Visual Arts: Coronavirus

(asked on 13th May 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the effect of covid-19 outbreak on the income of self-employed visual artists.


Answered by
Caroline Dinenage Portrait
Caroline Dinenage
This question was answered on 21st May 2020

In order to support the sustainability of the Arts sector, including arts companies and arts venues, DCMS has worked closely with Arts Council England (ACE) to provide a tailored package of financial support. In March, ACE announced a £160m emergency response package to complement the financial measures already announced by the Government and to ensure immediate resilience of this vital sector.

This includes £20 million of financial support for individuals, including visual artists, so they can better sustain themselves, and their work, in the coming months. The Arts Council have received 10,293 applications from individuals for this fund and will be publishing the details of how they have awarded this funding at the beginning of June, once all the decisions have been made and applicants notified.

The Secretary of State, myself and officials continue to consult the Art sector extensively to ensure we fully understand the financial impact of the Covid-19 outbreak on the sector.

On the basis of that engagement, DCMS and ACE are continuing to work closely to consider the additional measures that are needed to ensure the long-term recovery and growth of the cultural sector, including self-employed artists.

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