[BCMA] Situation of artists & arts administrators: Arts Research

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From:"Hill Strategies Research" 
<info at hillstrategies.com> 
Subject:Situation of artists and arts administrators: Arts 
Research Monitor 8.4 
Date sent:Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:49:50 -0400 (EDT) 

ARTS RESEARCH MONITOR 

VOLUME 8, NO 4 
ISSN 1708-170X 

To view the html or pdf versions of this message, please visit 
http://www.ArtsResearchMonitor.com/arm_details.php?armUID=1136 


Situation of artists and arts administrators 

In this issue: A number of recent reports have examined the situation of 
artists and arts administrators in Canada, including an examination of the 
socio-economic condition of visual artists, a study of the situation of arts 
managers, as well as a statistical profile of artists in large Canadian cities. 

Waging Culture: A Report on the Socio-Economic Status of Canadian Visual 
Artists 

Michael Maranda, The Art Gallery of York University, March 2009 
http://www.theagyuisoutthere.org/wagingculture/ 

Based on a two-stage survey of Canadian visual artists, this study delves 
more deeply than any existing reports into visual artists´ sources of revenue, 
art practice expenses and time use. As noted in the report, "the bottom line 
for artists is dismal, with the typical artist losing $556 in 2007 on their 
practice. (Other income sources bring median total earnings to $20,000....)" 
In other words, more than half of all visual artists (56%) lose money on their 
artistic practice. The study indicates that "artists pay a significant economic 
penalty to pursue their practice". The report therefore argues that visual 
artists themselves are the primary funders of artistic practices. 

The study estimates that there are somewhere between 22,500 and 27,800 
visual artists in Canada. These figures are about 30% and 60% larger than 
census counts. The 2006 census captured 17,100 "painters, sculptors and 
other visual artists" with employment income who worked more hours on 
their art than on any other activity in May of 2006. 

Among respondents to the survey, the highest-earning visual artist had a net 
income of $60,000 from their artistic practice (after expenses). Visual artists 
in Quebec earn the highest net income (median of $1,383), while those in 
Alberta lose the most from their studio practice (median loss of $2,000). 

On average, visual artists work 51 hours per week, with 26 hours devoted to 
their studio practice. Another 15 hours are on paid art-related work, 8 hours 
on other work, and 3 hours on art-related volunteering. In terms of income 
from all sources, those who spend the most time in their practice earn less 
than those who do more art-related or other work. 

Among all respondents, sales account for more than half of all revenues 
(54%), followed by grants (34%) and artist fees (12%). The study indicates 
that grants essentially "buy time and materials for the production of art" but 
do not increase overall living standards. Artists with lower or no grants tend 
to work more in other occupations. 

While the wage gap between male and female visual artists is relatively low 
(10%), the difference in sales is nearly 50%. 

The study finds that over 30% of visual artists do not have supplementary 
health benefits. Similarly, more than one-third have no retirement funds. 
Another third have only self-financed funds. Just over one-half of all visual 
artists own their own homes, much lower than the average of 69% in the 
overall labour force. 

The survey was done in two stages. The demographic information (1,200 
respondents) has a margin of error of +/- 3.96%, 19 times out of 20. The 
financial information (560 respondents) has a margin of error of +/- 5.83%, 
19 times out of 20. 

Many more details about the socio-economic condition of Canadian visual 
artists are provided in the full report. 


National Compensation Study - 2009 Update - for Management and 
Administration in Not-for-Profit Arts Organizations 

Cultural Human Resources Council, March 2009 
http://www.culturalhrc.ca/research/default-e.asp 

Based on a national survey of 218 arts organizations, this report provides 
data about salary levels for 21 management and administrative positions in 
Canadian non-profit arts organizations in 2008. Unfortunately, the report 
does not provide an estimate of the margin of error, given the number of 
survey respondents. This is a major limitation on any interpretation of the 
results. 

One cannot be sure whether (or how) the 218 arts organizations represent 
all organizations in the sector. It is also difficult to assess whether changes 
from a similar 2003 survey (when 231 organizations responded) are "real" or 
are simply due to different organizations responding in the two time periods. 

With this caution in mind, the report does find that, not surprisingly, "arts 
organizations continue to lag behind the general not-for-profit sector and 
comparative industries in many areas of compensation and benefits, 
representing an ongoing real challenge for recruitment and retention". In 
fact, the data in the report could lead one to ask why people decide to work 
in smaller arts organizations, where the pay is low, benefits are limited, and 
the hours are long (but flexible). Unfortunately, the study does not examine 
"intrinsic motivations" or other potential factors. 

