70% of Dublin arts sector are considering emigrating, survey says

Sinn Féin have called for “urgent action to ensure Ireland’s Arts sector is not undermined by financial barriers and the growing threat of artists emigrating”, following the publication of the preliminary results of their Arts Survey.

According to the survey of over 1,100 artists, the "spectre of emigration is haunting Irish arts".

Key findings include that almost three quarters of participants are not satisfied with the arts facilities and spaces in their area, while money is the key barrier to creating, performing or enjoying art for 4 out of every 5 participants.

The next most prolific barriers were “time” (39.8%) and “workspace” (38.8%). Over a fifth of participants also identified “elitism” (21.5%) and “bureaucracy” (20.2%).

Spectre of emigration haunting the Arts sector in Ireland – Sinn Féin publish Arts Survey results@aosnodaigh https://t.co/wCw2Ze32af

— Sinn Féin (@sinnfeinireland) June 25, 2024

A substantial majority also say that they or artists and arts workers they know are considering emigrating, rising to 70% in Dublin.

In 2022, the government launched a pilot scheme examining the impact of a basic income on artists and creative arts workers over a three-year period. Payments of €325 per week are being made to 2,000 eligible artists and creative arts workers, who have been selected at random.

An overwhelming majority of respondents favour changing the basic income for the arts from being distributed by random lottery to being issued based on either the “financial need of the artist” or the “merit of the artist, based on prior experience or projects”.

However, out of the 117 of the respondents who were in receipt of this pilot scheme, nearly 80% find it beneficial.

In Hot Press' June issue, Minister Catherine Martin commented on the scheme, saying: "The research shows that positive impacts for those receiving the payment materialised fairly quickly within the first six months of the pilot. A year on, the BIA payment is having a consistent, positive impact across almost all indicators; affecting practice development, sectoral retention, well-being, and deprivation."

In his foreword, Sinn Féin's Arts spokesperson Aengus Ó Snodaigh said that “the housing and cost of living crisis, particularly in Dublin, are significantly hampering the ability of artists and arts workers to create and perform.

“We need to seriously examine why more people describe having a “negative” than a “positive” experience with our Arts Councils and other state bodies funding the arts,” he added. “We should also note that a significant majority disagree with how the present Basic Income scheme is constructed, and favour basing it on financial need or merit.”