SEMINAR: Basic Income for Artists – Is it time for a Danish model?
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On Thursday, 8 October, the four arts centres in Aarhus, Promus, Performing Arts Platform, Aarhus Centre for Visual Art and Aarhus Literature Centre, invite organisers, artists, politicians, trade unions and cultural institutions to a seminar focusing on the working conditions of artists.
A career as a professional artist has always been challenging. Are there enough assignments, audiences and projects to provide a sustainable financial foundation? And what about pensions and parental leave? As wonderful as it can be to have the opportunity to practise your art – whether in the studio, on stage, in the rehearsal room or behind a keyboard – the financial reality is often equally uncertain.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, this uncertainty became even more apparent. It led to several initiatives aimed at supporting artists in precarious working conditions. In Ireland, the Basic Income for Artists programme was launched, providing a group of artists with a guaranteed basic income over an extended period. The scheme has proven highly successful and has now been made permanent.
Other countries are working with similar models, including Iceland with the Artists’ Salary Fund, Belgium with “Working in the Arts”, and France with the Régime des salariés intermittents du spectacle. The latter is a special French social security and unemployment benefit scheme for artists and cultural workers engaged in project- and freelance-based work within areas such as music, theatre, film and performing arts.
As the working conditions for artists in Denmark are not fundamentally different, perhaps it is time to discuss whether a similar scheme could be introduced here.
That is why the four arts centres in Aarhus have joined forces to organise a seminar focusing on the topic. The programme includes presentations of international initiatives, case studies and a debate with Danish artists, politicians and organisations.
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🎤 PROGRAMME
Introduction by host Noa Kjærsgaard Hansen, author and cultural communicator, member of the Danish Arts Foundation’s Project Support Committee for Literature
13:00: Welcome by Jesper Kjeldsen, Alderman for Culture and Citizen Services, Aarhus Municipality.
13:15–13:40: Best practice – Basic Income for Artists in Ireland – presented by Dobz O’Brien, independent curator and producer, committee member of the National Campaign for the Arts in Ireland, and Peter Power, Artistic Director of the award-winning Sparsile Collective, Ireland.
13:50–14:10: Working in the Arts in Belgium – presented by Frederik Sioen, musician and Member of the Flemish Parliament (Vooruit, social democratic political party).
14:10: Break – networking
14:30–14:50: The Icelandic Artists’ Salary Fund – presented by Jona Hlif, President of the Federation of Icelandic Artists.
15:00–15:20: The French Régime des salariés intermittents du spectacle – from a Danish perspective – presented by Catherine Lefebvre, Head of Culture at the Danish Embassy in Paris and member of the Danish Arts Foundation’s Project Support Committee for Visual Arts.
15:30: Closing debate
With representatives from the Danish cultural sector, including Gunnar Madsen (Chairman of the Aarhus Arts Council and member of the Aarhus Music Council), Signe Klejs (artist, Deputy Chair of the Danish Arts Council and member of the Danish Arts Foundation’s Representative Council for Visual Arts, serving her second term), Sara Indrio (Deputy Chair of the Danish Musicians’ Union), author Louise Juhl Dalsgaard, and Katrine Wiedemann, theatre director, film director and author.
Moderator: Anne Thora Lykkegaard, journalist, Kulturmonitor
16:30: Closing remarks and mingling
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📍 PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Venue: Bora Bora, Valdemarsgade 1, 8000 Aarhus
Language: Cases in English - panel debate in Danish
Participation is free.
PLEASE NOTE: You do not have a spot at the seminar until you have registered and received your free ticket via the ticket link.
👉 Register for the seminar here: https://borabora.billetten.dk/index/eventdetails/eventno/148756
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The seminar is produced by Promus – the music network in Aarhus, Performing Arts Platform, Aarhus Centre for Visual Art and Aarhus Literature Centre, in collaboration with and with support from, among others, the genre organisations Rosa, Tempi, JazzDanmark and Art Music, as well as Bora Bora, Kultursamvirket, the Danish Artist Association, Erasmus+ and others.
