Thirteenth International Conference on The Arts in Society

Abstract

The stereotype of the “starving artist” is pervasive in modern Western culture, but previous research on artists and income is mixed. The goal of this study is to explore how several demographic variables, along with financial incentives and rewards, predict income and income satisfaction for artists. Using survey data from the 2011-2013 administrations of the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project, responses from over 44,000 current working artists were examined in two regression models. Results suggest that being male, older in age, with more educated parents, more percentage of income from art, viewing investment capital as important, and receiving financial support from patrons are positive predictors of income. Conversely, working multiple jobs, working primarily in an arts field, viewing grants as important, and receiving financial support from family are negative predictors of income. However, some differences in patterns of results were found for income satisfaction, most notably that those working primarily in an arts field and those with an artist parent are more satisfied with their income. Overall, these findings indicate that artists may have different criteria and conceptualizations when it comes to income, and they may derive value from their work in a variety of ways aside from income.