As economic pressure mounts and the value of creative work is increasingly contested, artists across Europe are asking a fundamental question: is today's reality about survival — or can we build systems that enable true creative freedom?
Inspired by Ireland's pioneering Basic Income for the Arts scheme, this panel explores what sustainable artistic careers could and should look like — from government responsibility and income models to artistic risk, diversity and long-term ambition. What would it take to move from project-based precarity towards structural stability?
From policy to practice, we examine the frameworks that could redefine the conditions under which artists create.
Keynote by Sharon Barry, Director of Culture Ireland: Supporting Creative Practice – Ireland’s Basic Income for the Arts
Followed by a panel
Speakers:
- Sharon Barry, Director of Culture Ireland
- Kaisa Rönkkö, Dean of the Sibelius Academy at the University of the Arts Helsinki
- Kaisa Ling, Singer, MC, Artistic Director
- Xenia Joost, Deputy Chancellor of Creative Affairs at the Ministry of Culture of Estonia
Moderator:
- Eva Frost, CEO of Jazz Denmark
Curated by Music Estonia