Artists’ Incomes Are in Freefall – Support the Campaign to Abolish the Minimum Income Floor
If you are an artist, chances are you are also self-employed. You might have one or more PAYE jobs too, but what happens when your freelance income drops — or gets wiped out altogether?
Last year, a report by the University of Glasgow revealed that artists’ incomes have dropped by almost half since 2010. The median income for visual artists is now just £12,500 a year — a fall of 40% since 2010, when it stood at £16,000. Once inflation is taken into account, the real loss in income is even sharper — almost 49%. To put it another way, artists now earn 47% less than full-time minimum wage workers, who bring home £23,795 a year.
The ongoing crises and shocks of the past two decades (the financial crash, austerity, the pandemic, Brexit, and the relentless cost of living crisis), have made it harder than ever to sustain a career as an artist. On top of this, cuts to the arts continue unabated, pushing more and more artists into poverty.
One urgent demand is the abolition of the Minimum Income Floor in Universal Credit, which unfairly penalises self-employed people, including artists.
Please take a moment to sign and share the petition:
Abolish the Minimum Income Floor in Universal Credit
🪺First up in the calendar is another round of Artquest One-to-Ones in early June. If you want to be the first to hear about new dates I recommend subscribing to the Artquest newsletter. Apart from timely updates on forthcoming Artquest events, you will also receive a monthly round up of opportunities and updates on policies that affect the arts, reports on artists’ working lives and other relevant news.
📌 Artquest One to One📢
Free one-to-one remote advice sessions for London-based artists
3 – 4 June 2025, 10:00-18:00 GMT
Book a free Artquest one-to-one advice session to get feedback about your work, build a strategy for an upcoming project, get practical career advice, discuss the logistics of operating as an artist and find out about other arts organisations and how they can support you.
🖍️ Critical Theory in Contemporary Art Practice✨
Chelsea College of Arts, University of the Arts London
4 – 8 Aug 2025, Mon-Fri 10:00-16:00 BST/GMT+1
£840, 16 John Islip St, London SW1P 4JU
This course maps the theories and discourses that inform the production and reception of contemporary art, providing a supportive environment to develop your art practice and articulate your ideas on the production, exhibition and interpretation of art.
🍒 Art + Critique, Autumn 2024🚀
Critical & Contextual Studies in Art Practice Online
14 Oct 2025 – 3 Mar 2026, Tuesdays 18:30-20:30 BST/GMT+1
Pay What You Can £598 / £488 / £378
Develop your practice and extend your knowledge of critical practices, theories and discourses of contemporary art. This online/hybrid course integrates practice and theory and fosters experimentation and collaborative study in a community of peers.
👾 Curating Contemporary Art, Winter 2025✏️
Chelsea College of Arts, University of the Arts London
15 – 19 Dec 2025, Mon-Fri 10:00-16:00 BST/GMT+1
£780, 16 John Islip St, London SW1P 4JU
A five-day introduction to curating, that combes site visits, lectures, seminars, and practical workshops. Develop an exhibition proposal while gaining insight into curatorial practice, funding, installation, and public engagement.
🧿 Watch this space for new events and courses, and don’t forget that you can book a consultation with me to discuss an upcoming project or ongoing mentorship. For further info and to book a free 15 min chat please visit the consultation page.
🪸 Take care, I look forward to catch up with you soon.