A £150,000 fund for artists from Belfast City Council has been described as “not even a bandaid” by a council officer.
The grant for the city’s beleaguered art scene from the local authority was described as only a starting point at the council’s special meeting of its City Growth and Regeneration Committee this week. At the meeting councillors approved allocations from a new £150,000 funding scheme agreed earlier this year for artist-led organisations to provide financial and development support for the sector.
A month before the Covid pandemic hit, artists gathered to warn Belfast Council they will be wiped out of the city centre, due to lease insecurity and cuts in funding, if they didn't receive help from city hall. The effects of the pandemic have only hastened the timeframe for that prediction.
Read more: Belfast City Centre problems comes from "years of inaction"
A council officer told elected members at this week’s committee: “This is going to be a long running programme of work. We are very aware that this is really not even a bandaid for the current problem, and we need to get a better understanding of the problems and challenges.
“We have to work with partners like the Department for Communities, the art sector, and try to come up with a more long-term, innovative and sustainable solution.”
A new grant scheme, entitled “Artist Studios and Maker Spaces Organisational Grants 2022/23” was opened last month to deal with the lack of artists studios in the city. Elected members at the committee agreed the officer’s recommendation to fund eight organisations, with support of £100,000.
The council report says a further £30k will go towards a “strategic review of artist studios and maker-spaces in Belfast '' with research to be conducted in coming months and long-term recommendations presented to the committee in the autumn." £20k will also be set aside for micro-grants “to support career development and support for individual artists,” at a maximum of £1,000 per applicant, until March 2023.
The council officer said: “The third level of grant recognises that many of our individuals are subject to a lack of assurance of tenure in their current studios, and often have to move. There is a cost to that.”
Green Councillor Mal O’Hara said: “Pre-pandemic we had artists in to talk about this, the dire situation they were in and the lack of studio space in this city. I’m really pleased to see the council have a really proactive role and show interest in this issue.”
Sinn Féin Councillor Áine McCabe: “I commend the three separate strands of work on this report. It will be a welcome addition to the vibrancy of the arts and cultural sector in the city.”
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