A career as a professional artist has always been challenging. Are there enough assignments, audiences and projects to provide a sustainable financial foundation? And what about pensions and parental leave? As wonderful as it can be to have the opportunity to practise your art – whether in the studio, on stage, in the rehearsal room or behind a keyboard – the financial reality is often equally uncertain.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, this uncertainty became even more apparent. It led to several initiatives aimed at supporting artists in precarious working conditions. In Ireland, the Basic Income for Artists programme was launched, providing a group of artists with a guaranteed basic income over an extended period. The scheme has proven highly successful and has now been made permanent.
Other countries are working with similar models, including Iceland with the Artists’ Salary Fund, Belgium with “Working in the Arts”, and France with the Régime des salariés intermittents du spectacle. The latter is a special French social security and unemployment benefit scheme for artists and cultural workers engaged in project- and freelance-based work within areas such as music, theatre, film and performing arts.
As the working conditions for artists in Denmark are not fundamentally different, perhaps it is time to discuss whether a similar scheme could be introduced here.
That is why the four arts centres in Aarhus have joined forces to organise a seminar focusing on the topic. The programme includes presentations of international initiatives, case studies and a debate with Danish artists, politicians and organisations.
-------------------
🎤 PROGRAMME
Introduction by host Noa Kjærsgaard Hansen, author and cultural communicator, member of the Danish Arts Foundation’s Project Support Committee for Literature
13:00: Welcome by Jesper Kjeldsen, Alderman for Culture and Citizen Services, Aarhus Municipality.
13:15–13:40: Best practice – Basic Income for Artists in Ireland – presented by Dobz O’Brien, independent curator and producer, committee member of the National Campaign for the Arts in Ireland, and Peter Power, Artistic Director of the award-winning Sparsile Collective, Ireland.
13:50–14:10: Working in the Arts in Belgium – presented by Frederik Sioen, musician and Member of the Flemish Parliament (Vooruit, social democratic political party).
14:10: Break – networking
14:30–14:50: The Icelandic Artists’ Salary Fund – presented by Jona Hlif, President of the Federation of Icelandic Artists.
15:00–15:20: The French Régime des salariés intermittents du spectacle – from a Danish perspective – presented by Catherine Lefebvre, Head of Culture at the Danish Embassy in Paris and member of the Danish Arts Foundation’s Project Support Committee for Visual Arts.
15:30: Closing debate
With representatives from the Danish cultural sector, including Gunnar Madsen (Chairman of the Aarhus Arts Council and member of the Aarhus Music Council), Signe Klejs (artist, Deputy Chair of the Danish Arts Council and member of the Danish Arts Foundation’s Representative Council for Visual Arts, serving her second term), Sara Indrio (Deputy Chair of the Danish Musicians’ Union), author Louise Juhl Dalsgaard, and Katrine Wiedemann, theatre director, film director and author.
Moderator: Anne Thora Lykkegaard, journalist, Kulturmonitor
16:30: Closing remarks and mingling
------------------
📍 PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Venue: Bora Bora, Valdemarsgade 1, 8000 Aarhus
Language: Cases in English - panel debate in Danish
Participation is free.
PLEASE NOTE: You do not have a spot at the seminar until you have registered and received your free ticket via the ticket link.
👉 Register for the seminar here: https://borabora.billetten.dk/index/eventdetails/eventno/148756
-----------------
The seminar is produced by Promus – the music network in Aarhus, Performing Arts Platform, Aarhus Centre for Visual Art and Aarhus Literature Centre, in collaboration with and with support from, among others, the genre organisations Rosa, Tempi, JazzDanmark and Art Music, as well as Bora Bora, Kultursamvirket, the Danish Artist Association, Erasmus+ and others.
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Where is it happening?
Bora Bora - Dans og visuelt teater, Arhus, Denmark
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
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Host or PublisherPROMUS - Produktionscenteret for Rytmisk Musik i Aarhus
