IN JULY, Artists’ Union England (AUE) published an inquiry into the lives of our members and the role of contemporary artists’ unions in building grassroots power in the arts and culture sector.

Entitled from “Hand to Mouth” to Bread and Roses, the report, produced in partnership with Industria, exposes the reality of the struggle for artists to create art and make a living, examining the lives and livelihoods of our members — socially engaged artists who often struggle to make ends meet and keep their head above water. 

The impact of over a decade of austerity, the global pandemic, which saw artists work cancelled overnight without notice and government measures fail to include self-employed people, followed by a cost-of-living crisis, has been devastating and amplified the flawed sector, which already existed in relation to respecting artists as workers and paying them their worth. 

In 2024, we conducted a membership survey and this, together with other recent reports on artists’ livelihoods, have informed the inquiry in demonstrating the real-life experience of being an artist in these times.

From substandard, unaffordable housing and studios, to the ability to save, have pensions and earn a living solely from working as an artist, the report makes the case for why trade unionism — as a way of organising and fighting back — is essential for artists. It is the key to building grassroots power and collectivism to challenge the conditions we find ourselves in, which ultimately does not just benefit artists but everyone because art is essential — it breathes life into so many aspects of our being.

Key findings of the report reveal that:

• 79 per cent of AUE members responding to the membership survey said that they did not earn enough from their art practice to live on, with most members having to take on additional jobs.
• Over half of artist respondents earned under £15,000 annually from all types of work; 72 per cent earned less than £20,000, and 96.4 per cent earned below the UK median wage.
• Artists’ incomes in other recent reports have likely been over-estimated, as many figures do not account for essential expenses such as studio rent and other costs of art making.
• Cuts to both cultural funding and welfare have severely impacted artists’ financial stability. Quotes from AUE members reveal the devastating impact of these precarious conditions on artists’ health and well-being.
• Most artist members will rely solely on the State Pension for retirement, with over 75 per cent expressing serious concerns about their financial future.
• Artist members are less likely to own their homes and more likely to rent privately than the general population, leaving them overexposed to the spiralling costs of renting.
• Only 36.9 per cent of AUE members who responded to the survey work from a studio, with the rest citing lack of affordability and access to suitable studios as the reason.

In addition to providing data and facts about the conditions that artists face, the inquiry also acts as an organising tool for artists and our union with the aim of avoiding isolation and individualism — where artists are often set up to compete against each other for opportunities — and promotes the concept of building and working together in unity and solidarity with each other.

Artists work precariously, often having to hold down other part-time precarious jobs and most of our members are self-employed. The world of work has and continues to change and workers across a range of sectors are not employees in so-called traditional workplaces, so it is essential that the wider trade union movement considers and includes us when advocating for the rights of workers and organising.  

One of our motions to the Trades Union Congress (TUC) this year is based on this report. In the motion we are calling for the TUC to use the information in our report to raise the concerns that self-employed workers face with the government and businesses, to work with our sector to strengthen organising, to prioritise and campaign on the issues in the report, and to include us in talks and negotiations.

It further calls for the restoration of creative subjects in school and further/higher education curriculums because generations are being denied the ability to nurture and develop their creative skills and talents due to cuts.

In addition, we are asking that trade unions who engage with the labour and skills of creative and cultural sector workers to sign up to the AUE Good Practice Charter.

We also call on businesses and organisations, including our trade union family, to use the AUE rates of pay guidance when engaging the labour of artists.  

Art is not just a labour of love, artwork is work just like all other work and artists deserve dignity, fair and equal pay, safe working conditions and security in retirement among other rights. 

While art is not just a vocation for many, the love, dedication, expression and passion put into it deserve not only to be admired but also to be rewarded.

Our report is not just essential reading for everyone in the arts and cultural sector and anyone who cares about art, but a call to action. 

We cannot allow ourselves to be divided and ruled. For our labour, skills, talent and essential contribution to all lives, we deserve not just the crumbs and wilted petals, but the whole loaf and roses in bloom. 

In the words of James Oppenheim, “Yes, bread we fight for — but we fight for Roses too.” 

Zita Holbourne is the joint national chair of Artists’ Union England (AUE), a multidisciplinary artist and writer, community activist and equality/human rights campaigner.