Overview
Beginning in the Fall of 2023, the Indiana Arts Commission launched a statewide Artist Needs Assessment. The assessment consisted of two core components: (1) Eleven in-person facilitated listening sessions across Indiana with artists of a variety backgrounds and (2) a subsequent public survey based on listening session feedback disseminated statewide. The feedback from the listening sessions and survey will directly inform future services and programs for individual artists in Indiana.
Goals
The goals of the Artist Needs Assessment were threefold:
- Create an opportunity for local artists to network, connect, and learn from peers.
- Inform new and refined services and programming for individual artists in Indiana.
- Provide an open forum for artists of a variety of backgrounds to voice opinions, concerns, experiences, and needs connected to their experience as an Indiana creative.
What We Learned
The listening sessions and survey combined to define some of the primary needs of Indiana artists currently. The following four needs emerged consistently across the listening sessions and were confirmed in the survey:
- Networks and Connection
Feedback from artists focused heavily on the desire to build more relationships and connections with other artists, within and beyond their respective disciplines. Artists sought mentors, recurring opportunities to meet other artists, resources to find other local artists, and community hubs dedicated to creatives to spark organic networks and relationships. Networks and connections were seen as vital to career success and the ability to grow locally..
- Marketing Support & Education
Marketing was mentioned as a particular challenge for many artists. Specifically, social media marketing was recognized as a very time-consuming effort that seldom produced a meaningful return in engagement. Additionally, participants noted a lack of local resources, outside of social media, to advertise and champion local artists. Technical assistance and educational resources about marketing emerged as priorities.
- Financial Support & Education
As artists described their life and career, many noted a recurring tension between creativity and financial stability that limited deeper emersion in their artistic work/product. Challenges such as inconsistency of cash flow, health insurance, cost of materials, and time for business planning are key drivers that build tension between creativity and financial stability. The time and stress of running a business as an artist often meant the need for multiple part-time positions or a full-time position to subsidize their artistic career
- Local Investment in Local Artists
Artists noted that local government and local organizations are critical catalysts for artists’ careers and artist retention. Feedback highlighted how public art, local festivals, and local performing and exhibiting opportunities are essential resources, particularly for young artists, and lay the groundwork for local artist growth, as well as public engagement. Many artists emphasized the importance of government and organizations prioritizing support, resources, and opportunities for artists working locally.
Next Steps
In response to the needs identified by the listening sessions and statewide survey, two suites of programs were developed to support Indiana artists. One suite of programs will focus on community building and another suite will focus on business development. Programming will roll out between 2024 and 2027.
