As the #OscarsSoWhite firestorm engulfs Hollywood, the British art world has also sparked criticism recently for its worsening lack of diversity. According to the Office for National Statistics, only 7% of artists in Britain are people of colour.
But a new study launched this week by Arts Council England (ACE) aims to address these inequalities by asking artists to share their experiences of living and working in England and the impact of socio-economic factors such as education, social class, race and gender on their careers.
It is the first time in more than a decade that a study of this nature has been undertaken. “Issues such as student debt and a lack of affordable artist studios in London are ever growing,” says Peter Heslip, the director of visual arts at ACE. “We are experiencing a creative brain drain, with artists leaving for New Zealand or Spain. What’s bad for England is if they don’t come back.”
The London- and Dorset-based artist Stuart Semple welcomed the study as a “move towards transparency”. He said his own experience of growing up in a low-income family put him at a disadvantage, but that the situation is even worse for artists graduating today. “The music industry is full of rich kids on a gap year. There’s a real danger that could happen to us,” he says. “You can barely afford to live in central London now, let alone make art in the city.”
It is expected the findings of the Artists’ Livelihoods project will help policy-makers, financial backers and commissioners better understand the reality for artists in England and encourage a fair distribution of resources. Heslip says he is in dialogue with other UK nations who are also reviewing the diversity of their visual art sectors.
The ACE survey is being complied by the independent research company TBR, a-n The Artists Information Company and the researcher and writer James Doeser. Their discoveries are due to be published later this year.