Artists have been hoping for state support for several weeks. Several cultural professionals from the region have submitted applications and are still waiting for help.
“We are among those who were affected right from the start,” says Margarita Gonzlez, singer of a Latin band from Wrzburg. And they are also the ones who will suffer the longest from the consequences of the pandemic. The past few weeks have seen musicians, painters, actors and many other artists in the region and throughout Germany at a standstill. Concerts, plays, exhibitions, none of this was allowed to take place. What the artists had left were questions. When can I appear again? What restrictions will there be? And above all, do I get financial support until then?
Option 1: three months up to 1000 euros
Last week, Prime Minister Markus Sder (CSU) announced that the “cultural rescue package” for artists and cultural institutions in Bavaria would increase from 90 to 200 million euros. So far, only artists who are with the Artists’ Social Insurance Fund (KSK) should receive financial compensation. In a government declaration on April 20, Sder had already promised not to leave the artists alone during the crisis, but little has happened for some self-employed since then. For many affected people, such as Margarita Gonzlez, the past few weeks have therefore been like a “financial catastrophe”.
Photo: Thomas Obermeier
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Now artists who are not members of the KSK as well as technicians or makeup artists should also be able to receive financial help. Up to 1000 euros for three months. Overall, the circle of those who have been entitled to support would have doubled to around 60,000 people.
A drop on the hot stone
But is that enough? Margarita Gonzlez is resigned, because it is still unclear how much of the 1000 euros the artists would receive per month. “It hurts me that you have to fight for the importance of culture,” says the singer. “Especially when you consider that we are a cultural nation.”
“Bavaria is a cultural state,” it says in the constitution of the Free State. Does the state abandon creative artists? “Partially,” says Ralf Duggen, spokesman for the umbrella organization of free Wrzburger Kulturtrger. “Bad enough that it took so embarrassingly long for them to finally get to the point.” There are now aid programs, “and they are good”, but there are still enormous gaps, which is why many artists have “fallen through the cracks” because of this, explains the 57-year-old. It is typical for artists to have multiple pillars, says Duggen. “This is usually useful and good. But in the current situation, it can catapult you out of the aid programs.”
Option 2: Apply for emergency aid
Emergency aid does not work for many cultural workers. Because those who are self-employed and have no external expenses such as rental costs for rehearsal rooms or studios are not entitled to government aid. Gonzlez’s first application was also rejected on this basis. In the meantime, she has made a second application, the musician has been waiting for feedback from the ministry for more than three weeks.
Wrzburg saxophonist Dirk Rumig has also had to be patient for weeks. He has not taken a single cent since the pandemic started, he says, but his first application was rejected anyway. Like Gonzlez, Rumig is currently waiting for his second application to be approved. The justification of the ministry for the first rejection: No need for securing liquidity could be determined at Rumig. With Rumig, the reasoning provides little understanding. “Our life is our business expenses,” explains 48-year-old. “It’s not that easy to separate in our job profile.”
Photo: Joachim Fildhaut
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Option 3: Application for basic security
Dirk Rumig is reluctant to submit an application for basic security, i.e. Hartz IV. In general, he finds it uncomfortable to accept aid payments if you would like to work, he explains. “We had secure incomes, full calendars. Our situation is not a social one.”
Information about how many artists the application for Hartz IV has been approved for can only be obtained from the job centers. “Information is not possible, especially for data protection reasons,” says the Wrzburg job center.
But why Hartz IV at all? Basically, one would have to work, explains Thomas Stelzer, head of the Schweinfurt employment agency. “But in the current situation, it is unlikely that artists will be placed.” Due to Corona, the application for Hartz IV was simplified. When asked by the editors, Stelzer informed that applications for basic security had already been granted. Applications have also been received at the job centers in Wrzburg, Kitzingen and Main-Spessart, according to their information, these are currently still being processed.
“We had secure incomes, full calendars. Our situation is not a social one.”
Dirk Rumig, musician from Wrzburg–
Photo: Thomas Obermeier
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In principle, it will continue to be checked whether the applicants are eligible for Hartz IV. “Solo freelancers with up to five employees receive basic security,” explains agency manager Stelzer. “However, the savings per person should not exceed EUR 60,000, and each additional person will receive EUR 30,000.” So if you have less than the specified amount in the account, you can claim the aid.
But filling out the form is a hurdle, you hear from circles of authors. The application for Hartz IV requires proof of income from the past three months, which is difficult for some authors to submit. Because usually the writers are paid by an advance from the publisher and then only when their book is published again. It can take several months in between.
Hope with reservations
The form for the three-month cash injection has been online on the Ministry’s website since Tuesday. After the application went online, there were protests from many artists. Because the financial injection would only have supported those who have not yet received the “Corona emergency aid” from the state government or Hartz IV. Even those who only applied for one of the assistance, but were not granted it, would have been left empty handed. “Personally, this shamelessness of the government simply leaves me speechless,” says Margarita Gonzlez. Now the government has reacted to the protests, the passage on artist aid has been changed. Those in whom the emergency application has been rejected by the government or withdrawn by the artist are now entitled to financial support.
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