The Honar (Art) Credit Fund is playing a pivotal role in attracting investors to promote art and culture, Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Ali Jannati said in a meeting with members of the fund’s board of trustees on Sunday (Jan 25).
Elaborating on the innovative measures taken by the fund vis-a-vis art and culture, the minister said: “Reporting such activities to the government shows the important role of art and culture in the national economy and proves that we can create a constructive impact on the economic cycle in Iran.”
The fund which primarily is responsible for supporting artists, writers, and journalists, “can also act like an economic trust to attract investors to promote the economy of art and culture,” he said adding that cultural and artistic products play a crucial role in the country’s economic cycle - the natural fluctuation of the economy between periods of expansion (growth) and contraction (recession), Honaronline quoted Jannati as saying.
The minister stressed that by justifying to the government, other ministries and related organizations can also get involved to improve “our national economy of culture and art.”
Private Sector
Director-general of the fund Gholamreza Khalil-Arjmandi delivered the 9-month report of the fund in the current year (ends March 20) and said: “In all the activities undertaken, we have considered the Supreme Leader’s approach towards protecting artists’ rights. We have also taken the president’s views into consideration, by making efforts to put professionals and experts in charge of their own specific field of art.”
Another issue of importance is to move in the direction of handing over executive affairs to the private sector, which has been the main concern of the culture ministry in the past year, he said.
He pointed out that by holding several meetings with various art and culture institutes such as the House of Cinema, House of Music, House of Theater, Photographers’ Society, and Poets’ Society, their points of view have also been taken in the final decisions.
Among the measures taken by the fund, Khalil-Arjmandi enumerated establishing the Honar charity investment fund and providing artists with insurance cover in the near future among others.
Art deputy Ali Moradkhani, culture deputy Abbas Salehi, and Hossein Entezami press deputy at the ministry of culture and Islamic guidance were also present at the gathering.
Founded in 2004, Honar Credit Fund is a non-state organization, basically established to safeguard artists’ rights and help them with issues such as job security, retirement, insurance, and granting loans.
