Petition launched to 'retain, extend and expand' Basic Income for the Arts pilot scheme

An alliance of artist organisations have launched a petition on Change.org to 'retain, extend and expand' Ireland's Basic Income for the Arts (BIA) pilot scheme.

The petition argues that, through the scheme,  "Ireland has taken a significant step towards better supporting and investing in its artists."

"However," the description reads, "this programme is currently a pilot and needs to be retained, extended and expanded."

Launched in 2022, the pilot scheme is 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.

"The Basic Income for the Arts pilot has shown promising results in providing financial security for artists while allowing them creative freedom without the economic precarity so many artists and arts workers have been shown to disproportionately suffer," the petition states. "By retaining this programme and expanding it further, we can ensure that our artists and arts workers continue contributing their creativity towards enriching our culture while also securing their livelihoods.

"Let us stand together in support of our artists and arts workers by urging policymakers in Ireland to retain, extend and expand Basic Income for The Arts."

585 signatures have already been gathered, out of a total goal of 1,000.

The petition has been shared online by the National Campaign For The Arts; First Music Contact; Praxis, The Artists' Union of Ireland; Music Network; Poetry Ireland; Performing Arts Forum; Dance Ireland; Improvised Music Company; SafeToCreate; Irish Theatre Institute; Contemporary Music Centre Ireland; Irish Writers' Union; and Irish Association of Youth Orchestras, among others.

"A select few won the lottery for the pilot scheme," musician and actor Steve Wall wrote on X this morning, as he shared the petition. "It’s been a success. It should be rolled out for all artists who need it. If you support it please sign & share."

The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin, recently described the BIA as "a once in a generation policy intervention that has the potential to transform the lives of artists."

The Minister also said that she "would like to see this scheme expanded to more and more artists."

You can sign the petition here.