Arts Council Chair Expresses 'Great Disappointment' at Budget Allocation

Arts Council Chair Expresses 'Great Disappointment' at Budget Allocation

'This allocation will challenge our capacity to deliver...'

The Chair of the Arts Council, Sheila Pratschke, has expressed ‘great disappointment’ at the Government’s allocation to the Arts Council for 2016, announced in last week’s Budget.

The Arts Council received a 4% increase on last year’s figure, athough the total is still 28% below the amount received in 2007.

In a statement, she said:

It is with great disappointment that the Arts Council received its 2016 funding allocation of €59.1m. This is a devastating blow to artists and arts organisations already struggling to survive and present work of the highest quality to people across Ireland. 

At a time when we have just published an ambitious 10-year strategy, Making Great Art Work, focusing on the artist and public engagement in the arts, we had hoped that significant increased investment in the Arts Council would allow us to deliver on our role in supporting Ireland’s international standing as a leader in the arts…. This allocation will challenge our capacity to deliver on this ambition.

The Government continues to assert that Ireland is a hub of creativity, innovation and flexible thinking, and a smart place to invest in. Credible investment in the arts and culture sector is a vital demonstration of this commitment. I feel that the announcement of our funding today undermines that commitment.

The annual Arts Council budgets since 2007 can be seen below:

2007: €83m
2008: €81.6m
2009: €73.4m
2010: €68.7m
2011: €65.2m
2012: €63.2m
2013: €59.9m
2014: €56.7m
2015: €56.9m
2016: €59.1m 

For the full statement, visit www.artscouncil.ie

Published on 20 October 2015

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