We’re listening artists and creatives – consider contributing your opinions and experiences to the NEFA survey.
In order to be the most supportive consumers of art and culture that we can be, we must, at times, give back to the community that so generously serves us. Right now, with the creation of the Creatives Count survey by The New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA), we can take a moment to contribute vital information that will help to grow and sustain the creators of culture making a living in our region. With the creative economy becoming appreciated as the bonafide economic asset that it is, this survey aims to collect the data that will demonstrate how valuable creative workers are to their local communities.
As NEFA Research Director Dee Schneidman puts it, “We need to know more about the work life of New England’s creative workers, including those who are already part of our CreativeGround directory, in order to connect them to resources and influence policy-making at the local, state and regional level. By participating in the survey, creative workers will be a part of important research that will shine a light on their economic contributions and highlight community assets and potential areas of investment.”
Boston-based artist Cedric Douglas works on a new public art installation on the side of Behrakis Health Sciences Center at Northeastern University | Photo by Adam Glanzman/Northeastern University
Looking to access responses from across New England, this survey “seeks input from creative workers (including visual artists, dancers, musicians, designers, craftspeople, architects, digital media creators, culture bearers, makers, and more), working full time or not, on various aspects of their work life, including the type of work, how much time is spent on those activities, and how much of this work makes up their income. The survey includes questions on demographics, education, training, and income, employment status and sector, specifics on creative pursuits, as well as opportunity to cite top resources and needs for advancing a creative career.”
This survey will be open until November 18th, and due to its thorough nature, should take about 30 minutes to fully complete. The information accessed here will open a door to understanding how makers and creatives are influencing New England lives and economics; the results of which are invaluable and can lead to increased appreciation and networking for the arts and culture and those who dedicate their careers to it.
Take Magazine supports the work being done by NEFA and looks forward to the positive impact that initiatives like Creatives Count will have on the professional arts community. The results from this survey are slated to be available on the NEFA site in June of 2017. Learn more here at NEFA.org.
New England Foundation for the Arts