22 Leitrim artists successful in securing a €325 weekly income

Twenty two artists have been successful in Leitrim under the Basic Income for the Arts Pilot Scheme. The artists ill receive €325 a week. 

Some 2,000 artists, performers and creative arts workers out of 9,000 applicants were awarded grants across the country as part of a three year pilot scheme. Recipients will receive €325 per week, paid on a monthly basis as part of a research project on the impact of a basic income. Successful applicants were selected through a randomised anonymous selection process.

The 2,000 grant recipients includes representatives from all art forms, age groups, ethnicities and includes 707 visual artists, 584 musicians, 204 artists working in film, 184 writers, 173 actors and artists working in theatre, 32 dancers and choreographers, 13 circus artists and 10 architects. 3% or 54 of those selected work through the Irish language.

A basic income for the arts was the number one recommendation of the Arts and Culture Recovery Taskforce Life Worth Living Report which was set up by Minister Catherine Martin in 2020 to examine how the sector could adapt and recover from the damage arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.