Greater Vancouver Professional Theatre Alliance (GVPTA)

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B.C. Arts, Culture, & Heritage Sector Insights Report

Fall 2023

B.C. Arts, Culture, & Heritage Sector Insights Survey
GVPTA has released results of a survey conducted province-wide to help us better understand, advocate, and inform government, funders, and other stakeholders on the current state of the sector. 

The Fall 2023 B.C. Arts, Culture, & Heritage Sector Insights Report is based on survey responses collected from November 3 through 22, 2023, from individual artists, arts, cultural workers, and representatives of arts, culture, and heritage organizations. 

The survey and report were led by GVPTA, on behalf of and in collaboration with a coalition of B.C.-based arts, culture, and heritage service organizations that represent thousands of organizations and individuals across BC, in every community and region. This includes hundreds of cultural businesses, venues, festivals, consultants, and independent practitioners, as well as thousands of professional artists, cultural practitioners, and volunteers throughout the province.

You can review previous examples of GVPTA's sector-wide surveys and reports here and here. 

Online survey responses were collected from November 3 through 22, 2023.

Click the button below to download the PDF report. Read report highlights and backgrounder below. 
Click here to read the full report (PDF)

Report Highlights

Responses from 431 artists, arts, culture, and heritage workers, and organizations are represented in the Fall 2023 report. Questions and themes explored include:  
  • Working in Arts, Culture, and Heritage – Income projections for artists and arts, culture and heritage workers, continued work in the sector, staffing levels, organizational structures and decision-making processes;
  • Obstacles – Challenges faced recently and anticipated over the coming months by individuals and organizations;
  • Trends – Positive and negative trends seen in organizations' programs and activities, human resources capacity, and ticket sales and attendance, and anticipated changes in 2024;
  • Stability – For organizations, stability of venues and spaces, and of finances;
  • Housing – Security of housing for individuals, and percentage of income related to housing costs;
  • Health and Safety – How concerned people are about their own health and wellness as we move into respiratory illness season, and policies that organizations have (or plan to have) in place; 
  • Stress and Anxiety – Understanding the current levels of stress and anxiety for individuals and organization representatives;
  • Optimism – Understanding how optimistic people are about their organizations' or own artistic practice, and about the arts, culture, and heritage sector's health and sustainability in the year ahead;
  • Sector support requests to be shared with Canada Council for the Arts, funders, government, and the arts, culture, and heritage community;
  • Reflections on what's recently gone well or what's been positive in 2023.

Read on for more detailed highlights; click the accordion headers below to expand the content.

About the Respondents
  • Of the 431 respondents, 63% were individuals, and the other 37% responded on behalf of an organization.
  • Of the 272 Individual respondents, 46% identified solely as an artist, 25% solely as an arts, culture, heritage worker, and 29% identified as both.
  • 66% of the respondents were based in Metro Vancouver, 15% from Vancouver Island and Gulf Islands, and the remaining 19% from other areas of the province.
  • The top five disciplines represented by Organization respondents included: Theatre (33%), Community Arts (31%), Museums & Heritage (29%), Music (26%), Visual Arts (25%).
  • The top six disciplines represented by Individual respondents included: Visual Arts (36%), Theatre (35%), Music (19%), Community Arts (19%), Multidisciplinary (18%), and Museums & Heritage (19%).

Expand the accordion sections below to read further highlights.
Individuals
Annual Income
  • Nearly half (48%) of the respondents expect to make less than $30,000 this year - not a living wage based on the Living Wage for Families B.C.'s November 2022 rates for 2023.
  • More than half (56%) of the respondents expect their income to be primarily (80-100%) from work within the sector. 
  • One-third (33%) shared that their current cash flow situation is somewhat or very unstable.
Housing
  • Most (85%) said that their current housing situation is very or somewhat stable and secure. At the same time, nearly one-third (32%) their housing situation is somewhat or a lot less secure compared to five years ago.
  • 64% of respondents shared that more than 30% of their annual income goes toward their rent or mortgage.
Working in the sector
  • Individuals who identify solely as an artist consistently expect to be working in the arts, culture, and heritage sector over the next 18 months, ranging from 83% to 89% somewhat or very likely. Workers who are not artists, however, are more unsure about their time in their sector, with "very likely" sentiment dropping from 77% in early 2024 to 54% anticipating working in the sector in 18 months.
Obstacles
  • Three of the top four recent obstacles experienced by individuals were related to their health: stress (68%), work/life balance (57%), health and safety concerns (47%). Cashflow and managing debt (58%) was the second most identified obstacle. 
  • When thinking about anticipated obstacles over the coming months, the most common included: cashflow and managing debt (48%), stress (39%), and work/life balance (32%).
Comparing Men / Women / Gender Minority*
  • In the case of recent obstacles, gender minority individuals were 10-15 points higher than those of men and women across six reported categories, including stress, managing cash flow, and accessing government support programs.
  • For anticipated obstacles over the coming months, a higher percentage of men (⬆10ppt) identified work/life balance, compared to others; a higher percentage of women (⬆5ppt) identified shortage of work opportunities, compared to others; a higher percentage of gender minority respondents (⬆10- 16ppts) identified inability to access work space, loss of government support programs, and uncertainty of government responses, compared to others.

