17 August 2010

Artist Careers, two research projects released by the Australia Council for the Arts, paint a comprehensive picture of the working lives of Australia's 44,000 professional artists.

The two projects -  by Professor David Throsby from Macquarie University and Professor Stuart Cunningham from the Queensland University of Technology -  both show that artists continue to struggle financially, earning a median income of just $35,900 a year - which includes arts and non arts related income.

 

Sixteen percent of artists earn less than $10,000 and only five percent earn more than $100,000.  Artists' incomes have kept pace with inflation, but this rise is not as great as for the general workforce.

Just over half of the artists who live with a partner say their spouse's income is important in supporting their artistic practice. Artists also incur many hidden costs, including research and development.

While the social and cultural value of the arts has long been acknowledged, the research reveals that arts workers are well embedded in our economy, with one third of artists putting their artistic skills to use in cultural industries and many more working in the wider sector.  

"Australian artists are not sitting around expecting to be paid; instead they're putting their creativity and education to good use by working in industries outside their own, and making a significant contribution to the economy," says Australia Council CEO, Kathy Keele. "They may be musicians working as teachers, writers working as editors, visual artists who design websites or actors who run corporate training."

"We can see clearly how creative talents nurtured through artistic practice are being used to build cultural industries and enhance communities and business, but the trade off is that artists have less time and opportunity to practice their art."

Just over a quarter of Australian artists experienced a period of unemployment between 2004 and 2009, down from a third of artists between 1996 and 2001.

While artists living in capital cities earn around 30 percent more than those in regional cities, over the past eight years this income gap is closing - but only due to increased earnings by regional artists from non arts activity.

Forty seven per cent of Australia's writers were living in the regions in 2009, a leap from 26 percent in 2002. Similarly, the percentage of visual artists based in the regions has increased by 15%.

Looking forward, 60 percent of all artists believe new technologies could improve their income - by bringing them new audiences, sales of their work or new means of artistic expression. This underlines recent Australia Council arts participation research, More than bums on seats, which shows that many people are using the internet to investigate and engage with the arts.

"We know through More than bums on seats that there is a huge demand for arts experiences by the Australian public," says Kathy Keele. "If we value the experience, we need to value our artists and continue developing initiatives that give them the time and energy to create great art. This is a priority for the Australia Council and Artist Careers provides a landmark guide to how we can build greater incomes and greater career sustainability for Australian artists."

Australia Council for the Arts
17 August 2010

Access the full research reports and findings.

Both research teams investigating artist careers have Council for the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences connections - Professor Throsby moderated the recent Creative: Arts Industries and Participation workshop, and Distinguished Professor Stuart Cunningham is a Council Board member and past President.