60% of Asian American artists in NYC make less than $10,000

ChannelAPA tweeted about an article today that stated the following:

Groundbreaking New Report from the Alliance

“60% OF ARTISTS IN NYC’S ASIAN AMERICAN ARTS COMMUNITY MAKE LESS THAN $10,000 A YEAR FROM THEIR ART: FIRST EVER REPORT ON CURRENT TRENDS AND ISSUES IN THE CITY’S ASIAN AMERICAN ARTISTIC COMMUNITY”

The Asian American Arts Alliance has completed a twelve-month research initiative to look into the well-being of artists and arts organizations in New York City’s Asian American Arts community. Findings from Asian American Arts in NYC: A Snapshot of Current Trends and Issues, include:

• 60% of artists make less than $10,000 a year from their art.
• More than 50% of arts organizations have budgets of $100,000 or less.
• 70% of artists work either full- or part-time outside of their artistic career.
• 40% of artists are accruing up to $5,000 each year in debt to create their work.

This only exemplifies how much we need to continue supporting our artists. Next time you see an Asian American artist, give em a hug or something and buy a cd.