The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has released a report on Artists in the Work Force based on US Census data. Translation – another bunch of guesses made by computer formulas – no hard facts.
A headline in the Post & Courier newspaper in Charleston, SC, on 6/14/2008 reads – “Statistically, S.C. not too creative.” The article says that less than 1 percent of SC’s workers are artists – 19,118 in all. That figure includes designers and announcers? Not political spindoctors? They’re some of the most creative people I know.
I wonder when they say designers are they talking about the people who have their pictures included in full page ads run in the Post & Courier for Southeastern Galleries – a furniture store – that announces a new shipment of Charleston Art has just arrived – to their West Ashley store – less than 20 miles from Charleston.
This report is trying to do research without hard numbers. Numbers I don’t think anyone knows. Local art agencies in Charleston don’t know how many artists are here making a living. The state arts agency doesn’t know how many artists are here making a living. So why should we think federal census takers got it right?
Every art study ever done is written to generate more funding for arts agencies. When you take a closer look at them – they don’t make sense. I’m sure the NEA is fishing for more funding.
The Post & Courier article offers some figures reflecting Charleston’s numbers (I guess – it’s not that clear) which when looked at closely really open your eyes and sets you a thinking. Like Charleston has 1,090 designers, 495 architects, 385 fine artists, 300 musicians and singers, 175 producers and directors, 160 photographers, 90 performers, 80 announcers, 45 dancers, and 15 actors.
If you add up the musicians, singers, performers, dancers and actors, you get 450 performers – that makes 5.14 performance workers per producer and director – that’s if you figure each performance has a producer and a director. That’s a pretty high number of producers and directors per performers, and remember these people are making a living as an artist. Compared to what I know the Charleston Symphony Orchestra pays their professional musicians – I’m not sure I’d call that a living, but then we don’t know what basis the NEA is using either.
That 385 figure for fine artists in the Charleston area – I’m not sure about – it could be lower. There are a lot of artists here who couldn’t live on their sole income. Without the income of their spouse I don’t think they could make it. A lot of people in Charleston call themselves an artist, but I don’t think they are selling that much art to make a living at it.
In the article a director for the Charleston Artists Guild said their membership has soared to 725 in recent years. But, I doubt all those members make a living at art. As far as I know, I could pay dues and be a member of the CAG.
Here’s another nugget from the NEA report. It says that there are more artists in Charleston than cities like Asheville, NC, Columbia, SC, Myrtle Beach, SC, or Savannah, GA, but per capita Asheville and Wilmington, NC, are rated as two of the most creative cities – per this report. I’m not so sure about that.
I wonder if the report took into account how many artists may live in one city but sell most of their art in another city or several other cities – so where exactly, or in which city are they making a living – the city they make the art in or the city they sell the art in? Why are they ranking the cities and states at all? How many artists make a living by traveling to art and craft fairs all over the country – every weekend? Yet don’t sell much work in the city they live in?
This issue is too complicated to glean from census reports – that haven’t been too accurate as is. And, what do we really learn form this report? That the arts are a very small part of America? I think we all knew that – even in Charleston. It’s something most artists know.
So, I wonder how much money the NEA spent on this report? How much less is now available for the artists after this ground breaking report?
One day, I’d like to see a report that tells us how artist’s incomes compare with those of arts administrators. I doubt they’ll be working on that one any time soon.