Yesterday 23 September saw the launch of the National Campaign for the Arts at The Ark Cultural Centre for Children.
There were faces from all walks of Irelands cultural scene there to show their support for the cause, to talk to anyone who would listen about how the cuts proposed by the McCarthy Report and the possible cuts in the next Budget would affect them as artists, their work, the work of future artists and current struggling artists.
Here is what some of the attendees had to say about National Campaign for the Arts:
The release of the McCarthy report advising huge cutbacks in expenditure in the arts prompted the creation of the National Campaign for the Arts to provide a voice for artists and art organisations countrywide. It is the first ever umbrella organisation to cover all of the diverse arts sectors in Ireland-music, literature, theatre, film, dance, architecture, collaborative arts, visual arts etc.
See who you can spot at the launch of NCFA
NCFA certainly make convincing arguments with statistics telling us that the audiovisual sector alone employs over 5,500 full time job equivalents with over 560 small and medium sized enterprises operating in the sector.
According to Fáilte Ireland, cultural tourism is worth around €5.1 billion to the economy annually. Of the 4,800 tourist attractions listed by Fáilte Ireland, 1,800 of them are from the arts and cultural sector.
Art festivals alone will have been worth €400 million to the economy this year. From the success of festivals such as the Absolut Fringe Festival, this weeks Culture Night and the upcoming Ulster Bank Theatre Festival all over the space of three weeks alone, you can see that this is easily the case.
For every €1 that the Irish Film Board has invested in a film and television production, over €6 was attracted to Ireland from international sources. They are making money! Or at the very least attracting spenders to Ireland as tourists or as investors in the arts.
The main aims of the NCFA will be
- Retention of Culture Ireland, the agency for the promotion of Irish arts worldwide
- Retention of the Irish Film Board, development agency of the Irish film industry
- Maintenance of existing levels of funding to the Arts Council
- Retention of the artists income tax exemption scheme
- Commitment to retain the arts portfolio at cabinet as part of a senior ministerial portfolio
To see what organisations are already involved in NCFA you can read the list here. The Irish Times have a comprehensive overview of the NCFAs arguments for the arts being central to our economic recovery here.
For more up to date news and information on the National Campaign for the Arts, visit their website and their blog.
Looks like a great event, nice job on the interviews and the post.
Thanks Seamus
Thank you so much for all your help, looks great
well done for highlighting this Niamh
I hope the campaigning to maintain the money from the government also includes a campaign for reforming the arts organisations to squeeze out the large amount of wastage, to ensure that the public money is spent in a fairer way and accross the country not just in the major cities and tyring to give the public a better quality product for its money. Or for instance ensuring that the majority of the money spent on Theatre by the arts council isnt giving to only 4 or 5 companies. Should public money be spent on the development of younger artists also to ensure the future of the industry and not just maintaining those who are already in it.
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