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Arts Policy

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 June 2021

Tuesday, 22 June 2021

Questions (99)

Gary Gannon

Question:

99. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the measures that are being taken to ensure affordable vacant spaces for artists; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33283/21]

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Written answers

The Arts Council operates a number of schemes and initiatives have been established for the particular support of visual arts, including the Visual Artists Workspace Scheme.  The purpose of the Visual Artists Workspace Scheme is to support artists’ workspaces throughout the country to provide the best possible working environment for visual artists and, where feasible, to enable a level of subsidy for the artists working in these spaces.

The scheme will award grants of up to €40,000 towards core costs such as the running costs of the workspace such as light, heat, rent, administration and/or appropriate management costs. A proportion of support up to a maximum of 20% of the total request may be directed towards essential repair and maintenance.

The Council is now inviting applications for the Visual Artists Workspace Scheme 2022. The closing date of this scheme is 8 July 2021 and applications and detailed guidelines can be accessed on its website at the following link: http://www.artscouncil.ie/Funds/Visual-Artists-Workspace-Scheme/

The Cultural Capital Scheme 2019-2022 is a €4.7m capital investment scheme for arts and culture centres which is being administered by my Department.  The scheme will run until 2022 and will focus on enhancing the existing stock of arts and culture centres throughout the country. In line with the Government's action on climate change, this scheme will prioritise projects that reduce an organisation's carbon footprint that will make a real and positive impact on the environment. Projects that provide additional capacity for artists and artistic production particularly in arts centres will also be favoured. The Cultural Capital Scheme 2019-2022 is constructed of a number of funding steams one of which is Stream C which is aimed at upgrading visual artists' workspaces and is run by Visual Artists Ireland (VAI) on behalf of my Department. Funding of approximately €79k was announced in October 2020 by VAI for Stream C to 10 applicants.

In recent years my Department has had discussions with the Arts Council, the Office of Public Works and some local authorities to consider possible short-term and longer-term approaches to the issue of artists workspaces both in relation to specific issues in Dublin and to wider national approaches. In that regard my Department, in conjunction with Dublin City Council, has agreed in principle to make up to €3m available towards artists workspaces in Dublin. There are certain sites in the city currently being examined for their suitability in this regard by the City Council. This level of investment will greatly benefit the artists in this area and address the deficit in artist workspaces in Dublin City.

The Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) was launched in 2018 to support more compact and sustainable development.  I understand that my colleague the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government announced up 87 projects approved under Call 1 together with up-to-date provisional URDF funding allocations and this includes an allocation to Dublin City Council in respect of Artists Workspaces.

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