Sector shouldn't be 'singled out for any punishment' over Arts Council scandal, says campaign chair

The director of the Arts Council, Maureen Kennelly, has written to artists to assure them that the external review of governance 'has no bearing on the funding commitments'. Picture: Leah Farrell/© RollingNews.ie

The National Campaign for the Arts (NCFA) is seeking a meeting with the arts minister, stating artists must not bear the brunt of the fallout from the Arts Council scandal.

Direct funding to artists has to remain at its current level, regardless of the expert review into governance at the Arts Council after €6.3m was spent on a scrapped IT system, said campaign chair Maria Fleming.

There is upset and anger, but mostly disappointment, within the arts sector that it has found itself in the eye of this storm through no fault of the artists, said Ms Fleming. 

A sectoral meeting held last week indicated that those involved in the sector want to see a thorough review carried out as swiftly as possible to identify where the IT project went wrong, also looking at what steps can be taken in future to ensure there are no similar instances going forward.

"There are other sections where there has been an overspend or queries about spending, so I don't think the arts sector should be singled out for any punishment in relation to that," said Ms Fleming.

"Certainly, it would appear that the tech companies involved will have some case to answer and oversight of the spending will have to be explored.

"If there are savings that need to be made as a result of the scrapped IT system, it cannot come from artists who are disproportionately impacted by things such as cost-of-living increases. 

Basic income roll-out

According to research attached to the basic income for artists pilot, 54% of artists surveyed experienced enforced deprivation compared to 17% of the general population.

The National Campaign for the Arts has written to arts minister Patrick O'Donovan to request a meeting where it will seek to not only discuss the review but also to progress the roll-out of the basic income for artists.

Irish artists contribute so much to society and, as a country, we punch far above our weight on the international stage — as evidenced by recent successes such as Fontaines DC, who won their second Brit Award last weekend, Ms Fleming said. 

We must support our artists through the early stages of their careers to allow them to become the next big name in art, literature, music, or film, and the way to do this is through a basic income, she added. 

Meanwhile, director of the Arts Council Maureen Kennelly has written to artists to assure them that the external review of governance "has no bearing on the funding commitments we have made to artists and arts organisations". 

In an email on Monday, Ms Kennelly said the council's 2025 funding schedule will continue as planned.