New National Survey on State of Working Artists - and its not pretty
NORC at University of Chicago and Mellon Foundation recently published the results of a major survey of working artists in the US. And it’s not pretty. “By expanding notions of who “counts” as an artist … this study offers one of the most comprehensive portraits to date of how artists live, work, and sustain their practices. Findings reveal that artists across the United States face significant financial insecurity and complex work arrangements. More than half (57 percent) of artists reported being somewhat or very worried about at least one form of financial vulnerability—such as affording food, housing, medical care, or utilities—and more than one-third (37 percent) reported using some form of public assistance.” See the full results of the study here..
An important goal of this Survey is to point more light on who working artists are, and make sure their work is seen and counted. As stated in the Survey description, “We have long lacked a complete picture of who artists are and how they live and work. A crucial segment of the U.S. artist population is not represented in federal labor surveys because they do not structure their artmaking in a way that those surveys typically define “work” and “labor.” Thus, there is insufficient data on the number of working artists nationwide and how their lives and livelihoods are structured. This limits the ability of funders and policymakers to make crucial decisions about how best to support themcrucial segment of the U.S. artist population is not represented in federal labor surveys because they do not structure their artmaking in a way that those surveys typically define “work” and “labor.”
Given the impact that those working in the arts sector have on the economy and vitality of our Region, we agree it is vital to be sure this work is seen and counted. Part-time work, poly-vocational individuals (i.e. artists who, say, make their living through multiple sources, such as selling work, teaching, arts administration), and supplemental income through side-gigs, often miss being included in normal economic studies. Here at Triangle ArtWorks, we hope the information gained in this survey will help move the needle on the need to increase support for the sustainability of working artists. And we will continue our work, with other community partners, to amplify the power and presence of this economic sector. But we know a survey alone will not fill the gaps in opportunity, resources, and other support needed to increase financial sustainability and security for working artists.
Triangle ArtWorks was established to begin to fill the gaps we saw in business support of the arts as an economic sector. Since 2010, our Mission has been to “Our mission is to provide the services, support, and resources necessary to cultivate and ensure a thriving arts community in the Triangle region of North Carolina.” Due to limited funding for the work of supporting the sustainability of those working in the arts, our growth has been slow, but increased recognition of the impact of this work has allowed us to grow out programs in recent years. We look forward to continuing to be here for working artists.
Another source of support for financial sustainability for working artists is Artist Thrive., which provides many online and in-person tools for artists business and personal growth, including:
National Resource Hub (managed by Triangle ArtWorks
Have ideas that Triangle ArtWorks should be thinking about to raise the bar for working artists? Reach out.