Photo of a woman painting

Photo: Rowena Waack via Visual Hunt / CC BY-NC-ND

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ACE launches study into visual artist livelihood

The first study in ten years into the livelihood of visual artists in England will examine how existing funding programmes impact on their careers.

Christy Romer
2 min read

A comprehensive survey into the “challenges and barriers” facing visual artists has been launched by Arts Council England (ACE), the first of its kind for ten years. 

The survey, released on Monday, asks questions exploring:

  • the respondent’s background, personal details and artistic motivations
  • their sources of income and how this has changed over time
  • their career progression
  • their level of training or education
  • the extent of funding they’ve received
  • the movement of artists between the regions, London and internationally 

ACE has commissioned independent research company TBR, a-n The Artists Information Company and researcher James Doeser to deliver the project. They will work in partnership with a number of arts bodies, including ACAVA (Association for Cultural Advancement through Visual Art), CVAN (Contemporary Visual Arts Network) and Voluntary Arts.

Peter Heslip, Director of Visual Arts at Arts Council England, said: “This research will not only help the Arts Council to develop a better understanding of the visual arts landscape, but will also provide valuable insights to other policy makers, funders and stakeholders in the visual arts sector, and ultimately the artists themselves. We are particularly excited about working with a range of artist agencies who will help us to input into and steer the research, ensuring that we get the best out of it.

“We would like to encourage as many visual artists as possible to take part in this survey. Together with focus groups and case studies, we hope to get the most wide-ranging picture yet of the challenges and barriers facing individual artists”.

The full report will be available in late 2016.