With the closure of art venues, live events and reduced access to studios, artists have been hit hard by the current pandemic. As we get settled into 2021, the situation is unlikely to change for the coming months, so what options do artists have to sustain their practice?

The first, and perhaps obvious, option for artists is applying for funding. Creative Scotland, the main government funding body for the arts in Scotland, has been quick to respond and originally launched the Bridging Bursary Programme on 27th of March. 2,293 awards were allocated, of which 420 were for the visual arts. This fund was replaced in October by the Hardship Fund for Creative Freelancers. Based on eligibility rather than evaluation, this strategic emergency funding has been in high demand. The money came from some internal reserves, the Scottish Government and the UK Government; the Freelands Foundation also contributed to the Bridging Bursary in March. However, Amanda Catto, the Head of the Visual Arts, points out that this funding was aimed to cover emergency financial downturns, whereas the Open Fund is there to offer ways of sustaining a creative practice.

Catto admits that the current application form for the Open Fund is long and can be intimidating, and explains that Creative Scotland is working towards simplifying the process for individual artists. In the case of the Hardship Fund, the emergency has helped to speed up a digital transformation – a lengthy Word document was replaced with a simple online form. Catto explains that becoming more accessible, whilst still being able to report according to government guidelines on how the money was distributed, is a balancing act. The pandemic has proven to be an unprecedented opportunity to rethink the demands of the sector and its accessibility. The project Not Going Back to Normal has rightly highlighted how exclusive the arts sector in Scotland is for disabled artists. As Catto told me: ’If the “normal” creates barriers, we have to consider what a new normal might look like. Alleviating the pressures on people to be constantly "productive", providing meaningful (and paid) work and extending the scope and duration of exhibitions and other opportunities can help to pave a way forward out of the current crisis.'

Whilst the route to recovery from the impact of Covid-19 will be long, arts and culture will definitely play a large part. ‘Arts and Culture received £ 1.57 billion of emergency support, whilst other sectors have received much less’ explains Catto. However since ‘the demands for funding are also great in the healthcare and care sectors, there should be solidarity between sectors’. This thought is reflected in a new pilot of funding the Culture Collective, which aims to provide employment for artists in communities and the creation of new networks between creative practitioners, organisations and communities.

Funding is one side of the coin, the other being the private market.

The #artistsupportpledge campaign, where artists sell their work for no more than £200 a pieces and commit to purchasing a work by another artist using the hashtag once they have earned £1000, has been a successful way for artists to generate income when physical exhibitions remained closed. As the latest Hiscox Report states, online art sales is a growing sector of the art market.

Another way of complementing an artist income is to freelance and take commissions. Creative Edinburgh has been advocating for the need to support creatives with more hands-on aspects of their work: give practical tools to be a successful freelancer and create a sense of local Edinburgh community. For creatives based locally, the organisation offers multiple channels for support: from Monthly Creative Circle events to the Connected Innovators Programme, the Creative Edinburgh Awards and mentoring, there are plenty of ways to engage and learn. Since Covid, their events have smoothly transitioned online.

Funding initiatives aside, the biggest issue that artists face is unfair rates of pay. Even though funders such as Creative Scotland only fund organisations and individual projects that contain fair rates of pay, it is still not standard practice across the sector. Artists' Unions advocate for paying artists for their work (for commissions, talks, workshops, admin, etc) and provide guidance on the rates of pay. In our correspondence, Zita Holbourne, the Joint National Chair of the Artists’ Union England emphasises the need to use the collective voice in the coming months, as budgets will be stretched and organisations will struggle with their own funding. Holbourne explains that ‘many of our members fell between the gaps as they work part-time in a job and part-time as self-employed artists.’ The government were slow to support self-employed workers and artists did not receive any support with paying the rent for their studios whilst not being able to access them. Overall, 93% of respondents to the a-n covid impact survey have been impacted by COVID-19 and 65% of respondents consider that the Government wasn’t doing enough to support artists. Whilst the Artists’ Union England wrote open letters to the Chancellor, there has been no response.

As we know, most artists tend to have multiple streams of income and most have another job to afford their costs. As Anna Gormezano Marks, the acting Executive Director of Creative Edinburgh, tells me;

“The Creative Industries are often misunderstood and, ultimately, there is a need for more data on the reality of freelancing.”

As a membership-based organisation, Creative Edinburgh has been collaborating with partners and members of the wide industry to map the sector and collect data with surveys and direct engagement with their members. Having such an overview allows to make a point to the government to create better structures and foster common ground. It is this kind of data that could lead towards positive changes in the way artists are supported and create stronger rights for the freelancers community.

Words: Polina Chizhova

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