*"Gender Minority" includes individuals who selected an option other than exclusively "Man" or "Woman", including but not limited to non-binary, transgender, and two-spirit.
Comparing: Deaf, hard of hearing, blind, low vision, wheelchair or mobility aid users
  • Compared to individuals who are not Deaf, hard of hearing, blind, low vision, wheelchair or mobility aid users, a higher percentage of individuals who are Deaf, hard of hearing, blind, low vision, wheelchair or mobility aid users experienced recent challenges related to cash flow (⬆20ppt), accessing equipment (⬆20ppt), accessing government support programs (⬆17ppt), and health and safety concerns (⬆16ppt).
Comparing: Neurodiverse
  • Compared to individuals who are not neurodiverse, a higher percentage of individuals who identified as neurodiverse experienced recent challenges related to cash flow (⬆34ppt), inability to plan for the future (⬆20ppt), work/life balance (⬆19ppt), and inability to access work space (⬆16ppt).
Comparing: Living with a mental illness
  • Compared to individuals not living with a mental illness, a higher percentage of individuals living with a mental illness experienced recent challenges related to cash flow (⬆25ppt), stress/shortage of energy (⬆24ppt), accessing government support programs (⬆21ppt), and inability to plan for the future (⬆19ppt).
Comparing: Living with a chronic illness
  • Compared to individuals not living with a chronic illness, a higher percentage of individuals living with a chronic illness experienced recent challenges related to stress/shortage of energy (⬆32ppt), accessing government support programs (⬆19ppt), cash flow (⬆15ppt), and inability to access work space (⬆15ppt).

