We’re making a case for the arts
The Arts Council and Theatre Forum made a presentation to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Arts, Sport, Tourism, Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs on 14 October, on the importance of public funding for the arts.
Our Director Fiach Mac Conghail joined this impressive lobbygroup which included Sebastian Barry, Brendan Gleeson, Garry Hynes and Colum McCann, as well as Pat Moylan and Mary Cloake from the Arts Council.
The speakers played to a packed gallery. Pat Moylan, chairperson of the Arts Council was first to speak “I believe that the arts provide a vital uplifting of the soul of the nation. I know it is something not apparent to everybody,” she said, “Until theatres go dark, until festivals are cancelled, until artists and actors join the interview queue for Dunnes Stores”.
Brendan Gleeson stressed that in order for the arts to prosper and to bring a valuable return to this country, there must be an investment of public money. During the last recession he was starting out with The Passion Machine which received the necessary support from the Arts Council. So many important careers were fostered because of this input. He made a passionate and serious appeal on the subject. He was also highly entertaining, particularly in reference to how making a film in a country or city can attract a vast amount of visitors following the film’s release. He mentioned that in the film In Bruges, even Colin Farrel’s character’s damning description of Bruges actually attracted a huge increase in tourism for that city!
Colum McCann flew in from New York and talked of the significance of the Arts Council support he got early in his career and what it means to benefit from such assistance at that point. He said “I’ve travelled extensively and every country seems to say ‘we’re best friends of the Irish, we have a special relationship with you’,” he said, adding, “We have had the privilege to tell our stories; we don’t want our unique voice to become part of the global elevator music.”
In reference to the importance of such structures as the Arts Council and the support given by such agencies, and what the removal of this support would mean, Sebastian Barry said “I don’t think it would be a tragedy to get rid of these things. I think it would be the end of our country and I think we’d need to call it something else. “We’ll have to call it McCarthyland or something like that”.
Gabriel Byrne also dropped in to lend his support.
You can also lend your support. Please see Theatre Forum’s special website temporary website for the campaign and Facebook fan page (2,600 fans currently). You can also keep up to date on Twitter.