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Ireland rolls out basic income scheme for artists
251–260 of 736 posts
Re: Ireland rolls out basic income scheme for artists
#252The frustrating thing about this program is that it is not possible to avail of this unless you are ALREADY an artist. So if you gave up art because you had bills and kids and needed to support yourself or a family, you're SOL. The only person I know getting this money was already semi-retired after selling their house in London and retiring to the Irish countryside, and basically just noodles around on the guitar no…
> The frustrating thing about this program is that it is not possible to avail of this unless you are ALREADY an artist.
Frankly we don’t know the selection criteria for the program this year. It will be only released in April.
But we know the selection criteria for the pilot program, and for that this was not true.
> So if you gave up art because you had bills and kids and needed to support yourself or a family, you're SOL.
Again we don’t know the full program’s eligibility criteria yet. Under the pilot program there were two separate streams. Those who were recently trained, and those who were “practicing artist”.
Your hypothetical “artist who gave up art” might fall into the “recently trained” stream and thus be eligible.
Or if they gave up on art a long ago (more than 5 years), there are ways they can get back to it. They can start practicing their art on the side again, produce a portfolio of work and thus become eligible again. They don’t need to be full time artist for this.
> The only person I know getting this money
In the pilot program they randomly selected 2000 participants from those who where eligible. So to get the money in the pilot program you both needed to be eligible, have applied for it, and be lucky enough in the lottery.
Because of this lottery whoever is getting it today is not representative of who is all eligible for it.
Re: Ireland rolls out basic income scheme for artists
#253In the United States, the National Endowment for the Arts has issued more than 128,000 grants, totaling more than $5 billion, to fund the projects of American artists. These subsidies have not lacked controversy, and were eventually challenged at the Supreme Court level, during the Clinton administration. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Endowment_for_the_Art... If you or your parents would like to sample a NSF…
"Universal basic income" for artists: so radical and socialist even the US had it already.
Neither nation promises universal income: 8,000 Irish artists applied, and 2,000 were accepted.
Likewise, with the NEA, since they offer grants, you'd need to qualify, apply, and justify your work, and probably renew on an annual basis.
Ireland selected the applicants randomly. I would suppose the 8,000 needed to meet qualifications first.
Ireland promises €325/week. The NEA grants seem to be on a project basis.
So neither of these programs are anything like UBI. UBI is the buzzword that sets us all atwitter with eager hopefulness and aspirations.
Artist grant programs are more like "publish or perish" research scholars. Most grant recipients view the application process as daunting and stressful, especially when it's not in their wheelhouse. "Grant writer" is a job title and a profession unto itself these days. Even charities and welfare organizations depend on grants themselves, so their recipients may be cut off if the grants don't come in on time and fill their budgets.
Ireland's program is like being on the dole. "Here's enough to subsist on while you do your art and try to establish yourself." After 3 years, they're cut off for 3 years, so the incentive exists to become self-sufficient in that time.
Subsidizing the arts has been the realm of religion, including Christianity, for thousands of years. Michelangelo and Bernini were among thousands and thousands of artists who were funded by the Church to create music, sculpture, architecture, images, and any other sacred object in their service. If socialism or communism are the first thing to spring to your mind, please rethink and consider that these philosophies sought to supplant the original collectives: religions; and the religious leaders and patrons were distributing wealth to every possible artisan and artist and composer and performer, in the service of truth, beauty, and goodness. Nobody knows the pain of shrinking churches like Ireland does, and so it really is incumbent on their secular government to pick up the tab here, lest the hands of artists become idle and restless.
Re: Ireland rolls out basic income scheme for artists
#254Weird way to call homeless people.
Re: Ireland rolls out basic income scheme for artists
#255The frustrating thing about this program is that it is not possible to avail of this unless you are ALREADY an artist. So if you gave up art because you had bills and kids and needed to support yourself or a family, you're SOL. The only person I know getting this money was already semi-retired after selling their house in London and retiring to the Irish countryside, and basically just noodles around on the guitar no…
> The frustrating thing about this program is that it is not possible to avail of this unless you are ALREADY an artist. Frankly we don’t know the selection criteria for the program this year. It will be only released in April. But we know the selection criteria for the pilot program, and for that this was not true. > So if you gave up art because you had bills and kids and needed to support yourself or a family, you…
Additionally i would argue that in every such programm there will be people that abuse the system. Just because gp knows one such person, does not mean that everybody will be doing that.
The article also mentions that overall the program had a positive impact.
Re: Ireland rolls out basic income scheme for artists
#256Earlier quoted context omitted.
> The frustrating thing about this program is that it is not possible to avail of this unless you are ALREADY an artist. Frankly we don’t know the selection criteria for the program this year. It will be only released in April. But we know the selection criteria for the pilot program, and for that this was not true. > So if you gave up art because you had bills and kids and needed to support yourself or a family, you…
Additionally i would argue that in every such programm there will be people that abuse the system. Just because gp knows one such person, does not mean that everybody will be doing that. The article also mentions that overall the program had a positive impact.
There is generally a heavy bias to focusing on abuse instead of outcomes. Who cares that there are some false positives if there is a net benefit, it's just noise.
Re: Ireland rolls out basic income scheme for artists
#257Earlier quoted context omitted.
Irish here. It's a cultural thing. Ireland is the only country in the world whose national symbol is a musical instrument. Art is seen as a worthwhile endeavour even if it can't necessarily support itself as a private endeavour. It's for the same reason galleries and museums are subsidised by the government. Anyone can call themselves an artist but to receive this money you would have to have a portfolio of work that…
This seems like it mostly funnels money to rich kids, to be honest. Nobody else can afford to already be an artist.
Poor people and middle class people produce art. They both work as artists or do art on the side as a hobby. It is not that expensive either.
Expectation that you have portfolio does not strikes me as outrageous either.
Re: Ireland rolls out basic income scheme for artists
#258Earlier quoted context omitted.
Additionally i would argue that in every such programm there will be people that abuse the system. Just because gp knows one such person, does not mean that everybody will be doing that. The article also mentions that overall the program had a positive impact.
There is generally a heavy bias to focusing on abuse instead of outcomes. Who cares that there are some false positives if there is a net benefit, it's just noise.
Then make it an universal income, because deep down everyone is an artist waiting to be revealed.
Re: Ireland rolls out basic income scheme for artists
#259This is not basic income, it’s a grant for artists.
Still a good idea though.
Re: Ireland rolls out basic income scheme for artists
#260This is admittedly a tangent, but I love that British (and apparently Irish) government programs are commonly called "schemes". To American ears, it always sounds like some grand confidence trick is being pulled.
In India too, discounts and promotional policies are commonly called 'schemes.' I learned the hard way that in the US, the word has a negative connotation when I asked my rental office about any 'schemes,' they looked at me with total shock.
Similarly, "doubt" has a negative connotation in the US, but I see it often used as a synonym for "question" by Indian speakers of English.