Elements of the Basic Income for the Arts (BIA) scheme are causing “segregation in the artistic community” and allowing some people to take advantage of the system, officials have been told as a new round of funding opens for applications.
Under the pilot scheme, 2,000 artists received €325 per week from September 2022 to February 2026. Successful applicants were randomly chosen from about 8,000 applications.
A new scheme, set to run from 2026 until 2029, was announced in February. Applications open on Wednesday and close on May 12th.
This extension was broadly welcomed but some artists criticised elements of the scheme in correspondence sent to the Department of Culture in recent months.
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One artist said the duration of the pilot caused “segregation in the artistic community” as recipients enjoyed “career progression and vastly improved mental health” while others were left without support.
“This has caused an increase in precariousness of artistic pursuit for non-recipients, and pressure to leave [the] sector, contradicting the initiative’s intentions,” the person wrote. “A very unfair and unlevel playing field has evolved in the arts between a privileged minority and a disadvantaged majority.”
Another artist said “the lack of clear performance monitoring” enabled some people to take advantage of the scheme. This person said their housemate, a BIA recipient, “has been out of the workforce for two years, and does not appear to be actively engaged in any creative practice”.
“I am a working artist myself but, like many others, I must maintain full-time non-arts employment to cover basic living expenses. It is deeply frustrating to see vital support provided unconditionally when I know dedicated artists ... are struggling immensely.”
This person said BIA recipients should have to provide periodic updates “detailing active engagement with their art form”.
Minister for Culture Patrick O’Donovan in February said the BIA made Ireland “a global leader in the area of artist supports”.
