Labour will invest in Artists and Spaces for Art
- Increase Arts Council funding to €200m a year and expand Basic Income for Arts Scheme.
- Provide an initial €25m for a Cultural Infrastructure Company to secure new spaces.
- Develop plans for new national cultural institutions.
- Support a thriving nighttime economy with an overhaul of licensing laws.
Launching Labour’s manifesto for the Arts and Culture, Marie Sherlock outlined an ambitious vision for the Arts in Ireland that will value our artists and creators and provide them with the spaces they need to flourish.
Senator Sherlock said:
“Culture can’t compete with capitalism in our cities and over the last twenty years we’ve seen a hollowing out of arts and cultural spaces in Dublin and across the country. Studios and venues don’t stand a chance when competing against commercial interests. Labour will change this.
“Labour will kickstart a new Cultural Infostructure Company with an initial €25 million to secure new artist spaces and venues. We will expand the Space to Create scheme and give artist organisations and co-operatives access to low-cost state backed mortgages and loans. We will introduce cultural conservation orders to protect existing buildings and provide emerging groups with funding for leases. There are a lot of vacant publicly owned buildings that aren’t suitable for use as homes, and we will prioritise these for cultural use.
“Labour will increase funding to the Arts Council up to €200m per year and develop measures to ensure the sector provides viable career routes. We will put the Basic Income for the Arts scheme on a permanent footing, and expand it, firstly with younger artists.
“It’s nearly 30 years since Labour passed the landmark National Cultural Institutions Act, and we now want to imagine the creation of a series of new national cultural institutions, not just as museums or galleries but as repositories of our national culture. We will set up an expert project board to consider proposals for venues to showcase themes like our national language, song and dance, our industrial heritage and the role of the trade union movement, Irish science and exploration and others.
“Labour will progress the development of a National Women’s Museum, and ensure the GPO is transformed into a cultural hub. We will also seek to develop a new artist’s quarter running along the lanes off Abbey St and the north quays.
“The last government talked a lot about reinvigorating the nighttime economy but instead it has been allowed to languish and decline further. Labour will reform licensing laws and give people greater choice with extended opening hours to allow for experimentation with new experiences and venues.
“Labour will invest in Irish screen production through the proposed audio-visual media services directive content levy, and review Section 481 to ensure it remains internationally competitive, supports Irish creators, benefits the regions and protects the pay and conditions of workers.”
You can read the full Labour Party policy proposal on the Arts, Culture, Media and Heritage here:
https://labour.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Labour-Arts-Policy-doc.pdf