Artists squeezed out as funding belt tightens

The proportion of grants that Arts Council England’s (ACE) National Portfolio Organisations (NPOs) spend on artists should be one of their Key Performance Indicators, according to a-n, the Artists Information Company, which has published new figures showing that only 30% of opportunities offered to visual artists in the first six months of 2012 were paid, compared with 57% in 2008, the first year of recession. a-n also has anecdotal evidence that arts organisations and local authorities are starting to pass more exhibition costs onto artists, and that remuneration of artists is failing to take account of their costs and levels of experience. a-n’s Director, Susan Jones, is concerned about the way that artist fees are set: “Publicly funded arts organisations need to be fully acquainted with artists’ production costs and to take these into account. a-n publishes guidelines that encourage employers to consider factors like experience and overheads when setting pay rates for artists.”

In particular, a-n is pressing ACE to require galleries to do more to support visual artists, and is calling for those who get funding through ACE’s Grants for the Arts scheme to account for their spending on artists in comparison with other costs. a-n’s own annual report for 2011/12, published last month, shows that the company generates 78% of its own £1m turnover from non-grant sources, and last year returned £340k to artists through regular employment, freelance contracts, and commissions and fees as speakers, advisers and writers. This represented an increase of 27% on the equivalent figure for 2010/11. Jones told AP: “The current financial situation facing visual artists is bleak and there is a need for greater understanding of this among some arts organisers… NPO agreements tended to favour the galleries over the smaller organisations supporting visual artists that were cut, but if we want great art in the future it needs serious investment in artists now and publicly funded galleries must play a part in this. ” Over half of a-n’s own staff are practising artists whose contracts are negotiated to enable them to continue their artistic practice whilst being paid as project advisers and contributing to editorial developments.

A petition organised by the Scottish Artist’s Union (SAU) is also demanding measures to make sure artists are paid at union-approved levels and that Creative Scotland’s grant offers require organisations to use appropriate contracts. It is also calling for the payment of exhibition fees, in addition to any other relevant commissions, fees and expenses, to be mandatory for all organisations in receipt of grants and investments. Union Vice-President Joyce Macfarlane said: “We are looking for Creative Scotland to step up to the mark and be active advocates of best practice for artists’ conditions.”

The SAU is not the only union to be calling for measures to tackle unfair pay. The Broadcasting Entertainment Cinematograph and Theatre Union (BECTU) is contributing to a report due to be published by the Government’s Low Pay Commission in early 2013, lending its support to more stringent minimum wage laws and advocating a ‘naming and shaming’ policy for those who don’t comply. Their Motion on Vulnerable Workers, backed by delegates at the Trades Union Congress (TUC) conference states: “Unacceptable risks around training and career development are being shifted onto workers to the long-term detriment of the economy.”

The conference also saw the Musicians’ Union (MU) gain TUC support over fair pay, having recently condemned LOCOG for not ensuring proper payment in a series of Olympics related gigs, as well as Café Rouge for not paying performers during charity evenings where the business still pocketed a significant proportion of the takings. John Smith, MU General Secretary, said: “It is extremely unfair to put professional musicians into a situation where they are emotionally blackmailed into working for no fee and are asked to give their services to a good cause. This is particularly unjust when others associated with the event, such as venue staff, are being paid.” The MU is due to publish a report on non-payment in November. ACE’s response to unpaid work in the arts has been to tackle it at entry level, by implementing its Creative Jobs Scheme, which is designed to fund 6,500 new apprenticeships, pre-apprenticeships and paid internships across the sector, and to publish guidelines for the paid employment of interns. Although ACE ‘heavily encourages’ applicants for funding to adhere to best practice, as yet it has no formal measures in place to stamp out unfair payment terms.