Why not everyone is happy with free money for artists
When a pilot scheme was announced in 2022 to provide artists with a guaranteed weekly income of €325 a week for three years, there were more than 8,000 applications for the 2,000 places.
The Basic Income for the Arts pilot programme ended in February and a review of it was conducted by the Department of Culture before the decision was taken to create a new, permanent scheme. It is now open for applications.
It will once again be open to 2,000 artists, chosen by lottery with no qualitative assessment. The weekly payment remains the same.
There are some key changes; notably in oversight…
The skinny
The skinny isn't ready yet — notes appear once the transcript is processed.