Note: For all of the "Comparing" categories above (does not include Regions) each respondent could identify as belonging to multiple categories. For example, a person could select both neurodiverse and living with a chronic illness.
Comparing: Regions (health authority catchment area)
  • The most significant differences came from the Interior region where a higher percentage identified safety concerns due to wildfires (⬆53ppt) and inability to plan for the future (⬆5ppt).
Organizations
Governance and Structure
  • Of the non-profit and charitable organization respondents, 65% have a governance board, 17% a working board, and 12% operating somewhere in between working and governance.
  • When offered a selection of shapes, more than a quarter (29%) chose the interconnected dots to represent their decision- making structure. When asked to describe why they chose a particular shape or image, the themes of collaboration and sharing leadership was communicated across most of the image options.
Financial Stability
  • Nearly a quarter (23%) of respondents are in a somewhat or very unstable cash flow situation. Common reasons for the instability include: increased expenses for programs, activities, rent, and general expenses; limited and loss of funding and fund development options; reduced earned and contributed revenue from number of patrons and ticket sales to sponsorships and donations.
  • While 11% of respondents are assessing the situation, 17% are concerned their organization is at significant risk of insolvency, bankruptcy, or ceasing operations within the next 12 months. The most common reason cited for the risk was related to the inability to raise or secure additional funds to support the organization while also producing programs and activities with increased costs.
Venue and Space Stability
  • Of the 86 organizations that operate a venue or facility used for programming and activities, 36% are a little or somewhat concerned about an unplanned loss of one or more of their spaces within the next year. 14% are very concerned.
  • Of the 117 organizations with a dedicated office space, more than a quarter (27%) have some concern about an unplanned loss of that space within the next year.Of the 117 organizations with a dedicated office space, more than a quarter (27%) have some concern about an unplanned loss of that space within the next year.
Recovery Funds
  • More than one-third (34%) reported relying on one-time recovery funding received this year from a public agency to keep them operating. More of those organizations accessed recovery supports from BC Arts Council (29%) than from any other agency.
Trends
Programs & Activities
  • The vast majority of respondents (88%) reported that their programs and activities this year have stayed the same (40%) or increased (48%) compared to 2022. While looking toward 2024, half (50%) expect it to remain the same, while 36% anticipate an increase in the number or scale.
Human Resource Capacity
  • While reflecting on changes in their human resource capacity, one-quarter (26%) of respondents had some or significant increase this year, compared to last year (2022), while one in five (19%) experienced a decrease. Expectations moving into 2024 are similar.
Ticket Sales and Attendance
  • An almost equal percentage said they experienced positive (43%) or negative trends (41%) with their ticket sales or attendance. 16% said they experienced both positive and negative trends.
  • Positive trends included: Return to pre-pandemic attendance levels; New audiences (eg. culturally diverse, wider age range); Increased demand for kids and youth educational programs (eg. day camps, field trips); Patrons purchasing tickets earlier than previous years.
  • Factors that contributed to positive trends included: Thematic programming (eg. lighter, happier content; content tailored to target communities); Strong partnerships and collaborations with other organizations; Localized marketing and community engagement strategies; Outdoor activities and using spaces not typical for the organization; Shifting from online to in- person; Financial accessibility (eg. free and flexible pricing options); Patrons creating new routines and improved general sentiment toward attending events.
  • Negative trends included: Slow recovery of attendance levels; More patron hesitancy for indoor activities compared to outdoor; Increase in the number of "no-shows" for purchased tickets; "Riskier" or unknown programming was harder to sell; Cancelled events and activities due to low ticket sales, or illness within staff, cast, or crew; More patrons choosing the cheapest tickets.
  • Factors that contributed to the negative trends included: Increased inflation resulted in less funds for patrons to purchase tickets or register; Decreased programming and activities due to budget cuts, reducing visibility and consistency with patrons; Increased feeling of competition with other events and activities, with patrons' limited funds; Environmental (eg. wildfires) and geopolitical events impacted finances, personal energy, and mental health; Declining neighbourhood safety around event spaces; Lack of resources to expand or strengthen programs and activities; Difficulty reintroducing live events to some patrons who had been used to an abundance of online programming.
Obstacles
  • Reflecting on recent obstacles they faced, the three most frequently identified were related to increased expenses, including human resources (71%), supplies and equipment (66%), and insurance (49%). Shortage of available volunteers (45%), reduced donations from patrons (41%) and uncertainty of government response (41%) were also shared by nearly half of respondents.
  • For obstacles organizations anticipate facing over the coming months, the three most frequently identified were related to finances, including increased expenses for human resources (69%) and supplies and equipment (47%), followed by the inability or reduced access to government grants (44%).
All Respondents
External Factors
When considering external factors that may directly impact their organization, or their individual work or practice, they were particularly or thinking about:
  • Financial and economic downturn, including inflation, rising costs, and stagnant wages;
  • Health and wellbeing, including COVID and other illnesses impacting staffing levels, shows, exhibitions, and activities; 
  • Political and government (at all levels) shifts in priority, including potential funding cuts;
  • Environmental, including preparing for and responding to wildfires and other extreme weather events;
  • Financial and housing instability for artists, workers, and community;
  • Loss of or inaccessible infrastructure for creating and sharing;
  • Global events and geopolitical tensions impacting community members;
  • Ageism, racism, ableism, and other "isms" affecting access to participation, supports, services, and opportunities.
  • (For organizations) Attracting and retaining qualified staff and volunteers;
  • (For individuals) Fewer opportunities to maintain work or practice, with particular need to support at different stages of their career development.
Feedback for Canada Council for the Arts, Funders, Government, and the Arts, Culture, and Heritage Community

We invited respondents to share questions, recommendations, and requests to be conveyed to Canada Council for the Arts, Funders, Government, and Community.

Positive Reflections
Individuals and organization representatives shared reflections on what has recently gone well or has been positive over the past six months.
READ THE 2023 SECTOR INSIGHTS REPORT
Accessible version of Highlights and Backgrounder

To download an accessible Word document of the report highlights and backgrounder information, click here, or the button below. 

Accessible Word Doc: Highlights and Backgrounder

Report Considerations

  • The survey was only conducted online and in English.
  • Many individuals face challenges that impact their capacity and ability to fill out a survey during the open dates.
  • This report includes reflections and experiences of 431 survey respondents, and is not intended to be a representation of every individual and organization who make up the community. This report does not weight the survey data based on population or demographics.
  • When comparing demographic or regional differences, the smaller sample size will affect the percentages, but we still felt they were important to include and recognize.
  • Most questions within the survey were optional. Data in this report notes the number of responses (“n”) for the question or response option.
  • A summary of the narrative responses to open-ended questions were interpreted through the lens of the research lead, Kenji Maeda.
  • Only one completed survey per organization or individual was accepted.

Report and Survey Backgrounder

Click the accordion headers below to expand sections for more details.
Backgrounder
The B.C. Arts, Culture, & Heritage Sector Insights survey was developed in order to help us better understand, advocate, and inform government, funders, and stakeholders on the current state of the sector.

