Issue no. 8 of 'Printed Project' brings together a range of contributors to think about artistic autonomy.
The dilemmas and tensions of artistic autonomy have been a constant throughout the past two centuries. With the age of Modernity, the shackles of tradition and the ancien regime may have loosened but new pressures have come to exert themselves - the demands of an ever-growing public audience, the taste of the established academy, the buying power of the mercantile classes, and the political machinations of the state.
Today, the artist luxuriates in a freedom unimagined by his predecessors. Yet, there are new responsibilities. Artists are accused of not being socially useful. Arts organisations are told they must cater to more disadvantaged groups. The commercial market is also overwhelming, fixing the channels through which artists practice and speak to the public. Should we be concerned about the state of autonomy today or was it ever thus?
This issue of Printed Project brings together a range of contributors to think about artistic autonomy. They bring their past and present experiences to bear on the question of why we - not just artists, but society as a whole - need such freedom. Editor Munira Mirza is a writer and researcher on issues relating to cultural policy, race and identity.

http://www.visualartists.ie/AP_current_issues.html