cont. from previous post..
Just for starters, here are some facts to make you think a little. I also want to add in this from the Scottish Artists Union website:
"Statistically, visual artists remain at the bottom of the income ladder for all art forms. An estimated 5,000 artists are practicing in Scotland. The Scottish Arts Council Audit 2003 showed that 82% of visual artists in Scotland earn under £5,000 per annum and 28% are earning nothing at all from their arts practice while contributing an extrapolated £22 million to the Scottish economy primarily through purchase of materials." http://www.sau.org.uk/about/about.php
Now from the CCS/Arts Council document:
Key Facts about the Visual Arts sector:
The Visual Arts sector employs 37,480 people, 28,490 of whom are artists. Of these individuals 46% are freelance
• The sector features 4,580 businesses, of which 75% employ fewer than 5 people
• The visual arts sector covers individual artists, publicly funded institutions large and small, commercial galleries, studios, trade associations, art fairs and a vast range of employees, consultants, freelancers, volunteers
• The visual arts sector’s overall contribution to the national economy (GVA) is £1.9 billion. This is in comparison to the performing arts sector (£4.5 billion), and the commercial music industry (£4.2 billion)
• Surprisingly, artists are not included within the current definition of the creative industries in the UK
• 95% of people working in the visual arts sector are white, and 50% are female
• 22% of the workforce is based in London, 1% in Northern Ireland, 7% in Scotland, and 7% in Wales
• Employees are often highly qualified (38% with first degrees and a further 19% with a postgraduate degree or diploma)
