Will the Arts Survive in Northern Ireland?
A decade of severe underfunding has left artists and performers in the north of Ireland more precarious than ever. The Equity trade union is taking the fight to Stormont.
TL;DR
- Actors, singers, painters, writers, and performers protested at Stormont, demanding investment in the arts and expressing no-confidence in the Minister for Communities.
- The Northern Ireland branch of Equity organized the protest in response to years of underfunding, which has led to over 40% cuts in arts funding in the past decade.
- Northern Ireland allocates approximately £5 per person to the arts, significantly less than Arts Council England (twice as much) and the Republic of Ireland (roughly £22 per person).
- The lack of investment is causing artists to consider relocating for better career prospects, with over half surveyed indicating this intention, rising to 65% for those aged 18-34.
- Despite economic contributions from events like Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann and film productions, there is a lack of reinvestment into local artists and a clear policy to support their work.
- The NI Executive has failed to include explicit investment in arts, culture, or heritage in its Programme for Government and has provided stagnant funding to the Arts Council of NI, a real-terms cut.