An interactive discussion to explore what a basic income would mean for artists in Scotland and their creative practice.

Thu 26 March 2026, 6:30pm – 8.30pm | Glasgow Collective, 15 E Campbell St, Glasgow, G1 5DT GB

Financial insecurity is increasingly a barrier between artists and their creative practice – but there is another way.

A universal basic income is the idea that everyone should have an unconditional, regular cash payment that covers their basic needs as a right. They are convening a group of artists, arts organisations and arts unions to discuss how a basic income for artists can be explored in Scotland.

Ireland piloted a targeted basic income for artists after a recommendation from the Arts and Culture Recovery Taskforce Ireland during COVID lockdowns. 2000 artists received a weekly payment of €325 for 2.5 years from 2022 to 2025. The scheme was shown to return €1.39 for every €1 invested. The Irish Government recently announced that they would be making their Basic Income for Artists Scheme permanent.

Basic Income Network Scotland and Basic Income Conversation are hosting this event to:

– Discuss what a basic income would mean for artists in Scotland and their creative practice
– Bring together artists, arts organisations and arts unions to consider the challenges for artists in Scotland and how a basic income might impact them
– Share some insight into universal basic income and the basic income for artists scheme in Ireland
– Explore what next steps we might want to take to make the case for a basic income for artists in Scotland

Register via https://tinyurl.com/2fupc5c8 to join the conversation.

For further information, please contact team@cbin.scot (Cleo/Anna/Lena) or visit https://actionnetwork.org/events/basic-income-for-artists-in-scotland-glasgow/.