The structural barriers that limit visual artists’ prospects of making a living mean they should be treated as a special case within the arts workforce. Susan Jones explains why they deserve individualised attention by policy-makers.
If you track the volume and value of openly-offered opportunities to artists as I’ve done for over 30 years, it’s clear that visual artists’ livelihoods are consistently affected by external economic and arts policy trends.
In 1989, the combined traditional areas of awards and fellowships, competitions and exhibitions represented 56% of volume of all work and 70% of value. Artists characteristically pursued studio-based practices, applying for awards and fellowships to make new work and distributing finished pieces through exhibitions and submissions to opens, prizes and competitions. Although only 5% of all opportunities, the expanding field of commissions was attractive to artists, this in part because of the considerably larger budgets.
A decade later, although remaining 43% of total volume of all work, the traditional opportunities areas of awards and fellowships, competitions and exhibitions reduced to just 30% of overall value... Keep reading on Padwick Jones
If you track the volume and value of openly-offered opportunities to artists as I’ve done for over 30 years, it’s clear that visual artists’ livelihoods are consistently affected by external economic and arts policy trends.
In 1989, the combined traditional areas of awards and fellowships, competitions and exhibitions represented 56% of volume of all work and 70% of value. Artists characteristically pursued studio-based practices, applying for awards and fellowships to make new work and distributing finished pieces through exhibitions and submissions to opens, prizes and competitions. Although only 5% of all opportunities, the expanding field of commissions was attractive to artists, this in part because of the considerably larger budgets.
A decade later, although remaining 43% of total volume of all work, the traditional opportunities areas of awards and fellowships, competitions and exhibitions reduced to just 30% of overall value... Keep reading on Padwick Jones