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
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