The survey and resulting report were led by GVPTA, on behalf and in collaboration with a coalition of B.C.-based arts, culture, and heritage service organizations that represent thousands of arts, culture, and heritage organizations and individuals across B.C., in every community and region. This includes hundreds of cultural businesses, venues, festivals, consultants, and independent practitioners, as well as thousands of professional artists, cultural practitioners, and volunteers throughout the province. Coalition members are listed in the next section below, "Who are the coalition members?"

The aim of the survey and report is to build a broad picture and detailed understanding of the current state of the arts, culture and heritage sector in British Columbia. The survey was distributed through this network of arts service organizations, funders, and stakeholders across the province, through social media, newsletters, and directly to past survey respondents.

The survey was designed to take 12–15 minutes but varied depending on how many questions respondents chose to answer. Most questions in the survey were optional.

Aggregate data is shared with funders, researchers, and arts service organizations for regional, provincial, and national reporting and analysis.

This survey builds on GVPTA's previous data collection strategy developed to gain a better understanding of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the arts and culture sector across the province. Learn more under Past Survey Reports below.
Who was invited to complete the survey?

Individual artists, workers, and practitioners, along with representatives of arts, culture, and heritage organizations from across British Columbia.

How was the survey distributed?

The survey link was distributed through the Coalition network, by funders and other community stakeholders via social media, newsletters, and direct email outreach to previous sector research survey participants.

The online survey responses were collected between November 3-22, 2023.

Questions about the survey or report can be directed to GVPTA executive director, Kenji Maeda at kenji@gvpta.ca.
Who are the Coalition members?

The survey and resulting report were led by GVPTA, on behalf and in collaboration with the following coalition of B.C.-based arts, culture, and heritage service organizations that represent thousands of organizations and individuals across B.C., in every community and region:

  • 221A
  • Arts BC
  • Arts Council of the Central Okanagan
  • BC Alliance for Arts + Culture 
  • BC Museums Association 
  • BC Music Festival Collective
  • British Columbia Choral Federation 
  • British Columbia Touring Council 
  • Canadian Alliance of Dance Artists/West Chapter 
  • Canadian Artists’ Representation/le Front des Artistes Canadiens (CARFAC) – National 
  • Canadian Artists’ Representation/le Front des Artistes Canadiens (CARFAC) – BC 
  • Canadian Music Centre, BC
  • Conseil culturel et artistique francophone de la C.B. 
  • Craft Council of BC 
  • Dance West Network
  • Federation of British Columbia Writers 
  • Greater Vancouver Professional Theatre Alliance (GVPTA)
  • Heritage BC 
  • New Works
  • Richmond Arts Coalition
  • Rural Arts Inclusion Lab
  • Sector Equity for Anti-Racism in the Arts
  • Theatre BC
  • Vancouver Musicians Association, Local 145 of the AFM
  • Vines Art Society
Past survey reports
The 2023 survey is led by GVPTA, on behalf of a coalition of B.C.-based arts, culture, and heritage service organizations - a collaboration between 29 organizations representing thousands of arts, culture, and heritage organizations across BC and in every community and region. This includes hundreds of cultural businesses, venues, festivals, consultants, and independent practitioners, as well as thousands of professional artists, cultural practitioners, and volunteers throughout the province.

The aim of the survey is to build a broad picture and detailed understanding of the current state of the arts, culture and heritage sector in British Columbia. The survey was distributed through this network of arts service organizations, funders, and stakeholders across the province, through social media, newsletters, and directly to past survey respondents.

Aggregate data is shared with funders, researchers, and arts service organizations for regional, provincial, and national reporting and analysis.

This survey builds on our previous data collection strategy developed to gain a better understanding of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the arts and culture sector across the province. 

As part of a data collection strategy developed to gain a better understanding of the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the arts and culture sector across the province, GVPTA developed a survey in March 2020. This survey was designed for all arts disciplines; artists; arts workers; arts, culture, and heritage organizations across B.C. 


Originally in 2020, GVPTA had released a survey exclusively for theatre organizations, but through feedback received from funders, colleagues in other arts disciplines, and discussions with our colleagues at the BC Alliance for Arts + Culture and BC Museums Association, it made sense to expand the existing survey to be inclusive of all arts and culture organizations in British Columbia.


Initially, we measured financial, human resources, and other impacts based on decisions that have been made about your programming, activities, and operations. We also asked for demographic information in order to assess the impact based on different segments of our community. Subsequent iterations of the survey have evolved to address changing realities.

An initial report of COVID-19 B.C. Arts & Culture Sector Impact survey results was shared in June 2020; subsequent survey iterations in December 2020, April 2021, and November 2021 evolved to address current and changing realities. Find summaries and download the past reports here. 

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