Communities Minister Carál Ní Chuilín has welcomed the news that the Executive will receive £33million, following the announcement by the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport that they are to invest £1.57 billion in cultural, arts and heritage institutions.
The news comes after various grass roots campaigns in Northern Ireland aimed to highlight how artists have been severely affected financially during lockdown, as well as how art institutions have suffered from closure.
At the start of lockdown, several Belfast venues came together under the Uk-wide 'SaveOurVenues' campaign - which called on the government to support institutions, which were in danger of permanent closure due to the effects of lockdown.
Today, many of those venues have praised the news of additional funding. The Black Box, an arts and music venue in Cathedral Quarter, said this "An emotional moment" and a "Fantastic announcement of support for Arts venues!"
Welcoming the news today, Minister Carál Ní Chuilín said in a statement: “Since arts, culture and heritage are devolved matters, this £33million is our share of the significant support package announced by the British Chancellor and Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
"Whilst ultimately it will be for the Executive to decide on how this money should be spent, the argument for a comprehensive package of support to local musicians, freelancers, theatres, artists, museums and the heritage sector at a time when they are struggling to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic cannot be overstated.
“Last week I announced that the sector is to benefit from an initial £4m from Executive funds, however it was always expected that much more additional finance would be required to help protect the sector that is vital to our economy and wellbeing. I will be making strong representations to my Executive colleagues at the earliest opportunity on how this money should be spent to ensure the short term and long term sustainability of the sector.”
While the news has been welcomed, many artist groups and organisations are still pushing for clarity on how the money will be allocated.
Last week, Northern Irish artists from across the board, including Van Morrison and Gary Lightbody, came together to call for government to provide meaningful support for local artists.
More than 140 leading figures from across the music sector signed a letter calling for urgent and meaningful action NI’s political leaders, to support the music community.
Commenting on the release of the letter, Snow Patrol lead singer Gary Lightbody said, “As the country starts to emerge from lockdown and settle into the rhythm of a new normal, musicians across Northern Ireland are being left behind, overlooked and forgotten. Right now, the thought of being back in the recording studio with bandmates or out there playing live gigs to audiences is only a pipedream and it’s going to be a long time before we can get back to “business as usual”.
Lightbody continued: "We have been clear about our needs from Government and we need action – not talking shops – to save jobs, support communities, and shape a strong future for the musicians of tomorrow.
