ARTS MINISTER ON BUDGET CUTS TO THE ARTS

Here are the official comments on the Supplementary Budget, April 2009, by Martin Cullen TD, Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism.

Minister Cullen said: “The Arts, Sport and Tourism sectors are important drivers within the economy - both as contributors to economic growth and to employment levels. One fifth of the working force in our country earn their living from tourism/hospitality, arts and sports. Between them they generate almost six and half billion euro in foreign currency earnings per year.”

With particular reference to Arts and Culture the statement said:

Expenditure in relation to the Arts, Culture and Film sector has reduced by €41m from €221m in 2008 to €180m in 2009, a reduction of 18.5%. Within this, the reduction in relation to current expenditure has been 6% while the reduction in relation to capital expenditure has been 42%, owing primarily to the completion of once off major capital projects such as the Wexford Festival Opera House and the Gate Theatre extension.

The Minister said: “The bulk of the cuts in this sector have been concentrated into capital expenditure to protect day to day expenditure and ensure venues remain open, job losses are minimised and the contribution to cultural tourism enhanced." Pre 2009 commitments in respect of local arts and culture (capital) infrastructure will be honoured. Current funding to the Arts Council, the state agency which develops and supports the arts in Ireland will be confirmed on the publication of the Revised Estimates.

OK. 'Cultural Tourism' is all very well but day-to-day, your average living, breathing, working individual artist is not that concerned with Cultural Tourism. She is concerned with having the time and space to practice her art and with, somehow, earning a living from it. Swinging cuts in the Arts Sector are not good for that individual artist.

I think the Arts needs a department of its own and should not be lumped in with Tourism, which has much more commercial concerns. Or with Sport, which gets ENORMOUS corporate sponsorship and media coverage.

COSTA SUPPORTS WRITING

Thanks to my fellow blogger Total Feckin' Eejit for sending me Frothy Tales by Costa Coffee Writer-in-Residence Davey Spens. We don't have Costa in this neck of the woods but I've always admired their support of literature.

Lucky Davey decided in November 2007 (!) to leave his job and write a novel. Somehow he landed the job of first ever Writer-in-Residence at Costa and, as part of that, he wrote his Frothy Tales, most of which are amusing flashes based on his observance of coffee drinkers. They are light, fluffy and bite-sized, but the book only costs €1.50, and the proceeds go to improve the lot of coffee growers.

In other Costa-related news, Sebastian Barry has won the overall Costa Award - Costa Book of the Year - for The Secret Scripture. Yay! Well done, man. But it was irritating to hear Arts Minister Martin Cullen saying: “The award is due recognition for the incredible talent and creativity that has been fostered by the Irish literary community."

Yes, well, the Irish literary community has gained its successes largely without the support of the State, Minister, as you cut the funding to the only Writers' Centres in the East and the West of the country, and literature in general is the poor relation in the arts. So maybe you might reconsider those cuts in the light of our writers' international reputation and support those who are still up and coming.

POSTSCRIPT

By way of a postscript to what I wrote above this morning, in the Irish Times today Sarah Bannan, head of literature at the Arts Council, said the award to Barry, who has received a number of grants from the Art Council in the past, was "proof that investment in the artistic community has borne fruit". Pity then that the Arts Council doesn't do more of that investing.

Fine Gael's Olivia Mitchell hit the mark more clearly when she said Barry’s win “highlights the depth of talent in Ireland’s literary community and the continuing need to aid writers”.