Status of the Artist in Peterborough
Peterborough Artist Survey and Reporting

Timeline

• In 2017, EC3 worked with the Trent Centre for Community-based Research (TCCR) and the Precarious Festival to conduct a survey that investigated the status of arts work in Peterborough. A graduate student from Trent University was hired to manage the survey and in 2018, EC3 worked with her to develop the final report. EC3 also provided artwork and other support for a presentation of the report at the TCCR’s Research Fair.
• In late 2018, EC3 created a working group to review the results of the survey, assess outcomes and priorities for action, directly informing our work with ArtsVote Peterborough and the development of program initiatives in 2019/20.
• In 2019, we organized a broader round table discussion called Work Work Work x2 to assess the results, presented as a research report by Anna Currier, and developed a plan to disseminate the results more broadly and reviewed the implementation of priority strategies to improve the Status of the Artist.
• Finally, this work will result in a final report and manifesto that will be published online in late 2020.

Background Information: What do We Want to Know and Why?

Hello,

The “Peterborough Artist Survey” is the first-ever survey of the social and economic conditions of professional artists living in Peterborough and the surrounding region. While the current era is one of precarious employment in general, economic precarity in the arts seems particularly acute. The Status of the Artist in Peterborough Project is a partnership between the Electric City Culture Council (EC3) and Precarious: Peterborough ArtsWORK Festival, in collaboration with the Trent Community Research Centre. This survey aims to gather the facts and figures we need to know and to better understand the real working situation of local artists. This information will be made publicly available when the project is complete. EC3 and other groups seeking to advance the arguments for support to local artists need information to strengthen their case. The results of this survey will inform proposed strategies to make a difference.

The survey will be launched during the Precarious Festival kick-off on October 25th at the Sapphire Room, 4-7pm. You can complete the survey anytime online at www.ecthree.org/, or come to any of the Survey Soirées during the festival. The Precarious Festival runs throughout the month of November, with Survey Soirée events on November 8, 10, and 13 at the Theatre on King. More information about the festival is available HERE. The survey closes on Friday December 15, 2017.

It won’t take long to fill out the survey. Please try to complete all the questions. This information is vital to better knowing and understanding what it means to be an artist in our region. Survey results will form the basis of a Report that assesses the information provided, creates a snapshot of the current climate for artists and their work locally, and proposes initiatives to improve “the status of the artist”.

For information and resources on Status of the Artist research and legislation, please check the EC3 WEBSITE.

All individual survey results are confidential and information will be used only for the Status of the Artist in Peterborough Report.

When you fill out the survey, your name (if you provide your email) will automatically be entered into a draw to win one of 10 great prizes.

Thank you for supporting this important initiative. The Report is expected to be finished in March 2018 and we look forward to sharing the results with you. We see this survey as a first step in a larger process of consultation and action.

If you have questions or require further information, please contact Su Ditta at: electriccitycc@gmail.com

Kate Story, Co-Artistic Director, Precarious Festival
Su Ditta, Executive Director, EC3