We welcome the government’s commitment to a permanent Basic Income for the Arts (BIA), a hard-won achievment for artists, workers and advocates. We’re concerned about a gap between the end of the current BIA pilot (Feb 2026) and the start of the new scheme (Sept 2026). Despite a small increase to the…
An easy choice for Uachtaráin na hÉireann – History of arts advocacy – Focus on social justice – Independent integrity – Worker solidarity – Promotion of Irish language, identity and arts as essential to public life. Praxis Union wrote to the original three presidential candidates about their support for the arts. Only Catherine Connolly responded…
The Basic Income for the Arts Working Group at Praxis has been working hard over the past several months, exploring how a guaranteed income for artists strengthens cultural life, supports creativity and ensures fairer living conditions for our chronically underpaid sector. As part of this process, we have attended meetings and stakeholder forums with the…
📣CALLING ALL CULTURAL ORGANISATIONS, ARTS WORKERS & AUDIENCES: Pledge your support for The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) and to become an Apartheid Free Zone. At Praxis Union’s 2024 AGM, our members unanimously voted to commit to becoming an Apartheid…
Thursday 10th July 2025, PRAXIS members along with a representative from SIPTU and the National Campaign For the Arts presented a petition signed by over 1,500 artists and arts workers to Minister Patrick O’Donovan, urging immediate action to safeguard their incomes amidst ongoing instability within the Arts Council. The petition called on the Minister to…
Suitable working space is necessary for artists of all disciplines to thrive creatively and professionally, however sourcing space to work is an ongoing obstacle for artists in Ireland. Scarcity and affordability are the major problems concerning Working Spaces for artists and Praxis members in Ireland, with insecure tenure, inaccessibility and poor conditions among the other…
As part of our affiliation with SIPTU, we are delighted to now offer free membership for students! Simply email our Recruitment Officers to avail of free membership: Ulster: info@praxisunion.ie Leinster: leinster@praxisunion.ie Connaught: connaught@praxistunion.ie Munster: munster@praxisunion.ie Attach you Student ID and we’ll get you registered!
Artists and arts workers in Ireland are facing uncertainty. As the government reviews the Arts Council, we must ensure that those who create and sustain our culture are not left vulnerable. Praxis, the artists’ union, has written to Minister Patrick O’Donovan calling for protections for artists’ livelihoods, funding stability and a transparent review process. We…
Local Praxis members were out in force with the rest of the Galway arts community as over 200 people turned up on Saturday to protest the impending closure of the Pálás cinema.Pálás is due to close this weekend, a decision which would deal a blow to the city’s arts community. As the only art…
Praxis Statement on the undelivered overhaul of the Arts Council IT system PDF version of statement: Praxis_Statement_on_Overhaul_of_AC_IT_system Praxis: Artists Union of Ireland has been closely following news regarding the Arts Council 2023 Annual Report, the subsequent revelations regarding the failed IT system and the misspend of public funding. A significant aspect of artistic creation in…
Thanks to Praxis Members, our Recruitment Officers, and our Recruitment Mapping Coordinator Kerry Guinan for putting together this comprehensive map of Arts spaces in Ireland. This resource will help us to expand our reach as a Union, recruiting artists in the places where we work and gather. This resource is available to members (check your…
Pálás cinema is set to close it’s door by February 28th but we won’t let that happen! Next Wednesday 12th at 7pm at 126gallery.studios in Galway is an opportunity to come and have your say on the future of Pálás cinema, and to tell the councillors and TDs in attendance what Pálás means to you….
