The Artist, Arts Policy and Cultural Democracy

‘Artist’ as floating variable of policy

• Practitioner (42 times)• Arts practitioner/s (12)• Ethnic arts practitioner/s (6)• Artist/s (55)

• Individual artists• Traditional artists• Ethnic artists• Black artists• Minority artists

Cultural Diversity Research Project (2009)

Arts Act (1951) 3.–(1) a) stimulate public interest in the artsb) promote the knowledge, appreciation

and practice of the artsc) assist in improving the standards of

the artsd) organise or assist in organising

exhibitions of works of art and artistic craftsmanship.

Sean O’FaolainDirector of the Arts Council, 1956-59

• “I am not at all sympathetic to the principle (it is NOT a principle) of State support for artists”Letter to Thomas Bodkin, 29 December, 1956

Sean O Faolain

The artist moves to the centre

Ruari Quinn

“The Labour Party would recommend the appointment of working artists, or their representatives, to at least half the membership of the Council”. Letter to Irish Times, October, 1973

Artist v the Arts“An overweighting of creators on the Arts Council may…make the new Council concern itself too much with the encouragement of artists rather than the encouragement of the arts.”

Irish Times, 14 January, 1974Charles Acton

The artist at the centre

“Our primary need now is for funding to support the musician, the visual artist, the writer and the actor.”

James White, Arts Council Annual Report (1981)

The artist and society

Art and ethics“…it is a mistake to look upon art or education as a branch of civics or ethics. Art does not necessarily make people gentler, or more co-operative or more amenable to reason.”

Art For the People, 1988

Aosdana (1981)

“You will concern yourselves with increasing the accessibility of art to the people and ensuring that the gap does not grow.” Irish Times, 15 April, 1983

Garret Fitzgerald

Genius and the Public“an underlying conception of 'Art' as basically detached from political process and as ultimately issuing from innate 'genius' would naturally lead its holders to underestimate the extensive and troublesome task confronting an Arts Council which seriously asked how it might go about this stimulation of public interest, knowledge, appreciation and practice of the arts.”

‘Towards a Cultural Democracy’, 1992

Ciaran Benson

Validation“…a time when the painters, the dancers, the singers – the dreamers of dreams – found themselves valued by the nation and validated by the State.”

Irish Times, 7 August, 2000

Sile de Valera

Artists’ Council

“we form our plans around the artists, not the other way around.”

Irish Times, 8 March, 2004

Olive Braiden