Archives for June 2020

Irish Equity has today (Monday, 22^nd June) called on the Government to put artists and arts workers first in planning for the recovery.

Irish Equity Organiser, Karan O’Loughlin said: “We have seen movement from the Government over the last week in increasing the funding for the Arts and now we also have the report of the COVID-19 Expert Advisory Group.

“While all of these initiatives are welcome, neither goes far enough to create the structural change and support needed for individual artists and arts workers. Funding the arts is not the same thing as funding artists and these issues should not be confused. Working in the live performance sector in Ireland is precarious, is characterised with insecure freelance work, low pay, long hours and has no measures in respect of industry pensions.

“What we need is a structure to support artists and arts workers in making a decent living while remaining within their chosen profession. This can be done by creating special measures such as a basic income scheme for artists, dedicated social protection measures for employed as well as self- employed freelance workers and taxation measures for professional artists that are fit for purpose. The measures announced to date deliver none of the above. Until the precarious existence of actors and arts workers is recognised the Arts, and in turn the artists and arts workers who bring so much joy, colour and creativity to our lives, will remain the poor relation in the economy.”

Irish Equity has welcomed the announcement by the Government of vital additional funding for the arts and cultural sector, amounting to a total of €25 million. This will bring funding for the Arts Council in 2020 to €100 million.

SIPTU Divisional Organiser, Karan O’Loughlin said: “This funding will help to stabilise a sector which has been decimated by the Covid-19 pandemic but which has also been struggling for years as a result of chronic underfunding.  

“We now await the report of the Arts Council Expert Advisory Group and their recommendations around how these additional funds will be allocated. Continued and increased structural funding for the arts is necessary but the question of how artists are treated from an income, taxation and social protection point of view remains open. 

“Irish Equity has long been calling on the Government to recognise the special circumstances of artists by way of introducing a basic income structure and expanding the current artist exemption scheme beyond its current remit. 

“In this regard, we will continue to be focused on how funding decisions can directly benefit arts practitioners themselves and we are encouraged by the acknowledgement by the Minister for Arts, Josepha Madigan, of the precarious nature of much work by arts practitioners within the sector. It is vitally important that this hard-won additional funding is proportionately used to maximise the opportunities for work and for the creation of better conditions for artists.

“Irish Equity also recognises the dedication and hard work of the various support organisations for artists which have lobbied, researched and documented key findings on pay and conditions within the sector. In particular, the National Campaign for the Arts, Theatre Forum and the Irish Theatre Institute are to be commended for the collaborative and consultative approach they have taken to make the voice of Irish artists heard. Irish Equity looks forward to continuing our very productive partnership with all these representative groups.”

President Higgins responds to the employment crisis of the Arts and Cultural Sector in the European Union by writing to Heads of European Institutions, and his Presidential colleagues in the Arraiolos Group, on the importance of protecting the space of art and culture and those who work in it.

Conscious of the impact the Covid-19 pandemic has had on all aspects of society, and particularly those who work in the performance of the arts and the institutions related to them, President Higgins has this week written to the heads of European institutions with an urgent call to support cultural institutions and workers.

With movement of people limited, almost all museums, theatres, libraries and heritage sites are closed to the public, the Covid-19 crisis has struck the cultural sector very hard.

Given this fundament threat to the arts sector, President Higgins has taken this step of writing to the Heads of European institutions so as to ensure that the threats to the culture sector in the European Union and the Member States are treated as a European, as well as Member State, problem. 

The letter explains the significance of culture in the European Union. The cultural space is a fundamental part of democracy and the public world with a particular set of employment conditions and vulnerabilities.

The central importance of  culture and creativity is a core theme in the Presidency of President Higgins, who was Ireland’s first Culture Minister (1993-1997) and who was President of the Council of Culture Ministers of the European Union in 1996 when Ireland held the Presidency of the EU. Stressing the importance of giving recognition to, and encouraging the development of, culture and creativity in our societies, President Higgins has asked for support across Europe for what is an emergency in terms of the future of creativity, work of the human spirit, from which all benefit, and which society needs to survive and flourish in achieving the fullness of democracy.

The text of the President’s letters is available below.

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lency Mr. David Sassoli
President of the European Parliament

4th June, 2020

Dear President Sassoli,

As a former President of the Council of Culture Ministers of the European Union, I write to you to stress the need for, and seek support for initiatives that I believe are urgently needed to make good a lacuna we have experienced in our European Union – recognising and realising the contribution of culture, cultural workers and artists. When I had the honour of being President of the Council of Culture Ministers of the European Union during the Irish Presidency of the Union in 1996, not only in that year but so often before and since, I heard the phrase attributed to Jean Monnet – nobody ever gave the source of the phrase – ‘If I were starting again I would start with culture’.

