Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey MLA has instructed officials
to put in place immediate and practical steps to help support
Artists, Performers and Creative Producers across the arts and
cultural sector.
The Minister is planning to find ways to support individual
artists, performers, creative producers and organisations create
work in new ways including digital delivery during this difficult
time.
Minister Hargey
explained: “I am
exploring options to introduce a new £1million COVID-19 Creative
Support Fund which will be a mechanism to support individual
artists and institutions. The funding support will enable them to
present work in new and innovative ways in the current climate,
helping combat social isolation and wellbeing challenges. I will
keep this funding amount under review.”
" I have also authorised a donation of £10k to the Go
Fund Me “Bread and Butter” initiative which has been created to
support struggling artists which give grants of £200 to artists,
to ensure that they are able to pay for food. This funding will
support 50 artist through the initiative.”
Welcoming the series of measures already announced by the Arts
Council to relax funding conditions and exercise flexibility in
respect of existing contracts, Minister Hargey stated she wants
to do more to ensure Artists and the sector are supported during
these unprecedented times.
The Minister said: “I have asked the Board of the Arts
Council to act within a matter of days to give immediate security
to organisations by rolling over 2019-20 grant awards into
2020-21 thereby enabling the advancement of payments. This, of
course, will need to reflect programme requirements, and it will
help provide reassurance and a higher degree of stability.
The Council itself will provide further detail.”
In conclusion, Minister Hargey paid tribute to artists,
performers, creative producers and those working in the arts and
creative sector in libraries, museums, galleries and
theatres.
“I look forward to a day very soon when the libraries, the
museums, the theatres, concert halls, community centres and craft
fairs reopen. Until then, I know we can rely on the arts sector
to continue to find creative ways to raise our spirits and touch
our imagination during these difficult days, evidenced by the
recent pop up gigs which many artists are hosting on social
media.”
