From Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
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After six months of operation, a milestone has been reached in the landmark Basic Income for the Arts pilot scheme. Participants will now begin to engage in the research programme which, over the three-year lifespan of the scheme, will assess the impact of a basic-income-style payment for artists, creative arts workers and the arts sector. The first in a series of six-monthly questionnaires will issue to all participants in the Basic Income for the Arts scheme in the coming weeks.
The collection of this data will provide invaluable insights into how the provision of a basic income might impact on elements of an artist’s or creative arts worker’s life and practice.
Through their contribution to the research programme, participants will provide the department’s research team with an invaluable evidence base in relation to the evaluation of the pilot. Additionally, the scale and richness of information provided by participants will offer unprecedented insights into Ireland’s arts sector as a whole.
Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin, said:
“I believe that the scheme, and the research programme will have a significant impact on the way Ireland supports artists in the future. This is truly innovative on a global level and I hope that other countries will follow Ireland’s lead. BIA participants know too well the precarious and low-paid nature of a career in the arts and my ambition is that the basic income can remove that precarity and allow them to focus on creative practice."
It is intended that a comprehensive survey will be conducted every six months, allowing the research team to examine and track responses over the duration of the pilot, and to compare responses from those who are in receipt of the BIA grant with those from other artists who have agreed to participate in a control group.
Today (30 March, 2023) the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media held an information session for participants in the Basic Income for the Arts pilot, which has been live since October 2022.
In an online meeting which respected the anonymity of the participants the Minister welcomed participants to the scheme, in a pre-recorded address. The department’s research team then provided further details about the ambitious research programme of the scheme to the 230 attendees. This research will provide invaluable insights into how the provision of a basic income might impact on elements of an artist’s or a creative arts worker’s life, including: