There is no fat in the arts

The arts have endured financial cuts in the last year, and now seems destined to lose representation at the cabinet table in this week's reshuffle. However, investment in the arts brings not just cultural benefits, but financial return. By Joe Galvin.

Martin Cullen's retirement, combined with Colm McCarthy's recommendation to discontinue the Department of Arts, Sports and Tourism (DAST) last year, has paved the way for the abolition of the department leaving the arts without a voice at the highest political level. Under McCarthy, An Bord Snip Nua also recommended the abolition of Culture Ireland and the Irish Film Board, and funding cuts to the government-run Arts Council.

(Photo: Janet Moran and Andrew Bennett in the Corn Exchange production of Freefall)

Recent events have further nudged the arts into the spotlight. Brian Cowen keenly advertised the importance of Ireland's cultural heritage while in the United States last week. Actor Gabriel Byrne, director Jim Sheridan and author Colm Tóibín joined Brian Cowen at the St Patrick's Day Reception in the White House. The high-profile appointment of Gabriel Byrne as Ireland's cultural ambassador in recent days was another boon in publicising the arts.

But while a palaver is made of the arts publicly, budget cuts are causing already lean organisations in the sector to struggle. In the past year, relatively small budgets have been cut by 6% for savings that have a negligible effect on Ireland's budget deficit.

The nature of these cuts is also troubling. Instead of spreading the cuts evenly across all areas, the government-funded Arts Council has applied swingeing cuts to smaller companies such as the Corn Exchange Theatre Company, which has had its budget halved in the last year. The Ouroboros Theatre Company has had its funding cut completely. Other institutions, such as the Association of Irish Composers, have met similar fates.

In contrast, larger theatre companies have had to endure the smallest cuts. This imbalance has been harshly criticised by the Corn Exchange and Ouroboros. "We were very surprised [at the level of the cuts]," said Sarah Durcan, executive producer with the Corn Exchange. "We've had to reduce hours for administration, we've had to revise support [for other companies]...there is no fat in the arts. This is cutting into people's livelihoods and the creation of new works." Commenting on the speculation regarding the future of DAST, Durcan said that the arts need "a full portfolio" and that removing that would be a "very regressive step".

However, the economic benefits of the arts to the overall economy seem to run contrary to the McCarthy report's recommendations and the cuts that have taken place thus far.

In 1994, John Durkan published a report entitled the Economics of the Arts in Ireland. In it, he made the case for state funding of the arts. Not only would it be hugely beneficial to society as a whole, argued Durkan, the resultant boom in cultural tourism would likely result in significant economic benefits.

Back then, it was speculation. Ireland had just hauled itself out of one recession, and funding to the arts was limited, standing at €20.7m in 1995. That figure had quadrupled to €83m by 2007 and figures compiled by Indecon on behalf of the Arts Council demonstrate Durkan's prescience. In 2008, 3.3m international tourists visited places of historical or cultural significance in Ireland. Approximately half of all tourists who come to Ireland visit such sites.

The total number of tourists visiting galleries and museums in 2008 was 1.9m, a 9.4% increase on 2006 figures. In other words, cultural tourism in Ireland continues to thrive even throughout the recession. In addition, the arts sector employs approximately 95,000 people throughout Ireland, and generates over €5bn of economic activity for the country.

There are significant economic benefits, but the contribution of the arts to Ireland runs deeper than mere economics. In the conclusion to their report, Indecon mention "the importance of a country's “brand” for the purposes of its economic enhancement and development". And Ireland's brand is its culture.

Ireland's reputation for cultural and artistic prowess is what people know the country for, and it attracts interest and investment from all over the world. There exists a global fascination with Irish literature, with Jonathan Swift, WB Yeats, James Joyce, George B ernard Shaw, John Banville...and a cursory glance Ireland's success in film and music shows that, culturally, the country punches above its weight.

Other governments recognise Ireland's contribution to the arts more than any other industry. This week, Gate director Michael Colgan was awarded an OBE by the British government for his contribution to the arts over his two and a half decades at the helm of the theatre. No doubt it will take pride of place next to his Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres on his mantlepiece. Few other, if any, Irish industries receive such plaudits internationally.

It seems, then, highly counterproductive to limit Ireland's artistic output by cutting the institutions that fund it; cuts that do not even begin to scratch the surface of our financial problems. Will cutting €10m, or even €20m, from the arts budget haul Ireland out of recession, will it balance the books? Of course not. The result of doing so, however, could be catastrophic for Ireland's reputation, Ireland's brand and Ireland's arts sector as a whole.

Sarah Durcan said that companies such as the Corn Exchange operate on a very limited budget, and cited the fact that the average earnings for an actor over the course of a year was only €7,000. "Our overheads are tiny," she said. "We're very good at negotiating best prices!" Cutting such small figures so severely is of no benefit to the overall economy, yet it can cripple the organisations involved.

Recently, Brian Cowen committed the government's support to innovation and development in Ireland (see Stephen Kinsella's article here). A worthwhile commitment, and the arts should form a core part of that commitment. It is the area where Ireland have been consistently innovative over centuries, from Swift's Gulliver's Travels, through Beckett's surreal genius, to artists like Louis de Brocquy and Edward Delaney and actors and filmmakers such as Liam Neeson and Neil Jordan. If the government supports innovation, then they should support the arts.

However, the Arts Council decision to focus cuts on small, creative companies like Corn Exchange and Ouroboros goes against this commitment to innovation. These are the companies that give new blood a chance and lesser known, often young, artists a forum to operate in.

It remains to be seen what will happen. However, with the premature exit of Martin Cullen the arts sector now lacks a voice at the highest political level. Funding cuts to the arts have already impacted young artists throughout Ireland. If the government lives up to the increasing speculation regarding the future of arts as a full portfolio, artists may not just struggle for funding - they will be struggle to be heard by government.

Audio: Interview with Sarah Durcan

{mp3 width="450"}No fat in Arts - Sarah Durcan{/mp3}