More than half of those employed in the arts industry were last month fearing for their future employment, despite the gradual easing of virus restrictions.
According to a survey carried out bet-ween June 15 and 21, as COVID-19 restrictions began to be reduced, 58 per cent said their jobs were at risk.
And 70 per cent felt that current guidelines, which include ensuring social distancing among audiences, were restricting them from earning a living in the arts.
“The arts were the first to shut down and will be the last to recover. Time is running out,” consultancy firm Culture Venture, which carried out the survey, said.
The majority (86 per cent) of those working in the industry say they need specific measures to support the industry while a similar proportion (84 per cent) believe the government does not understand the challenges faced by artists.
Some 180 people working in the culture sector were surveyed online. Half were employed full-time in the arts, with the majority coming from a background of theatre, arts education and music.
The arts were the first to shut down and will be the last to recover
Since March, half of those claiming to have lost all their income due to COVID-19 said their losses amounted to bet-ween €3,000 and €4,000.
Throughout this time, some artists said, the COVID-19 wage supplement was a lifeline, with 81 of 88 respondents who applied benefitting from the measure.
A total of 76 per cent of all respondents said they applied for some sort of subsidy, which included the wage supplement, tax deferral, loan moratorium and special grants such as the Malta Arts Fund, while a quarter said they were ineligible for help.
“The situation right now is very challenging for those who earn a living exclusively from the arts,” Culture Venture founder Toni Attard said.
“While some sectors, such as arts education, are slowly starting to see some activity with smaller summer schools opening up, other sectors such as the performing arts are relatively on hold.”
The survey also found that 48 per cent of 794 events in June remained cancelled, 31 per cent were postponed and 15 per cent shifted online.
The economic downturn seems to also have had an effect on productivity, with 63 per cent of respondents saying they would not be able to return to the pre-pandemic level of artistic activity in the next three months.
Since May, Malta has gradually lifted restrictions that have seen various businesses and services resume activity, but many in the culture sector feel left behind.
“An overall arts recovery plan, which should include fiscal, financial aid and regulatory measures, is required to give producers the confidence to invest in the arts, artists the reassurance to safeguard their profession and audiences the safety to return back to arts venues,” Attard said.