Impact of the Pandemic on Livelihoods in the Visual Arts

Future Proof Symposium VASW, 2019 ©Chelsey Cliff

 In May 2020, at the emergence of the pandemic, CVAN, along with Artists’ Union England, a-n The Artists Information Company, Artquest, AxisWeb, Curator Space, DACS, Engage, and Guild, reached out to you to find out what impact the pandemic was having.

Here is what you told us:

• 58% were worried about the ability to get future work

• 44% of visual arts workers had permanently lost work when the first lockdown was enforced

• 20% felt that they were not eligible for support

CVAN and the Visual Arts Alliance is committed to protecting the livelihoods of artists and freelance art workers and are again reaching out to visual arts workers, in a follow up survey, to see what the long term implications of the pandemic has been on you.

The data you provide will advocate and lobby for further investment and funding for independent practitioners. A particular case will be made to the Government as part of a Comprehensive Spending Review where three years of the budget is allocated. 

The information you provide is critical and fundamental to placing artists and independent art workers first in the next phase of recovering from the Pandemic.

The survey will take approximately 10-12 minutes. 

Deadline to complete the survey is 31st August 2021.

The survey is funded by CVAN Contemporary Visual Arts Network England, Artquest, Redeye The Photography Network, and Visual Arts Group Wales. Further in-kind support from a-n, The Artist Information Company and distributed by the Visual Arts Alliance of sector support organisations.

If you require further information about this research please contact info@earthenlamp.com