Arts investment in the north is 77% less than in the Republic, according to campaigners against swingeing cuts to the sector.
Belfast City Council is expected to debate a motion on Wednesday evening calling for a reversal in an expected 5% cut in arts funding by the Department for Communities.
According to the regional arm of Equity, the trade union representing performers and creative workers, the department has signalled that further cuts are on the cards.
Equity says that after the 5% cut, Arts Council NI funding will have decreased by 30% over the past decade.
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It says regional investment in the arts per capita "now sits at 28% less than its closest equivalent (England) and is 77% less than in the Republic of Ireland".
SDLP councillor Séamas de Faoite, who tabled the motion calling for the cuts to be reversed, said the arts "make a huge contribution to life in our city and across the north".
"Given the financial pressures as a result of the cost of living emergency and soaring bills many are already struggling to make ends meet," he said.
"A cut to funding will inevitably result in jobs losses and venues struggling to keep their doors open in the face of constant price increases and a 30% real-terms cut in funding over the past decade."
