The paper said Poland was among countries that took steps early on to buffer the strain of the pandemic on the arts and artists.
In the latest effort, Poland in November announced recipients of a USD 100 million fund meant to compensate dance, music and theater companies for earnings lost because of restrictions during the pandemic, The New York Times reported.
That plan was immediately attacked by some news outlets for giving money to “the famous and rich,” including pop stars and their management, The New York Times said in an article entitled “How 8 Countries Have Tried to Keep Artists Afloat.”
The complaints prompted the culture minister to announce an urgent review of all payments, but the government ultimately defended them, and made only minor changes, according to The New York Times.
The Polish Ministry of Culture, National Heritage and Sport said on Sunday that government help for the creative arts community came to around PLN 6 billion (USD 1.6 billion, EUR 1.3 billion) last year.
It added that the Polish government started working on measures to compensate the sector for losses quickly after a state of epidemic was declared in the country in March with restrictions on the operations of cultural institutions.
In late March, Poland’s president signed into effect a massive relief and stimulus plan aiming to shore up the economy and shield the nation from the impact of an intensifying coronavirus outbreak.
The “Anti-Crisis Shield” package carried PLN 20 million (EUR 4.4 million, USD 4.7 million) in funds to prop up cultural institutions and help individual artists weather the coronavirus storm, Deputy Prime Minister and Culture Minister Piotr Gliński said at the time.
In April, that assistance was increased fourfold to fund the government’s “Culture on the Web” initiative aimed at subsidizing projects such as online book readings, virtual art shows and film and theatre performances that could be watched by viewers from the comfort of their homes, according to Gliński.
Amid restrictions imposed to stem the COVID-19 outbreak, Poles have stopped flocking to cinemas, theatres, concerts and other cultural events, causing a loss of income for performing artists.
Gliński last year asked the country’s showbiz community to lead by example and encourage responsible attitudes among the public at a time of coronavirus epidemic.
(gs/pk)
Source: IAR, TVP, gov.pl, nytimes.com