A new report published by Irish Theatre Institute highlights the discrimination and harmful behaviours experienced by artists and arts workers from minoritised groups in Irish workplaces.

Entitled AMPLIFY: A Call for Transformative Action, it presents the findings of a comprehensive research programme, designed to shed light on the lived experiences of disabled, LGBTQIA+, and ethnically diverse artists and arts workers in Ireland.

The report builds on the Safe To Create project, managed by Irish Theatre Institute and launched in 2022 to transform workplace culture and practices, and to provide safe and respectful working conditions for those working in the arts.

Read the report in full here.

Key findings set out in the report suggest that identity-based discrimination is pervasive and takes many forms, with a significant number of respondents feeling they missed opportunities at work due to negative perceptions of them by others.

Additionally, the participants cite a lack of awareness and understanding of the lived experience of minoritised artists and arts workers, with the burden of improving conditions falls on the minoritised artists and arts workers themselves.

To capture information on the lived experience of intellectually disabled (ID) artists, a strand of the research focused specifically on surveying ID artists, family members of ID artists, ID arts organisations, and arts workers who facilitate arts projects with ID artists.

Venus Patel is one of the artists participating in the new report from Irish Theatre Institute

Commenting on the report, Director of ITI, Niamh O'Donnell said: "It is clear from our research that marginalisation in the arts is the result of structural and systemic discrimination. This persistently places LGBTQIA+, disabled, and ethnically diverse artists and arts workers at a disadvantage compared to their peers. This exclusion undermines and undervalues their work, and adversely impacts everyone in society."

More than 500 artists and arts workers from across different art forms, including visual arts, theatre, film, music, literature, and others, participated in the study, which comprised online surveys, focus groups, and one-to-one interviews.

"I think we absolutely need reform in our arts organisations and how we go about really caring about diverse populations," says Venus Patel, a transfemme artist of colour, who works in film, theatre, and visual arts. "I think that having so many experiences where I have felt othered in the workplace, and where I haven't really felt seen or appreciated for my work, I feel like this research gives a grace to me by expressing those experiences and showing that there needs to be change in order for there to be a positive, welcoming environment in all arts sectors."