Given these human resource issues, it is not surprising that the turnover rate 
in the arts (among those who leave voluntarily) is high: 20%, compared with 
an average of 12% for other non-profit organizations. 

This report concludes that "excessive workload, understaffing and a general 
unavailability of resources" continue to pose significant challenges for the 
arts sector. 


Artists in Large Canadian Cities Based on the 2006 Census 

Hill Strategies Research, September 2009 
http://www.hillstrategies.com/resources_details.php?resUID=1000322 

This report provides an analysis of artists residing in 93 large Canadian 
cities, including statistics concerning the number of artists, artists´ 
earnings, and trends between 1991 and 2006. A brief profile of artists and a 
summary of key changes between 1991 and 2006 are also provided for the 
93 cities with a population of 50,000 or more. 

Overall, 103,500 artists reside in the 93 large cities included in the study. 
This represents three-quarters (74%) of the 140,000 artists in Canada. 

The City of Toronto has the largest absolute number of artists (22,265), 
followed by Montreal (13,425) and Vancouver (8,155). The seven other 
cities with over 2,000 artists are Calgary (5,110), Ottawa (4,550), Edmonton 
(3,255), Winnipeg (2,905), Mississauga (2,285), Halifax (2,215) and Quebec 
City (2,100). 

These ten cities house almost one-half (47%) of Canada´s 140,000 artists. 

In the 93 cities, artists comprise 0.90% of the combined local labour forces, 
higher than the Canadian average (0.77%). 

The three cities with the highest concentrations of artists are in British 
Columbia: Vancouver (2.35%), Victoria (1.87%) and North Vancouver 
District Municipality (1.61%). Toronto (1.60%) and Montreal (1.53 %) follow 
in fourth and fifth position (respectively). Six large cities have a 
concentration of artists that is about 1%: Saanich (BC), Halifax (NS), St. 
John´s (NL), Fredericton (NB), New Westminster (BC) and Oakville (ON). 

Given the relatively high cost of living in large cities, artists´ average 
earnings levels are quite low. In 27 of the 63 cities with reliable earnings 
data, artists´ average earnings are below the Statistics Canada´s low-income 
cutoff for a single person. In 47 of the 63 cities with reliable earnings data, 
artists´ average earnings are below the Statistics Canada´s low-income 
cutoff for a family of two. 

Across Canada, the average earnings of artists are 37% less than other 
Canadian workers. Artists fare worse than the Canadian average in most 
large cities. The earnings gap is above the Canadian average (i.e., 38% or 
more) in 52 of the 63 cities with reliable earnings data. 

The arts are a growth sector in most Canadian cities. In the 92 large cities 
with reliable data between 1991 and 2006, there was a 40% increase in the 
number of artists, compared with a 25% increase in the overall labour force. 
In 55 of 92 large cities, the growth rate in the number of artists exceeded the 
growth in the overall local labour force between 1991 and 2006. More 
recently, however, the growth in the number of artists exceeded growth in 
the overall labour force in only 41 of 92 large cities between 2001 and 2006. 

Between 1991 and 2006, the number of artists increased substantially in 
many suburban areas. Of the ten large cities where the number of artists 
doubled (or more) between 1991 and 2006, many are suburbs of Toronto 
(Whitby, Vaughan and Richmond Hill) or Vancouver (Coquitlam and 
Langley). Four other cities with very large increases are also in the broader 
Vancouver and Toronto regions, including Chilliwack (BC), Barrie (ON), 
Guelph (ON) and Niagara Falls (ON). Fredericton (NB) is the tenth city 
where the number of artists doubled. 

Only 11 large cities saw a decrease in the number of artists between 1991 
and 2006. These cities tend to be in northern or less populous areas of the 
country. 

Some northern cities with a decrease in the number of artists are Saguenay 
(QC), North Bay (ON), Greater Sudbury (ON) and Prince George (BC). Less 
populous cities with a decrease are Shawinigan (QC), Cape Breton (NS), 
Saint-Hyacinthe (QC), Norfolk County (ON) and Strathcona County (AB). 

Some artists or other labour force workers might choose a municipality in 
which to work based on its reputation as an "arts-friendly" city. It is possible, 
therefore, that those cities with a particularly high concentration or number of 
artists might see larger growth in the number of artists or larger labour force 
growth than other cities. The report shows that there does not appear to be 
a connection between the concentration of artists and growth in the number 
of artists. Nor does there appear to be a connection between the absolute 
number of artists and growth in the number of artists between 1991 and 
2006. Finally, there does not appear to be a simple connection between 
either the concentration or the number of artists and overall labour force 
growth. 

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_______________________________
Jim Harding, ED
BC Museums Association
(250) 356-5694