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Media & Public Response Round-up: (last updated 23/5/16)

Blogsphere:

• John O’Brien: The Collapse of the Arts – in Every Crisis an Opportunity (8/5/16); The Collapse of the Arts (part II) (22/5/16)
• Emily Mark-FitzGerald: A new Irish ministry for the arts: Or, through a hedge, backwards (9/5/16) [viewed 7,000+ times! amazing]
• Olwen Dawe: …and great art beaten down? (10/5/16)
• Richard LV: Ministries of Apathy and Destruction (21/5/16)
• Chris Hayes: A Response to Heather Humphreys #ArtsDeptNow (22/5/16)
• Tara Flynn: What is the Arts, Joxer? (22/5/16)
• Ali Fitzgibbon: Lost at the Third Click (23/5/16)

On radio:

• RTE:
  • Emily Mark-FitzGerald: Arts News – call for a separate Ministry for the Arts, Arena on RTE 1 (10/5/16)
  • Lenny Abrahamson: Lenny Abrahamson calls for dedicated Arts Department, on Morning Ireland (listen back here) (18/5/16)
  • Jo Mangan: Jo Mangan, Chair of the National Campaign for the Arts speaks about Arts Funding on Drivetime, RTE 1 (begins at 1:46:25) (19/5/16)
  • Minister Humphreys on Today with Sean O’Rourke on RTE 1 (23/5/16)
• Newstalk FM:
  • Craig Fitzpatrick: Minister Humphreys tries to allay fears over arts funding (12/5/16)
  • Robert Ballagh: Artist Robert Ballagh speaks out about the state of the arts in this country under the current govt (19/5/16)
  • Stephen McNeice: Adams and Burton criticise Government’s failure to appoint dedicated Arts Minister (19/5/16)
  • Minister Humphreys: Heather Humphreys argues “the order of words in department title” won’t be important, Lunchtime with Jonathan Healy (23/5/16)

In the press:

• Irish Times
  • Letters to the Editor: Pat Cooke: Heritage and a shape-shifting department (11/5/16)
  • The Irish Times View (editorial): Recognising the Arts at the Cabinet Table (12/5/16)
  • Hugh Linehan & Laurence Mackin: Heather Humphreys says Government commitment to arts not diminished (12/5/16)
  • Jim Carroll: The government’s problem with the arts (12/5/16)
  • Simon Carswell: Taoiseach says he is anxious for Irish arts not to be ‘elegant add-on’ (18/5/16)
  • Vivienne Clarke: Lenny Abrahamson: galling to see artists used as photo opportunity for politicians (19/5/16)
  • Laurence Mackin: Artists threaten ‘strike’ action over funding cuts (19/5/16)
  • Peter Crawley: Why artists are uniquely placed to make a fine art of protest (20/5/16)
  • Una Mullally: Why two Gaeltacht Ministers but no minister for Dublin? (23/5/16)
• Sunday Times
  • Eithne Shortall: Culture Vulture (15/5/16)
  • Minister Humphreys: It’s Time to get Creative With Our Cultural Capital (22/5/16)
• Irish Examiner
  • Gerard Howlin: Revolutionary artists led the Rising, yet witless governments kill off art (18/5/16)
  • Conall Ó Fátharta: Politicians do not value arts scene, says Abrahamson (20/5/16)
• Hotpress
  • National Campaign For The Arts Denounces Frankenstein ‘Arts’ Department (12/5/16)
  • Arts Community Reacts Sceptically to Enda Kenny’s Speech (19/5/16)
  • Arts Community Holds Meeting with Government over Taoiseach’s Remarks (19/5/16)
• Irish Independent
  • Martina Devlin: Lip service and neglect- our official arts policy (21/5/16)
• Connacht Tribune
  • Olwen Dawe: We need a serious discussion about how Ireland values arts (20/5/16)
• Sunday Business Post
  • Nadine O’Regan: Our government says one thing and does another when it comes to nurturing cultural pursuits (22/5/16)

On Twitter:

• Follow #ArtsDeptNow for ongoing responses and a rolling list of those who’ve signed the petition
• Minister Humphreys also had a short reply (11/5/16)

National Campaign for the Arts:

• Check out the NCFA’s Facebook feed for lots of responses to various media pieces over the last few weeks!
• NCFA Campaigns for #ArtsDeptNow (12/5/16; updated 19/5/16)
• NCFA calls on Minister for All-Party approach to National Cultural Policy (23/5/16)

Party statements:

• Labour:
  • TD Joan Burton posing questions in the Dail on Programme for Government with respect to Arts (18/5/16)
  • Joan Burton: 18 ministers of state, zero ministers for the Arts (19/5/16)
• Sinn Féin:
  • Peadar Tóibín: Sinn Féin calls for the immediate appointment of a Minister for the Arts (20/5/16)

Elsewhere:

• The Uplift petition (go sign!!) to restore arts & heritage funding and reconfigure the government ministry
• Loughlin Deegan’s impassioned Facebook post recalls the NCFA’s work to date on arts campaigning, and issues a call for the next generation of activists (17/5/16)
• Visual Artists Ireland: Visual Artists Ireland calls on government for immediate action to alleviate poverty in the visual arts (20/5/16)
• Royal Hibernian Academy: Royal Hibernian Academy support single department for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht (20/15/16)
• Irish Equity: SIPTU and Irish Equity support call for dedicated government department for the arts (20/5/16)

 

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What a difference a week (or so) makes: the announcement on Friday 6 May of the re-shuffled and re-christened Department of Regional Development, Rural Affairs, Arts and the Gaeltacht has prompted an incredible public response (especially across social media using the hashtag #artsdeptnow) decrying the continued failure of government to adequately recognise and fund Irish arts and heritage.

The petition started by John O’Brien to reinstate a dedicated Minister for the Arts and raise the level of arts & heritage funding closer to the 0.6% EU average is at nearly 10,000 signatures (go SIGN IT now if you haven’t already!) At the bottom of this post I’ve included a round-up of some of the media and other responses over the past week (please respond in the comments if I’ve missed anything, and I will add to the list).

So the big question is: what now?

The petition’s a great start: it is a very visible and tangible demonstration of support for a dedicated arts ministry, that’s extending beyond the arts community itself to the wider public (whose support we really need!)

Other suggestions voiced across social and other media have included an organised national day of direct action; a national symposium/event highlighting the public value of the arts and heritage; and a coordinated event to present the petition to government once it hits the 10k mark.

From my perspective, it’s key to acknowledge the groundwork laid by the National Campaign for the Arts over the past years (and its achievements), and to reactivate that campaign. Most essentially: as Loughlin Deegan notes, the NCFA is made up of individuals willing to give time, attention, and also money to support its efforts – and we need more of all of that! It’s entirely run on the energy and activism of volunteers, and I’d love to see this recent outpouring of reactions to the demotion of the arts (yet again!) coalesce in a re-organisation and re-invigoration of our NCFA.

This isn’t just lip service: here’s what I’m personally willing to do:

• run another fundraiser for the NCFA (our last pub quiz in 2013 raised over €3,000! Time for a rematch??)
• work with the Irish Museums Association to widely disseminate the results of our Irish Museums Survey (which I’m writing up at the minute!) Knowledge is power: this is going to give us important information about the state of play in the museum and heritage sector that will help inform policy and further action in support of Irish museums.
• assist in organising and/or publicising any follow-on campaign event

Beyond signing the petition: what can or will you do to keep up the momentum? Time to get in formation, folks.