Urgent Matters, Event no 2: From Advocacy to Policy: Redefining Artistic Economies

In the event, UKK invites several art associations in Europe to discuss their advocacy for national policies aimed at improving artists’ and art workers’ economic and class position. By highlighting Belgium’s “art work certificate”, Ireland’s “Basic Income for the Arts”, and Norway’s public funding systems for art, UKK is seeking to learn from and exchange with organizations that have had influence in shaping ameliorative art sector policies. In doing so, focus is put on the artist’s (un)employment status, recognition that art is work, acknowledgement of the precarious conditions of artistic labor, and awareness of artists’ benefit to society.

This is part of UKK’s focus to further explore the economic position of artists beyond value production and understand (art sector) economic reforms that create improved regularized income models for all artists. The event will also share ideas, possibilities, and imagination for art economic advocacy across international contexts. The discussion will aim to describe the benefits of art sector programs across borders, but also discuss how they were implemented, their challenges, and contextualize organizational strategies – as new pathways for art economic advocacy are necessary at local and (inter)national levels.

The event will feature Wouter Van Loo (NICC board member), Noel Kelly (VAI director), and Steffen Håndlykken (former UKS chair) and will be hosted and moderated by UKK’s art and economics working group consisting of Lawrence Ebelle (UKK board member) and Scott William Raby (UKK chair).

This is apart of UKK’s Urgent Matters project, which brings attention, new voices, and diverse perspectives around topics that are politically pressing in the art sector and broader society. The focus is on highlighting innovative, experimental, and critical approaches to bridge gaps in understanding, but also create new networks in relation to different artistic (and social) crises. The events will take place throughout Denmark and/or online in 2024.

This event is kindly supported by the Danish Arts Foundation.

Links:

Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81226798219?pwd=tOnQ92kC2hL0gNf3G4uXITmYxNJbpD.1
NICC: https://nicc.be
Visual Artists Ireland: https://visualartists.ie
Unge Kunstneres Samfund/Young Artists’ Society: https://www.uks.no