The Arts Council met artists and administrators in the sector yesterday to explain how it is lobbying the Government for funding as well as processing applications for financial support.
The recently appointed chairwoman of the council, Ms Olive Braiden, said she felt "a bit of history" had been made as a result of the "information meeting", which was attended by about 175 representatives from arts organisations around the State.
For the first time in its 52-year history, the council published its pre-Budget submission, copies of which were circulated yesterday. However, it declined to release evidence backing up its claim that 1,000 jobs had been lost in the sector due to funding cuts this year. It said while a breakdown of these losses had been submitted to Government, they were not being published because of their "commercial sensitivity".
The submission calls for an increase in funding to the sector next year of almost €10 million, to €53.7 million - a sum meant to have been allocated in 2003 under the council's five-year Arts Plan, the implementation of which is a stated aim of the Programme for Government. However, €44 million was allocated to the council in 2003, 20 per cent below the target.
Ms Braiden said she recognised the changed economic circumstances but "when you look at society you can't think all the money has to go to health or education.
"These areas are important but so too are the arts. The arts have so many dimensions. They can help people's spirit and soul and that is important for health, education and life. They also give work and sustain careers and they give people the opportunity to develop talents that would otherwise be undeveloped."
Asked whether she saw any evidence of waste in the sector, she replied it had some "very expensive arts materials and brochures, which you wonder will anyone read; you are struck by things like that". She stressed this was only an initial observation after 10 weeks as chairwoman.
The director of the Council, Ms Patricia Quinn, said it was a "false apprehension" that excessive sums were spent on administration. The media was excluded from yesterday's meeting. Afterwards, Ms Quinn said there was "very little hostility" from those who attended.
