BOSTON, Mass. - April 02, 2008 - Massachusetts is home to cultural
powerhouses that help fuel the 'creative economy.' The
Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Museum of Fine Arts, for instance.
But there are also thousands of individual artists, who form the
state's 'creative workforce.'
Measuring the economic impact of these independent painters, musicians
and filmmakers can be difficult, though.
WBUR's Andrea Shea reports on a new tool that's helping
to generate statistics about a population that isn't easy to
count.
ANDREA SHEA: The web-based survey...called 'Stand Up and Be
Counted'...is something like a census. While high-profile artists
such as James Levine or James Taylor are welcome to fill out the
17-page questionnaire, it's really designed for independents
who don't necessarily make a living making their art.
Sound of restaurant
ANDREA SHEA: Artist Brian Patrick Adams splits his time between
his studio and waiting tables at James's Gate, a restaurant
and pub in Jamaica Plain. His bright, three-dimensional pieces often
hang on the walls here. The restaurant doubles as a gallery. Adams
is the curator.
BRIAN PATRICK ADAMS: I do find that most artists that I know it's
a hybrid of the occasional sale, along with you know, the part time
this or the freelance that, so it's definitely a tight rope
walk and it's definitely a difficult act.
Mliz Keefe explains what materials go into her compositions.
ANDREA SHEA: The fact that so many artists file taxes based on their
'day jobs' also makes it difficult to count the number
of artists in Massachusetts, according to Kathleen Bitetti.
KATHLEEN BITETTI: We're kind of a lot like homeless folks in
the sense that it's hard to find us.
Sound of sewing machine
ANDREA SHEA: Bitetti is an installation artist. She uses her sewing
machine a lot and works here in her South Boston apartment. Bitetti
is also the Executive Director of the Artists Foundation. The 'Stand
Up and Be Counted' survey is her creation. She says she found
a huge information gap when she was advocating for legislation that
would help Massachusetts artists get healthcare. Bitetti...who has
four jobs...couldn't come up with an accurate average income
figure for artists in the state. She hopes the new on-line survey
will help paint a fuller picture of what she calls a largely invisible
population.
KATHLEEN BITETTI: What their education level, family size, if they
have dependents, if they're a student, if so what kind of student...who
are you...we ask where they create their art work... FADE...
ANDREA SHEA: To date more than 1,000 artists have completed the
questionnaire based on last year's tax returns. 62% of them
are visual artists. Just under a quarter do their art full-time.
About half of the respondents are over 50 years old. 79% always
vote. Bitetti says these numbers should help politicians, as well
as grant-makers and artists.
Click photo to view caption
KATHLEEN BITETTI: It can be a way to survey, it can be a way to
do an economic impact study, and it can be a way to do a head count.
We're hoping the filmmakers will see this as a way to count
who's here, we're hoping that local cities and towns can
help get the word out cause they can figure out how many musicians
do we have, what do they need? So it's a really interesting
tool and the goal is to have this and give it to other states.
ANDREA SHEA: In fact this artist survey is modeled after one conducted
in another state...Minnesota...two years ago. 10,000 artists responded
to 'Artists Count' and the final numbers helped push legislation
for artists.
REPRESENTATIVE ERIC TURKINGTON: Numbers matter.
ANDREA SHEA: Massachusetts State Representative Eric Turkington
is the Chairman of the Committee of Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development.
He says artists are a key element in the state's creative economy,
but politicians in the State House want proof from any industry.
REPRESENTATIVE ERIC TURKINGTON: Big dogs eat first...which is true,
especially in this building. Biotech comes in, they define their
industry, they define their economic impact they define the number
of jobs and they walk out with a billion dollar bond issue. Other
industries do the same thing. The arts community hasn't.
ANDREA SHEA: And that might be because many artists don't want
to.
Sound of walking up stairs
ANDREA SHEA: Mliz Keefe keeps a second floor studio in Jamaica Plain,
but she pays the bills by working at her brother's law firm.
MLIZ KEEFE: I'm an individual, I'm a painter.
ANDREA SHEA: For Keefe being an artist isn't about filling
out forms or crunching numbers.
MLIZ KEEFE: I'm getting up and making my own decisions I'm
making my own life around my art work and trying to do my best by
it and outside of that I don't think I need to be counted.
ANDREA SHEA: Like Keefe many artists prefer to operate under-the-radar.
Survey creator Kathleen Bitetti recognizes this fact and says 'Stand
Up and Be Counted' does guarantee anonymity. And she adds the
number of people who've responded so far only begins to scratch
the surface.
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