The price of creativity: Policy and the professional artist in British Columbia

The arts are a thriving business in Canada. The arts and culture sectors contribute 3% to the Canada’s GDP each year: a larger share than the agricultural, hospitality, or forest industries. However, professional artists—the core cultural labour force—are not as prosperous, and BC artists are worse off than most. The median income of artists in BC is the second lowest in Canada, well below the low-income cut-off. Although they are far more likely than the average worker to hold a university degree, BC artists earn an alarming 48% less than the provincial median for all workers. Women, visible minorities, and aboriginal people working as artists in BC earn even less.Using data collected from a jurisdictional scan, expert interviews, and an online survey of artists from across BC, I identify four potential policy measures to address the issue of low earnings in the arts sector. Options include an expansion of the existing project grants programs administered by the BC Arts Council, as well as three different plans to provide a monthly minimum income to artists. After analyzing each policy in terms of effectiveness, equity, budgetary cost, administrative complexity, and stakeholder acceptance, I recommend establishing a need-based but competitive grant stream providing a Basic Income to professional artists. Referring to survey data, I also propose a set of recommendations to enhance the accessibility, flexibility, and targeting of BC Arts Council programs.