Happy New Year to Praxis members and to all of our followers! 2024 has been a big year for Praxis, we became affiliated with SIPTU, the largest trade union in Ireland. This now means we are officially recognised as a trade union, meaning that we have the legal powers to bargain on behalf of members…
PRAXIS: THE ARTISTS’ UNION OF IRELAND Election Information for Candidates About Praxis and the Election Praxis: The Artists’ Union of Ireland is a trade union established in 2021 by artists for artists and arts workers across all disciplines in Ireland. We define artist in the widest sense of the word. The union is committed to…
We’re thrilled to announce that after years of discussions and negotiations, Praxis is now officially a branch within SIPTU! We’re keeping our unique identity and will remain a democratic union run by artists, for artists. But now, we have the strength and resources of Ireland’s largest trade union behind us. With SIPTU’s support, we’re…
Praxis: The Artists’ Union of Ireland is an Apartheid-Free Zone! In alignment with the union’s objectives to fight for a progressive and just society, and to build an arts community based on solidarity, Praxis: The Artist’s Union of Ireland commits to support the political, civil and human rights of all Palestinians, and shall strive to…
PRAXIS: THE ARTISTS’ UNION OF IRELAND Election Information for Candidates About Praxis and the Election Praxis: The Artists’ Union of Ireland is a trade union established in 2021 by artists for artists and arts workers across all disciplines in Ireland. We define artist in the widest sense of the word. The union is committed to…
As the strength of a union is its membership, we are looking to grow our member base with the allocation of four new volunteer regional recruitment officers, covering Munster, Leinster, Connaught and Ulster, respectively. As Council Members Regional Recruitment Officers are responsible for continuously growing Union membership and maintaining records related to membership. …
Invitation to Tender: Praxis Recruitment & Membership Mapping Project PDF version: invitation to tender_praxis recruitment & membership mapping project Praxis: the Artists’ Union of Ireland, was founded in 2020 to organise artists to take power in their places of work, with their employers, commissioners and funders. Since then, we have grown to over 250 members,…
Key points for Artists in Budget 2024: Arts Council funding €134m, up €4m from last year €1.9m initiative for regional arts infrastructure Sustained funding for Basic Income for the Arts Increased funding of €1.5m for Screen Ireland €7.6m for Culture Ireland Source: https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/5a08e-details-of-budget-2024-announced-for-the-department-of-tourism-culture-arts-gaeltacht-sport-and-media/ https://www.cultureireland.ie/news/article/culture-ireland-budget-2024 Praxis Artist Union of Ireland broadly welcomes the sustained public investment…
The Campaign for Living Wage is a movement advocating for artists to be paid a wage that allows them to afford a socially acceptable minimum standard of living. Unlike the National Minimum Wage, the Living Wage is based on social consensus and is currently valued at 13.85 euros per hour in Ireland. However, this rate…
[Edited 05/09/22] ‘We acknowledge all the work that Temple Bar Gallery & Studios have done this year by improving the conditions for mediators at this year’s biennale and are pleased to hear that the workers are receiving an equivalent to the living wage for 26hrs work. This position was originally advertised in January as…
Praxis: The Artists’ Union of Ireland are celebrating a policy success, as several changes put forward by our members to the Basic Income for the Arts scheme were implemented by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts and the Gaeltacht. Regarding the aims of the scheme, we find that the focus has rightly shifted to…
April 2nd in Cork, union members gathered from across the island, with many contributing via Zoom, for the second Annual General Meeting of Praxis: The Artists Union of Ireland. The campaign that members most felt the need for was ‘A Wage To Live On’, which is to promote the Living Wage as a minimum…
Aramark is an American corporation that operates three Direct Provision centres for the State in Cork, Clare and Westmeath, and are commercially involved in the US prison system and ICE. The Direct Provision system is an oppressive and dysfunctional migrant prison system which has successfully enriched private companies like Aramark over many years. …
2021 has rewritten the story of artists in Ireland. Not just for the COVID-19 pandemic, and the wreckage it has made in our lives and work, but for the decision that you and 200 other artists made to join a trade union to change things for good. Artists have been in a state of…
Praxis: The Artists Union of Ireland is calling for the wellbeing of artists to be the first priority of the new pilot for a Basic Income Guarantee Scheme for artists in Ireland. We welcome the proposed scheme, which we want to see permanently improve the living and working conditions of artists in Ireland. Artists…
The following bullet points are non-exhaustive and have been tailored for artists. Since the pandemic began, we have witnessed the Arts sector come to a complete stand-still, on multiple occasions. As artists, we understand the frustration and the desire to return to a state of ‘normality’, however, we must demand a return to…
On the 24th of May, Praxis had its first meeting with the Arts Council of Ireland. As part of our ongoing campaign to build an artist-led public funding applications system, Praxis’ Chairperson, Kerry Guinan, and Outreach Officer, Ruairí ó Donnabháin, met with Arts Council’s Director, Maureen Kennelly, and Strategic Development Manager, Toby Dennett. We…
The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), similar to the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and the European Union–Mercosur agreement, is an EU free trade business agreement that was negotiated in secret between the EU and Canada over five years from 2009 to 2014. The European Parliament approved the deal in February 2017 and…
Artists make Ireland a lively, cultural place to live and visit and their work should be properly valued. That is the message from Praxis: The Artists Union of Ireland, as they launch their new trade union on March 30th. Praxis was founded a year ago by a group of artists who came together to create…
A trade union is a collective of workers, banding together to improve working conditions and pay, address safety concerns, discrimination or inequalities, provide work-related services to members and to give a voice to workers in an industry or workplace. Did you know? Artists were some of the first trade unionists. From the 12th century, artists…
In early 2020 (just before COVID-19 landed in Ireland), A4 Sounds in Dublin hosted a group of artists to participate in an experiment as part of their artistic programme ‘We Only Want the Earth.’ The experiment asked if a trade union model was feasible and desirable for artists in Ireland. To investigate, the artists involved…
