A Dublin author who was mistakenly told she would be getting a €25,000 Arts Council grant is calling for a personalised apology.
Poetry and non-fiction writer Trudie Gorman from Dublin was one of the 141 applicants who received a letter from the Arts Council yesterday saying they got the Next Generation Artists award, worth €25,000. But before it had settled in, they heard back from the Council that there had been a mistake.
The 30-year-old described the moment when she received the first letter, saying she felt “elated” and "relieved" that her financial struggles were ending - and the follow-up message left her feeling "devastated". She told Dublin Live: “Obviously, human error is a thing, but it’s a pretty massive mistake [the Arts Council] have made.
"It’s not a case where they offered a one-grand grant and then said sorry, you can’t have it. They offered a life-altering opportunity and took it away. And I feel like they have issued a generalised apology but I really feel like that’s not enough for the impact that it's had on the artists’ lives.”
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The Arts Council have since issued an apology on their social media about the disappointment that they have caused, however Trudy said what the applicants are feeling “is so far beyond disappointment”. She added: “Most artists are barely getting by, and they were offered the opportunity to get out of the poverty trap and find out later that was stripped away.”
The working-class writer added: “It's pretty devastating. And it was multiple mistakes here. They sent an email saying, congratulations, you've been awarded the next generation award, that’s 25 grand.
"And then half an hour later, they sent an email saying, sorry, ignore that – the proper email will be sent soon. And then a half an hour later, they sent an email saying, you've been rejected for the bursary award which isn’t [what we applied for]. It was very confusing.
“I was like, what’s going on, I really panicked. And they said, oh, all three emails are an error. You'll hear from us soon. And then I think around six o'clock they sent an email saying, we made multiple mistakes. You haven't been accepted for the Next Generation awards. But it was two hours of elation and joy, and then panic and fear and, and just heartbreak.”
She further described how she felt when she got the first email, saying: “I was just relieved – I grew up in poverty, I've also had Lyme disease for five years, which has really impacted my ability to work full-time so I really struggled with money.
“When I got the first email, it sort of felt like, oh, I'm finally getting a break after five years of a life-threatening illness, and now I'm getting this opportunity to sort of rebuild my life. And I just had so much relief and joy and gratitude, and I started telling people, I was celebrating.
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“And then a half an hour later I got the email saying, sorry, that was an error. And I still wasn't clear at that point, do I have it or do I not have it? So I was just in a panic then.”
Trudie, who is currently writing her first collection exploring themes like poverty-based trauma and disability, said that many of those affected have reached out to her since then. She will be organising a gathering of all the artists impacted by the Next Generation Award mistake to come together in solidarity and support with one another, and "to demand a meaningful apology is given to each of us individually".
There will be a meeting tomorrow, held at the Project Arts Centre from 4pm to 6pm. Another meeting will be held on Monday at Dublin Fringe Lab, Sycamore Building, Eustace Street, from 6pm until 8pm.
The Arts Council said in a statement: "The Arts Council yesterday made a regrettable error. We issued letters to 141 applicants for the Next Generation Artists award, incorrectly indicating that an award would be granted.
"We then emailed all affected to inform them of our error and we apologised unreservedly. Our mistake has understandably caused upset and disappointment and for this, we are truly sorry. We have now put in place additional checks for the issue of decision letters to prevent a repeat of this error.
"Supporting artists is a core goal of the Arts Council and we sincerely apologise to the artists that we let down on this occasion."
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