arts have organised an Election 2024 Arts Hustings, which takes place at 1pm on Monday, 18 November, 2024 at 1pm in the Gate Theatre, Cavendish Row, Dublin. If you wish to attend please RSVP to rsvp@gate-theatre.ie. The Arts Husting is moderated by Hugh Linehan and gives arts spokespersons of all political parties the opportunity to address the artists and arts workers of Ireland, and to answer questions about their artistic policies.
The National Campaign for the Arts continues to work to ensure that the arts are on local and national government agendas and are recognised as a vital part of contemporary Irish life. The organisation is a voice for the arts in Ireland, communicating the value of the arts and campaigning for continued engagement and investment in the arts, working in partnership with the arts community, political representatives, and other key stakeholders to ensure Ireland values those working in the arts, providing a fertile and supportive environment for artists. The National Campaign for the Arts is a voluntary support organisation and anyone working in or supporting the arts can become a member, so do get in touch with them at ncfa.ie
In addition to the twelve ‘asks’ above, I would add the following two issues of concern related to the arts. Firstly, state funding for the arts must be allocated through open, public calls with transparent assessment processes. That includes funding not just to The Arts Council, but to local arts offices, Creative Ireland, Culture Ireland, and organisations such as Bealtaine, Age and Opportunity, local libraries, etc. In other words, reduce the number of internal decisions that allocate arts funding and ensure all monies spent on arts activities are allocated through open calls. There will always be some instances where arts funding needs to be allocated through internal channels, but this should be kept to a minimum and publicly justified.
The second concern focuses on what I will refer to as ‘displacement’. I believe this area warrants further awareness-raising, discussion, and debate. One definition of displacement is as follows: ‘Within civil society, displacement occurs when a grant-assisted expansion of activity takes business away from competitors in the same market. For instance, this may be the case where a publicly funded proposal appears likely to succeed largely by diverting business from other firms or service providers. [1] In order words, is it acceptable for a state-supported organisation – such as a local authority, library, or semi-state body – to carry out projects that may result in the displacement of other businesses, enterprises, or organisations (private or not-for-profit), and in particular arts organisations currently providing the same service within their impact area?
I raise this issue as, currently in Ireland, we are experiencing a lack of proper funding and support for small-to-medium-sized arts organisations. We are seeing more and more examples of government and local authority-linked bodies conducting arts programmes and activities that would normally be carried out by vibrant independent arts organisations. Should funding for arts activities not be allocated directly to arts organisations? There can sometimes be a positive impact when organisations such as local authorities carry out arts programmes, but this should not ‘displace’ the work of arts organisations.
What research or audits are being done on this by government-funded local authorities or other such bodies? Should it be mandatory to do public displacement audits when it comes to arts funding? The key question here is this: should we go back to a state of play where arts funding is allocated directly to independent artists and arts organisations? This also raises the question of what an ‘independent’ arts sector is, how important it is, and how it operates. I look forward to having further discussion on this; all comments and views are welcome.
[1] https://www.pobal.ie/app/uploads/2022/07/Guidance-on-Displacement-FINAL.pdf