Steep Job Losses For Artists. Survey Finds Two-Thirds Report Losing Job

More than 26 million Americans have filed for unemployment, as the jobless rate approaches an estimated 16%. A new report says one occupation is among the most devastated: artists.

Galleries are closed. Plays have been postponed. And no one is going to see the ballet.

It’s not too surprising, then, that a national survey of artists finds that nearly two-thirds of respondents have lost their jobs and 95% say they have lost income.

Results of Americans for the Arts COVID-18 survey

Their losses rival some of the occupations hit hardest by the pandemic, including restaurant workers. The survey of more than 11,000 artists was conducted by the advocacy group Americans for the Arts. It also found a majority of painters, sculptors and musicians can’t even get materials to make new work.

The Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs has a relief fund for artists whose planned performances here were canceled. But with the country boarded up for the foreseeable future, the picture won’t be pretty for the nation’s two-and-a-half million people who create for a living.

READ OUR FULL REPORT

• Not A Pretty Picture: Artists Struggling During Pandemic

MORE ON ARTS FUNDING

• LA Zoo, Cultural Affairs, Tourism: Millions Cut From Activities That Bring Us Together

Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now.