Connacht Tribune
Arts sector ‘will be floored’ unless Government acts
Arts Week with Judy Murphy
The arts sector will “be a wasteland” when the current lockdown ends unless the Government and the Arts Council act swiftly to support the sector, especially its most vulnerable workers. That’s according to the manager of Galway’s biggest arts venue, Fergal McGrath. He’s employed by Galway City Council to operate the Town Hall Theatre, which also includes a studio space and the Black Box performance space.
Many individual art-workers have been left with no way of making a living, says the Town Hall manager, adding that while the venue and its collaborators have introduced a range of initiatives to support artists, those efforts are only a drop in the ocean.
“Things will be catastrophic if the Government and Arts Council don’t move soon,” he warns.
The Town Hall is preparing to open on August 10, in line with Government guidelines, but Fergal warns that the two-metre social distancing rule will make this unviable. The 400-seater venue will have to operate at 10 per cent capacity if it continues. However, if the Government follows WHO guidelines once it’s deemed safe to do so, that capacity could increase to 20 per cent, and possibly more by taking group household bookings, he explains. Between 80 and 85 per cent of revenue at the Town Hall and Black Box currently comes from ticket- and bar-sales. So, if those venues and other theatres across the country are to be viable under the two-metre rule, extra State subvention will be needed.
He’s calling on the Government to look to other countries for guidance on how to do this. Germany, Wales, Scotland, England and Australia are among those who have acknowledged the vital role of arts by increasing financial support during this time, he says.
Here in Ireland, Arts Minister Josepha Madigan, announced last month that an extra €1million would be made available to the sector. However, €500,000 of that was being reallocated from existing Arts Council funds, so the extra money actually amounted to €500,000. Compared to other countries, it’s miniscule, says the Town Hall Manager.
The Arts Council, meanwhile, “have put a hold on a number of planned funding initiatives”. That allowed them “to recalibrate and refocus funding in response to requests from the sector. But they wouldn’t want to delay in doing that”, he cautions.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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