I write to suggest that in our response to Covid-19 and its devastating consequences for cultural practitioners, we have been given a golden opportunity to address this neglected dimension of the European Union’s possibilities and capacities, be it in terms of resources, heritage, shared expression and life by seriously addressing the issues of income, resources and sustenance needs of cultural workers, who have been among those who have suffered most due to the Covid-19 pandemic. I speak of cultural workers in general and performance artists in particular who are affected by both lost audience venues, and conditions of production made near impossible.

Let us, as holders of public offices, past and present in our countries and the European Union ask ourselves, how often have cultural workers, creativity and performances been used to enhance public celebrations, gatherings, national aspirations and affirmations? Not only on such occasions but in the rhythms of our shared community life, have we not received renewal and inspiration from a sharing of culture, our own and that of others? Now the livelihood of workers in the cultural space are in the greatest danger of disappearing from the public world and they are seeking our help, not for themselves I suggest, but for a version of the European Union that represents so much of our hopes for the future – the rich diverse culture of our peoples inherited and contemporary.

We are facing an emergency in the cultural sphere in terms of income, venues, public access, participation, and may I say social cohesion and fulfilment.

Is it not now the time to place access to culture among the necessary infrastructural spending and investment in provisions for Universal Basic Services? Surely, it cannot be beyond us to bring into being a system of support and solidarity for artists, from the emerging to the established? As the Union resumes its necessary commercial and retail transactions, hopefully in a way that shows a reflection having been made on a better fit between ecology, society and economics, can we not look also to the public spaces, the venues for public performance, the basic needs of emerging and classical expressions of all the arts and say – “We commit. This can be an enduring expression of our European Union where culture is made safe for the future and for sharing with the world. We salute the creative expression of the peoples of the European Union and the living conditions of all those who make our lives more fully human by such work. They will have our support and protection.”

I offer my support for such an initiative and would appreciate your support for any set if initiatives that will help achieve the making safe of the space of culture and performance in our European Union for now and into the future.

We have attempted, as a Union small steps before with which I was associated. I so remember how in the past we very nearly succeeded with the Yehudi Menuhin initiative which was to ensure that every child in the European Union would have access to a musical instrument. We didn’t succeed but we tried.

Now we can succeed with a strong step in the most urgent of times. Our artists of all ages and backgrounds, contemporary and classical, need our solidarity now. Let us, together, help them and fill the gap Jean Monnet identified. Let us be able to say “We in our time recognised the importance of ‘The Cultural Space’.

Yours sincerely,

Michael D. Higgins
Uachtarán na hÉireann
President of Ireland

Screen Skills Ireland, the skills development unit within Screen Ireland, is delighted to announce the introduction of a new structured mentoring scheme, Screen Mentoring. Over 100 Irish and international industry professionals from the film, TV, animation, VFX and Immersive Technology sectors have signed up to be mentors for the scheme to give something back to the industry by sharing their knowledge and experience. The scheme will support 50 mentees to avail of mentor support throughout 2020.

Mentors who have signed up to the scheme include Lenny Abrahamson (‘Normal People’), Michael Zam (‘Feud: Bette and Joan’), Ed Guiney (Element Pictures), Cathal Gaffney (Brown Bag Films), Colum Slevin (Facebook AR/VR), Shannon George (‘Blues Clues’), Jo Homewood (‘Black ‘47’), Gilly Fogg (‘Bob The Builder’), Paul Walker (‘EastEnders’), Lisa Mulcahy (‘Years and Years’), Grainne Humphreys (VMDIFF), Alix Wiseman (9 Story), and Patrick O’Neill (Wildcard Distribution). Mentors will provide support across the areas of Business & Producing, Production, Creative & Development and Distribution & Festivals

Award-winning Production Designer and industry mentor, Tom Conroy (‘Vikings’, ‘Tudors’, ‘Intermission’) said “I’m delighted to be part of the Screen Mentoring initiative. When I started off in the film & TV industry, which happened to be in the UK, I was mentored by a number of prominent production designers… I wish to pay it forward, as they generously gave me advice and experience which has proven to be invaluable.”

Gareth Lee, Manager at Screen Skills Ireland, added “We’re delighted to introduce this new Screen Mentoring initiative. Mentoring is a proven way of supporting career progression and this scheme will allow upcoming talent to enhance their development with guidance and support from experienced professionals.”

The Screen Mentoring scheme will provide screen professionals with mentoring support at key stages in their career development that will encompass business, creative and/or technical mentoring. Mentors will offer their mentees practical, tailored advice and guidance based on their industry experience, on a one to one basis. The mentoring will be offered remotely online due to the ongoing situation with COVID-19.

With a panel of key industry mentors now assembled, Screen Skills Ireland is looking for applications from mentees who are seeking the support and guidance of a mentor to learn and grow professionally. In order to apply for the scheme, prospective mentees should visit https://screenmentoring.ie/ and complete the online application form.

The scheme is open to industry professionals working in the Irish screen sector with a minimum of three year’s full-time relevant experience. Diversity and inclusion will be factored into the selection process for all mentees. All mentoring will be offered remotely online due to the ongoing situation with COVID-19 restrictions.