It is often said Ireland punches above its weight when it comes to the arts. Historically, though, we have not been so good at supporting people behind the artworks.
Many artists emigrate for better opportunities or have to work other jobs to make ends meet, curtailing the amount of time they can spend creating art.
The basic income for the arts (BIA) scheme attempted to change that. Under the pilot scheme, 2,000 artists received €325 per week from September 2022 to February 2026.
The scheme was life-changing for many participants, allowing them to focus on their chosen art form without worrying about how to pay for putting food on the table or paying rent.
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The recipients were picked at random from about 8,200 applications. So, for every person who benefited, three others were left without support. And, of course, many struggling artists never applied in the first place. Still, a lot of people viewed the scheme as a step in the right direction.
As well as the positive impact it had on recipients, the pilot was a good investment for the State, according to a cost-benefit analysis carried out last year for the Department of Culture. For every €1 invested in the pilot, society received €1.39 in return, according to researchers who included in their calculations an estimated increased public engagement in the arts and a rise in the psychological wellbeing of participants.
The net cost of the BIA pilot reduced from €105 million to less than €72 million when tax generated and savings on social welfare payments were taken into account, according to the department.
With this in mind, it was no surprise that a new iteration of the BIA was announced in February. The scheme will commence later this year and run until 2029, and at three-year intervals thereafter. Applications open on Wednesday at 1pm and close on May 12th.
The successor scheme was broadly welcomed but several artists contacted the department in recent months to raise concerns.
Emails released via freedom-of-information legislation outline frustration at the random nature in which recipients are chosen and the fact that artists with disabilities may face losing their medical cards or other allowances if they receive the payments.
[ What’s happening with the basic income for artists scheme?Opens in new window ]
One artist said the pilot scheme had caused “segregation in the artistic community” by enabling some artists to “enjoy career progression and vastly improved mental health”, while others were left behind.
Another person wrote: “In its current form, the scheme demonstrates a fundamental lack of understanding of how the professional arts sector actually operates.”
This person said, at present, a person who already has a steady income could receive support, “while a struggling full-time professional artist ... may receive nothing”.
Other artists said some people had taken advantage of the scheme by accepting the payments while not creating any art. One person suggested that artists in receipt of the BIA “should be required to provide a brief, periodic update detailing active engagement with their art form”.
The scheme is open to “professional artists who can demonstrate an active creative practice” that is “predominantly based” in the Republic.
Asked about its oversight of art produced by recipients, the department said in a statement: “Audits to verify continued eligibility for the payment will be undertaken annually. In addition, completion of a comprehensive survey will be a requirement of the scheme and this will include collection of data around artistic output.”
Failure to provide appropriate evidence of artwork “will result in removal from the scheme and may result in a requirement to repay any BIA payments received”.
Regarding applications, the department said “selection will be via an anonymised random selection process” which would ensure those chosen are representative of the wider pool of applicants, “ensuring geographical spread, gender balance” and balance across arts forms and age.
Recipients of the pilot scheme can apply to the new scheme. If a person is selected as part of the 2026-2029 scheme they can’t apply again for the 2030-2033 round but can apply for the 2034-2037 round.
When announcing the new scheme in February, Minister for Culture Patrick O’Donovan said it would “help to sustain the careers of those artists who receive it and retain their talent in the arts sector”.
