Visual Arts Work: Key Research Findings, Implications and Proposed Actions

<p dir="ltr">This report provides a summary of key findings and policy implications from the four-year research project Visual Arts Work: sustainable strategies for the Australian visual arts and craft sector. This large-scale research project examined the incomes and career lifecycles of visual and craft artists and arts workers in Australia. In response to significant gaps in existing datasets in relation to visual arts work, the project undertook two surveys of artists and arts workers – the first in 2022, and the second in 2024 – gaining information on sources of income and modes of work and employment over several financial years: 2018-2019; 2020-2021; 2022-2023; and 2023-2024. Alongside these surveys, we also conducted long-form, qualitative interviews with 20 artists and arts workers to better understand hybrid career patterns; and hosted a symposium with guest speakers discussing key issues of precarity and working conditions in the visual arts sector in 2023. We worked closely with our industry partners the National Association of the Visual Arts (NAVA) and the Australian Museums and Galleries Association (AMaGA) on the research including submissions to several government inquiries and appearances as part of the Australian Fair Work Commission’s Modern Award Review of 2023-2024. At the end of this report, we provide a list of policy recommendations, along with proposed actions for the industry to improve incomes and working conditions for the visual arts sector. This list has been developed from our evidence? based research in collaboration with our industry partners, NAVA and AMaGA, and is offered as a proposition for good practice.</p>