The Arts Council has taken on the stewardship of Culture Night, now in its 15th year.
This year’s programme is a mixture of online, broadcast and in-person events and experiences. These are taking place right across the country are being created with the support of local authorities, arts organisations and artists.
Challenges
The Arts Council says that in a year of extraordinary challenges for the arts sector, Culture Night on 18 September will highlight the value of artists, cultural organisations, and community participation in the arts.
The council is pushing for broader public participation in the event.
It has also cemented a ‘pay-the-artist’ policy. Chairman Kevin Rafter has said that the Arts Council wants an end to the idea that it is acceptable to get artists to work for free, for ‘exposure’.
Artists must be paid fairly and equitably for their work, he says.
Last February, Rafter commented that the culture of underpayment continued to exist in 2020, and that it was not acceptable.
Financial insecurity
“When even successful artists live in such financial insecurity that they cannot have a normal life in Ireland, it causes long-term damage to our society as a whole.”
The Arts Council wants its #PayTheArtist embedded across Government departments, agencies and local authorities.
It also wants to spread the word on the joy of reading books.
In partnership with Children’s Books Ireland's Books Make it Better campaign, Culture Night will also promote the joy of opening and reading a book.