Northern European Arts Councils discuss internationality, freedom of expression, and climate change

Chair of the Lithuanian Council for Culture Asta Pakarklytė and Public Relations Coordinator Karolina Bagdonė attended last week’s meeting of Scandinavian, Baltic, British, and Irish Arts Councils and Cultural Foundations in Dublin. The Arts Council of Ireland organised the event to enhance a sustainable, competitive, and appealing cultural region in Northern Europe.   

"This informal network continues to expand, with the Arts Council of the United Kingdom joining the Northern Format after Brexit and, more recently, Ireland, which hosted the Dublin gathering. The Lithuanian Council for Culture is honoured and privileged to participate in this format, where Europe’s most established arts councils, with decades of continuous operation, share their experiences," says the Chair Asta Pakarklytė.  

The meeting consisted of two main sessions. The first session examined the working conditions of artists, focusing on case studies from Ireland and Northern Ireland, as well as the interim results of a pilot study on the impact of basic income for artists. The second session explored the cultural sector from a global perspective and the efforts to establish culture as a common good.  

Sustainable working conditions for artists  

The topic of artists' working conditions remained the central focus of the meeting. Strategic Development Manager at the Arts Council of Ireland Toby Dennett and Director of Strategic Development and Partnerships at the Arts Council of Northern Ireland Javier Stanziola addressed this topic. They discussed the economic, social, and psychological aspects of artists' work in their respective countries.  

Director of Culture Ireland Sharon Barry and researcher Nadia Feldkircher presented the three-year pilot project to evaluate the impact of a weekly basic income for artists, which generated significant interest. The project offers €325 per week in benefits to 2,000 artists and creative workers.   

"It was exciting to learn that the Arts Council of Northern Ireland was also surveying artists. The survey revealed that the average income from creative activities in the country was approximately £11,200 per year, accounting for only 58% of artists' total income. Full-time creatives earned an average of £16,600 per year, but this required working over 40 hours a week, resulting in an hourly wage of just £8, which is 30% less than the national minimum wage.  

The survey also highlighted challenges such as insufficient funding and recognition, limited time for creative work, difficulties in balancing creative work with family commitments, the sector's lack of inclusiveness, and mental health concerns. Additionally, 52% of respondents said that they have considered relocating to another country in search of better public funding or more training and personal development opportunities. I am eagerly awaiting the results of the Assessment of the Social and Creative Status of Artists, which will be completed before 1 March, to gain a closer insight into the situation of artists in Lithuania. At first glance, however, the situations of Lithuanian and Northern Irish artists appear to be quite similar and, unfortunately, challenging.  

The interim results of the Arts Council of Ireland's pilot project showed positive changes in the work and lives of artists: on €325 a week, artists spent more time creating, worked an average of 2.7 fewer hours than in other sectors, and saw a 6.1% decrease in depression and an 8.2% decrease in anxiety. It has also increased overall life satisfaction," says Public Relations Coordinator Karolina Bagdonė.  

Prospects for the cultural sector  

The meeting also featured roundtable discussions, where participants shared the changes being implemented and the challenges faced not only by arts councils in various countries but also by the cultural sector as a whole. Lively discussions took place on topics such as freedom of expression and its limits, innovations in funding through tax incentives and soft loans, the impact of art on the environment, and internationality as a value.  

A. Pakarklytė, who moderated the roundtable discussion on the grid of art fields, raised the question that has been concerning arts councils for a while now: whether the system of art fields and funding competitions, structured according to its logic, has become a restrictive factor and a formal categorisation of creativity that limits the natural evolution of art, as well as various connections and intersectoral initiatives. Colleagues from Ireland, England, Latvia, Norway, Scotland, and Wales joined in the conversation.  

A. Pakarklytė in Northern European Arts Council meeting in Dublin.

 Photo by Conor Ó Mearáin, Mark Maxwell.

"The discussion began with the notion that categorising art fields acts as a limiting factor, with an elitist aspect, where only the development of specific art fields is considered, without addressing the needs of contemporary society. However, after the Arts Council of Ireland presented a comprehensive study on the subject, aimed at transforming their system of 17 arts fields, attitudes began to shift. According to the Irish, the categorisation of art begins with the education system, starting from childhood, when differences between fields are introduced. The complete abolition of these categories, they argued, would create uncertainty and confusion, particularly among artists and art organisations, not to mention complicating evaluation principles, data collection, and other related aspects," A. Pakarklytė shared.  

The Scandinavian and Baltic Arts Councils Summit took place in Vilnius in 2019, marking the first participation of Nick McDowell, Director of International at Arts Council England. The meeting outlined a new vision for developing the network of arts councils and cultural foundations in Northern Europe, exploring new formats for internationalisation post-Brexit. The vision was launched in 2022, following the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to the Lithuanian Council for Culture, this year's meeting in Dublin was attended by the Arts Councils of Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Iceland; the Latvian and Estonian Cultural Endowments; the Arts Councils of England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Ireland; the Nordic Culture Fund; and other team members.