The first results of AIR's UK-wide Paying Artists Survey – which
focuses on artists' experiences of publicly-funded galleries – reveal
low earnings, miniscule or no fees at all for exhibiting, and shrinking
production budgets.
The first set of results of a survey by
AIR: Artists Interaction and
Representation reveal that the majority of artists receive no fee at
all for exhibiting work and most earn less than £10,000 a year from
their practice.
Over 1000 artists took part in the UK-wide survey
exploring artists’ experiences of exhibiting in publicly-funded venues
in the UK. The survey was developed by DHA Communications within
a wider campaign to highlight the need to pay and value artists for
their vital contribution to arts and culture. The results will inform
the next research stages which include discussions with galleries,
professional networks and arts funders.
Key findings from the survey include some sobering
figures on the income artists earn from their practice:
- 72% of artists earn up to £10K a year
- 17% earn between £10K and £20K
- Only 12% earn more than £20K
Sales, teaching and commissions were the key sources of
income for artists, with most citing 'sharing their work with the
public' as the most important reason for exhibiting.
However, nearly
half of all artists reported that exhibiting their work is prohibitively
expensive.
Key findings in relation to exhibiting include:
- 71% of artists surveyed had not received any fee at
all for exhibiting. Of those who were paid a fee, over a third received
less than £200. Over half expressed dissatisfaction with their fee when
set against their experience and status
- 63% of artists have turned down an offer to exhibit
for reasons including unsuitability of venue, lack of fees, or
non-payment of expenses
- 62% of artists have exhibited in a
publicly-subsidised gallery in the last three years
- Only 16 of 134 publicly-funded UK galleries were
cited by artists as providing exemplary support for exhibiting artists
- Less than half received production support (technical
assistance, etc) from the gallery and less than a third got expenses,
such as covering the cost of transporting their work to a gallery
AIR Council member Caroline Wright said: “The aim of
the survey is to generate advocacy including knowledge of good practice
frameworks, and to shape positive policy change for artists. We hope the
campaign will empower artists and galleries to work together to improve
the current state of affairs.”
An infographic of the key survey findings can be viewed
at
www.a-n.co.uk/paying_artists.
Jack Hutchinson
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