SNAAP DataBrief Looks at Artist Employment
The latest SNAAP DataBrief draws upon data from the more than 36,000 arts alumni from 66 institutions who responded to the SNAAP survey in 2011:
- College major with the highest percentage of graduates who have ever worked as professional artists: Dance, Music Performance, and Theater at 82%
- College major with the highest percentage of graduates who currently work as professional artists: Architecture and Music Performance at 61%
Alumni from some disciplines are more likely than others to work as professional artists. Dance majors, Music Performance majors, and Theater majors are the most likely to work, either full- or part-time, in an occupation as an artist (where they create or perform their art). Eighty-two percent of graduates from each of these disciplines have ever worked as artists. Slightly less likely are majors in Design (81%) and Architecture (79%). Fine and Studio Art majors (including Photography) come in at 75%, Media Arts at 71%, and Creative and Other Writing at 52%. Arts Administration majors (42%) and Art History majors (30%) are the least likely ever to work professionally as artists – not surprisingly, since only 35% of Arts Administration majors and 32% of Art History majors ever intended to be artists.
When it comes to those who currently work as professional artists, Music Performance and Architecture majors inhabit the high end of the spectrum, with 61% currently working in this capacity. Design (59%), Fine and Studio Arts (55%), Media Arts and Theater (54%), and Dance (49%) are in the mid range. At the low end of the spectrum, graduates from the fields of Arts Administration (24%) and Art History (18%) are again the least likely to be current professional artists.
When looking at these variations by discipline, it is important to take into account the fact that not all students who go to arts schools intend to work professionally as artists. The most closely aligned majors between aspiration (those alumni who indicated they intended to work as an artist) and reality (those who have ever worked as an artist) are: Music History, Composition and Theory (76% v. 75%); Music Performance (85% v. 82%); Dance and Theater (88% v. 82%); and Media Arts (80% v. 71%). In terms of Architecture majors, 93% intended to work as professionals, while 79% have ever done so. Finally, the greatest disparity exists for Creative and Other Writing majors: 80% intended to work as an artist, whereas only 52% have ever done so.