There are no public incentives for freelance artists to, for example, write a book, create a visual art work, etc. The whole field of artists funds has not changed much in the previous years. Artists do have the possibility of applying for funds to support the exhibition and presentation of their work inside and outside of the country. However, there are no precise application procedures or any transparency in decision-making. In the Law on Culture from 2007, a special Award for Extraordinary Contribution to National Culture has been promoted, often referred to as “National Artistic Pensions”. Artists and cultural workers could apply and receive lifetime monthly allocations of 50.000 dinars (it was 500 and today only 450 euros). In the first year 265awards were granted. From the first year the award is followed by numerous controversies including the selection of members of committee, nomination process and award receivers. Most often, voices could be heard that many “entertainers” and lowbrow artists received the award, which supposedly led to the banalisation of the whole initiative. In 2013, 465 artists and cultural workers received the award. In 2014, the new Minister initiated the cancellation of the awards, stating that they have lost their purpose and are misused, while they consume a lot of resources (3% of Ministry’s budget). However, the Parliament voted against the cancellation.
Following this model, the Ministry of Science granted “national pensions” for researchers – there were only 8 of them, of which 2 were given to musicologists.
Only a few private funds support artistic creativity such as: the “Borislav Pekić” Fund (for writing a novel) or the “Madlena Janković” Fund (usually for musicians).
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