Artist grants awarded to 303 artists
Despite a decrease of a couple of percent, the number of applications is still much higher than in the 2010s. Due to the large number of applications, selecting recipients was once again a challenge, and only eight percent of applicants were awarded a grant. Artist grants play a key role in enabling artistic work in certain fields of the arts.
The approval rate varied among the different fields of the arts. Applicants in the field of cinema faced the most competition, with just five percent being awarded an artist grant. Among applicants in the fields of the visual arts and illustrations and comics, seven percent were awarded a grant. In terms of actual numbers, the visual arts and literature accounted for the highest number of grants. The visual arts also accounted for the highest number of applications, almost a thousand.
Artist grants enable diverse artistic work. The total amount spent on artist grants is 14.7 million euros, or approximately one-third all funding distributed by Taike. The grants are paid from the state budget. Almost six hundred artists work on artist grants each year, as the longest grants are for three and five years.
“Right now, supporting free artists and diversity is more important than in decades. Art also has a special ability to open up perspectives and find solutions to societal challenges. Artist grants are distributed across Finland, which strengthens the vitality of regions and brings art within the reach of everyone. Without the opportunity to fail, experiment and take risks, new art would not be created – and the same applies to the creative economy and growth, which is the main objective in these times,” says Kaisa Rönkkö, Director of the Arts Promotion Centre Finland.
The amount of each tax-exempt artist grant is approximately 2250 euros per month, from which the grant recipient must pay for compulsory pension and accident insurance.
Highest number of young grant recipients in the fields of the visual arts, music and theatre
Next year, 47 young artists and art journalists under the age of 35 will begin working on an artist grant. Young artists were awarded artist grants in all fields of the arts with the exception of architecture and cinema. Between 8 and 9 young artists were awarded grants in each field of the visual arts, music and theatre.
Approximately 200 grants awarded to artists living in Uusimaa
Approximately two hundred grant recipients live in the Uusimaa region in Southern Finland. Artists from Uusimaa accounted for 66 percent of recipients, decreasing slightly from last year. Following Uusimaa were Pirkanmaa (6.9%), Varsinais-Suomi (6.6%), Lapland (3.6%) and North Ostrobothnia (3.3%).
There were again big differences between fields of the arts. Approximately 80 percent of applicants working in the fields of cinema and media art are located in Uusimaa, whereas 54 to 55 percent of applicants in the field of literature and the visual arts live elsewhere in Finland.
Female artists account for more than half of grant recipients
The share of female recipients has long averaged 60 percent, though the share does vary among different fields of the arts. For example, women accounted for less than half of recipients in the fields of music and cinema, whereas the share of women in the fields of design and dance art is approximately 75 percent. This year, 61 percent of applicants were women.
More than 70 experts participate in peer reviews of applications
A total of 3766 applications were reviewed by Taike’s arts councils, which serve as its expert bodies. Applications for artist grants were reviewed by seven national arts councils with a total of 76 members who are themselves artists or other experts in different fields of the arts. Members of the arts councils can serve for a maximum of two consecutive two-year terms.
Taike determines the allocation of grants between the different fields of the arts, after which the corresponding arts councils select the recipients independently. The awarding of grants is based on the Artist Grants Act (734/1969).
Further information:
Henri Terho, Head of Unit, [email protected], t. +358 295 330 901