Showing all posts about artists
No basic income for Australian artists, but some writers can live in reduced rent accommodation
14 April 2026
Ireland pays a select group of artists a basic income for a three year period, an initiative the Irish government claims is a world first.
At present, the weekly value of the payment equates to about five-hundred-and-forty Australian dollars. You’d be hard pressed to live on that sort of money in Australia, but it’s better than nothing, considering no such scheme exists locally.
But there is a glimmer of hope. For some local creatives at least. The NSW state government is offering writers the opportunity to rent terrace houses in The Rocks area of Sydney, for two-hundred dollars (Australian) per week.
Spots are limited, and creatives still need a source of income, but the initiative is a (small) step in the right direction. To be eligible, a writer must be considered to be a literature practitioner:
In this instance, ‘Literature Practitioners’ are defined as: writers working in any creative form, including fiction, short stories, screenplay/drama, poetry, children’s books, and narrative non-fiction, and illustrators working in children’s books and graphic novels. The Program is open to NSW Literature Practitioners at any stage of their career.
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art, artists, Australia, Australian literature, literature, writers
Has the true identity of British street artist Banksy been revealed or not?
19 March 2026
Has the cover been blown on the true identity of British street artist Banksy?
Some people seem to think so. A British tabloid, The Mail on Sunday, claim they learned Banksy’s actual name in 2008, something that has — apparently — now been verified.
Banksy however, through his lawyer, disputes the finding, says Achol Arok, reporting on the story for The Daily Aus (Instagram link).
Assuming the latest reporting is correct, I’m surprised, with his remarkable profile, that Banksy has succeeded in concealing his actual identity for so long,
I imagine Banksy’s had help protecting this information hitherto, but the feat is impressive given the daring nature of his works, many in public places, often subject to much surveillance.
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art, artists, current affairs, street art
The Artocalypse, an IndieWeb arts community by Chris Shaw
26 June 2024
The Artocalypse is a subscription based community for artists on IndieWeb, created by Chris Shaw at uncountable thoughts. This a great cross-promotional idea, showcasing the work of artists, while also spreading the word about IndieWeb.
I dare say some of the participating artists will already have followings elsewhere, and their membership of Artocalypse will introduce IndieWeb to people who have not heard of it before.
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art, artists, community, IndieWeb
NSW Labor party to pay musicians $250 for live shows at publicly funded events
21 December 2022
Should they form government at the state election in March 2023, the NSW state Labor party will mandate a minimum payment of A$250 for musicians performing at any event or show in NSW that has received public, or government, funding.
The $250 flat fee will be a condition of a contract by a business or other entity that accepts a government grant for a show or event. While there is currently no guarantee that artists will receive a minimum fee for performing at events funded by public money in New South Wales, a Chris Minns-led government aims to change things.
This is a step in the right direction. A$250 may not be much, once musicians have deducted their various overheads, but it’s something. And worth far more than the trite line that artists doubtless hear often: “but performing (gratis) at our event will give you some great exposure.”
Heck, it’s even a line that’s been spun on me sometimes here at disassociated. Do I need/want exposure? Sure. But I also need income, to, you know, make a living.
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artists, arts, Australian music, music
Ireland to offer a weekly basic income to artists and creatives
17 September 2022
The Irish government will pay two thousand artists and creative arts workers a basic income of three hundred and twenty-five Euros (about four hundred and eighty Australian dollars) per week, as part of a trial being conducted over the next three years.
The Basic Income for the Arts pilot scheme will examine, over a 3 year period, the impact of a basic income on artists and creative arts workers. Payments of €325 per week will be made to 2,000 eligible artists and creative arts workers who will be selected at random and invited to take part.
This is the sort of initiative that’s needed in Australia, where artists and writers seldom earn more than fifty-thousand dollars a year — likely well below that for many — compared to the average annual salary of about ninety-thousand dollars for other workers.
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