Government needs to “step up” to protect arts spaces says Sherlock

Labour Senator Marie Sherlock said the time has come for an urgent and comprehensive response to securing and growing creative spaces to make and places to show in Dublin and across the country.

Sherlock, who serves as the party spokesperson on the arts, said that arts spaces have been “hollowed out” across Ireland over the last 20 years.

Research carried out by Sherlock and her team found that at least 52 such spaces have closed across Dublin and nationwide in that period of time.

A public meeting will be held on the topic in the Gallery at the Complex in Smithfield at 7pm this evening.

Speaking ahead of a public meeting, Senator Sherlock said “these losses have struck a serious blow to the cultural fabric and energy of our city.”

“The reality is that artists’ studios and venues don’t stand a chance when competing against commercial interests; we need to change that.”

She pointed to a number of new spaces that have emerged across Dublin over the last few years, and action needs to be taken to support them so they can “survive and thrive.”

“In all our conversations with artists over recent years, it is very clear that we need both local government and central Government to step up. We have developed a series of proposals which we will be discussing with artists and artists organisations tonight.”

Sherlock laid out a plan to help artists with the issue.

1. Map and match artist’s demand with the supply of empty space and establish a new Cultural Infrastructure company for Dublin and in other main urban areas.
2. Provide €25m in funding to local authorities to purchase buildings for arts spaces through a major expansion of the Space to Create scheme.
3. Introduce low-cost State backed cultural mortgages so artist organisations can purchase buildings outright.
4. Introduce a new funding stream for the leasing of buildings for artist studios or performance spaces.
5. Introduce Cultural Conservation Orders on buildings to protect against change of use for existing cultural commercial operations.
6. Introduce a Culture/Social First policy for use of vacant public buildings that lie unused or are intended for disposal.
7. Provide support for the establishment of artist co-operatives.

“These changes have to come along with serious investment into additional performance space and the opening up of closed theatre space,” she noted.

Dublin City Council unveiled a €9m “Space to Create”  fund in 2023 with the intent to create 60 artists spaces, funded in equal part by central Government, DCC and philanthropy, with Government announcing €6m in funding to be spread across a number of other local authorities.

“While welcome, it’s but a drop in the ocean when we consider the needs of those working in the sector.”

She cited findings from a 2020 report commissioned by Dublin City Council that found that 41% of Dublin’s artists were actively seeking secure workspaces and the 2021 Dublin City Cultural infrastructure audit found that of the 2,500 artists in the city, there were no more than 392 and 137 shared artistic spaces. The scale of what needs to be done is enormous.

“When we imagine our capital cities, we imagine vibrant, thriving artistic communities. Let’s convert this vision into action now.”