President Michael D Higgins made several salient points on the state of the arts in his historic address to this year's general assembly of Aosdána. His robust remarks on the funding cuts of recent years having placed the arts in a "peripheral" role in Irish society were much needed in the current climate where, it seems, they are under increasing pressure to justify their existence and define their value in purely economic terms.
The President’s well-founded critique of the failure to recognise the return on investment in the arts, despite “the overwhelming evidence from independent sources of the economic benefits” is shared by many. The 40 per cent reduction in public spending over recent years and last year’s paltry increase suggest a disproportionate sharing of austerity by a sector that had little enough to give.
President Higgins has been a consistent champion of the dignity and mission of the individual artist, and an advocate of better living standards, disdaining the patronising notion “that artists thrive below the breadline…. lack of money never quenched creativity or the imagination”. Aosdána may have its critics, but in praising its establishment as a “critical moment in Ireland’s cultural history”, the President was acknowledging its role in rescuing some of our most talented and acclaimed writers and artists from dire circumstances.
The contribution of the arts to the quality of life has been too much overshadowed by their more exploitative uses, and his reminder that they are "not merely a tool of tourism and commerce" is timely as we approach a period when they will be part of the programme of commemoration. In calling for a national and comprehensive cultural policy, he is echoing a concern recently voiced by the Arts Council. We have had no evidence of any vision or strategic thinking since the formation of this government and nothing to suggest any real intent to implement pre-election promises to place "cultural discussion up the agenda". President Higgins was therefore right to remind the State of its responsibilities and the rest of us that the arts have a primary role in our society.