|
Artists and the Economy Survey How are artists managing in this economy? We wanted to know, so from March 15 to April 15, 2009, Artist Trust distributed an online survey to its constituents of individual artists throughout Washington State to assess how they are weathering the current economic downturn. The informal yet informative survey was not scientific; rather, we wanted to hear what is on artists’ minds and to consider what programmatic solutions Artist Trust might offer. The questions were phrased to be more qualitative than quantitative. The survey was emailed to the approximately 1,200 members of Artist Trust, and posted in our biweekly e-newsletter, (re)Source (with over 8,000 subscribers). The answers from the almost 700 respondents indicated that, as one artist stated, the economic downturn is "positively motivating for some, negatively discouraging for others." Although artists are certainly feeling the negative effects of the unsteady economy, many are well-versed in surviving economic hardship and are persevering creatively. This summary report provides a summary of the survey responses, including some representative statistics and direct quotes from artists, plus a perspective provided by Claudia Bach, AdvisArts, based on her reading of the completed surveys. :: |