Artists' income - Cultural funding in NRW only for artists with minimum wages
Nordrhine-Westphalia starts binding Landesfunding for cultural institutions to minimum wage limits for Artists from August 1, 2021. NRW initially applies this to two pure Landesprograms with minimum wages. From 2026, this will be a prerequisite for all cultural funding where the state is involved, announced NRW Culture Minister Ina Brandes (CDU) in Düsseldorf.
NRW is the first large state to consistently link Landesfunding to minimum wages for artists, Brandes stated. "There is no trivial threshold." This applies from the first Euro of Landesfunding. This is different from the Federal level, where honorarium underlimits must be observed only when a project or institution is funded to at least 50% by the Federal government. This has been in effect since July 1.
Many artists, despite having a university degree, live near the poverty line
The reason for this initiative is the precarious income situations of many freelance artists. Although most of them have completed a university education, their annual income, according to statistics from the Artists' Social Security Fund (KSK), often comes close to the poverty line. Many had to make ends meet with side jobs, reported Brandes.
A comprehensive social security coverage of such gaps in the employment history through the KSK is a second important pillar of the planned improvements, emphasized Brandes. "The goal is for full-time working artists to be able to earn a living and partially secure their social insurance."
The Cultural Ministers' Conference agreed in 2022 on a uniform Honorar-Matrix, which clusters artistic activities - such as author, performance artist, actor, singer, dancer, or choir leader - and formats, for example readings, exhibitions, or performances. The states are asked to fill in this uniform basic structure with numbers.
The NRW Honorar-Matrix: Living from art instead of driving a taxi
The tiered basic honoraria for NRW, for example, range from 250 to 500 Euro for a roughly 90-minute author's reading - tiered according to the expected number of visitors. For exhibitions, the minimum wage also depends on the economic power and reach of the respective institution and the duration of the exhibition. The range is between 600 and 1200 Euro. If an offer is carried by several artists, there are partial honorariums. This is similarly broken down through numerous other areas and activities.
"We want to prevent artists from having to drive taxis," explained Brandes. "We cannot systematically pay them so poorly that they really have no chance of living from their profession."
Corona pandemic reveals misery
For years, this has been accepted. "Then came Corona." It was an eye-opener. "We have learned in the Corona pandemic that this is not a good state of affairs." The range of particularly poorly paid artists extends from those employed in cultural education to jazz musicians.
With two fully funded cultural education programs in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), Brandes now sets the starting point for wage floors: "Culture and School" and "Artists in Kindergarten." This means no need for negotiation with co-financiers, Brandes stated. "We are setting standards." She assumes that foundations will also follow this model.
Million-dollar precautions for higher wages
The intended increase in wages will, of course, also affect the budget. However, the overall cultural budget will not be raised, the minister stated. She has made provisions for both the current and the next fiscal year. In 2025, 1.6 million Euros are planned for the introduction of wage floors. The introduction will be put to the test in a technical review in the summer of 2025. By 2026, all other parties can adjust accordingly. Most funding is provided jointly with the Federal Government or municipalities.
The Cultural Council NRW, an umbrella organization of statewide cultural organizations, stated that it was good that the introduction of wage floors had begun. However, for the comprehensive introduction of wage floors in 2026, additional funds are urgently needed. The Cultural Council urged the state government and parliament to "urgently take the necessary financial consequences for the cultural landscape in NRW."
- Ina Brandes, the CDU's Culture Minister in North Rhine-Westphalia, announced that starting August 1, 2021, the state will tie Landesfunding for cultural institutions to minimum wage limits for Artists.
- Many artists, even with a university degree, struggle financially, often living close to the poverty line, according to statistics from the Artists' Social Security Fund (KSK).
- Brandes highlighted the precarious income situations of freelance artists as the reason for this initiative, with most of them requiring side jobs to make ends meet.
- In addition to the minimum wage requirement for artists, the KSK's comprehensive social security coverage of employment history gaps is another crucial aspect of the planned improvements, according to Brandes.
- The Cultural Ministers' Conference agreed in 2022 on a uniform Honorar-Matrix for clustering artistic activities and formats, which the states are expected to fill with numbers.
- Brandes introduced the NRW Honorar-Matrix, aiming to provide artists with adequate wages, such as author's readings earning between 250 and 500 Euros for a 90-minute reading, depending on the expected number of visitors.
- Recognizing the misery revealed during the Coronavirus pandemic, Brandes set wage floors for two fully funded cultural education programs in North Rhine-Westphalia, "Culture and School" and "Artists in Kindergarten," without the need for negotiation with co-financiers.
