Pandemic, among other things, highlights all the vulnerabilities of the current economic system, particularly affecting manufacturing sectors that have been deregulated for years. Of these, the distribution network, from the Single Artist to the International Museum, through events, suffered from a gaseous organization that seemed dynamic at first but later revealed all its vulnerabilities. Governments have taken various steps to address this, but Ireland seems to have taken it a step further by introducing a basic income program for artists and cultural activists for the first time. In October 2021 the city of San Francisco launched a similar project. Under the city’s basic income program, up to 130 artists and operators were given a $ 1,000 monthly stipend of $ 6 million.

January 6, Catherine Martin, Irish Tourism, Culture, the Arts, Gailtouch, Minister of Sports and Media, Launched an online consultation to solicit comments and suggestions on the development of a pilot program. ‘I decided to ensure that the pilot base income criteria would help ensure that pandemic art does not cause permanent damage and that the arts in Ireland return stronger than ever,’ she added.

The government has allocated 25 25 million to supply 2,000 operators and cultural venues over a three-year period. The online consultation ends on January 27, while the program is expected to begin later this year. The basic income plan was proposed by a task force brought together by Martin in 2020 to find new solutions to the financial collapse of the Pandemic in the arts. The committee’s initial report suggested that selected artists be allowed 10.50 per hour.

The procedure for selecting the artist is currently being evaluated, but in the opinion of the Ministry, it will not be competitive: if the number of candidates exceeds the available funding, the winners will be selected at random, but the exact details have not yet been determined.