Cultural labour, income support, and the welfare state: Non-arts funding and funding the arts

Abstract

Cultural labour intersects with other forms of labour, such as immaterial and affective labour. However, it is distinct from these in its specific goal of producing ‘culture.’ Furthermore, the conditions necessary for cultural labour to thrive resemble that which Pierre Bourdieu referred to as skholè , unimpeded time to pursue one's work. Yet the problem of resourcing this labour and equitably funding it remains a unique issue. This paper will examine cultural labour and issues of equity in the contemporary Australian context, providing an overview of how artists have used arts and non-arts funding to resource their labour. Through a discussion of Australian cultural policy, this paper identifies key insufficiencies of project-based grant funding. By acknowledging the policy/practice gap in Australian cultural policy, the paper concludes that an understanding of the need to resource skholè effectively is necessary if we are to expect equitable access to and output of cultural labour practices.

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