Society for Arts Leadership Educators

Artists’ and Creative Workers’ Challenges and Resilience from 2020 - 2023
Presenter: Rachel Skaggs
We are now more than four years out from the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, and emerging evidence shows a somewhat more positive set of outcomes for people working in the arts and creative industries compared to initial catastrophic impacts (Skaggs, Novak-Leonard, and Barbee 2024). This presentation draws from 94 interviews with U.S. artists and creative workers, answering the following questions: In what ways do artists and creative workers see themselves as having been resilient since the onset of the pandemic? If they do not see themselves as resilient, what has hindered their resilience? Findings indicate that the impact of the pandemic on these artists and creative workers were incredibly varied, with many experiencing challenges or setbacks and many reporting significant positive outcomes in their professional and lives. The challenges faced by interviewees were most frequently in maintaining their career path in the arts, insufficient work or pay, lack of social connectedness with professional community, and challenges with physical or mental health that impacted their work. Most artists and creative workers reported that they had been resilient since the pandemic began, citing examples of how they adapted and innovated in response to pandemic-era changes, especially in their approaches to digital ways of engaging in their creative work. For those who reported that they had not been resilient, the uncertainty, instability, and isolation that they have felt in their professional lives wore them down and kept them from feelings of resilience.

Exploring Innovative Evaluation Tools for Community Arts Programs
Presenter: Winter Phong
This presentation outlines a research initiative focused on developing innovative evaluation tools for community arts programs, amplifying marginalized voices. It reviews literature at the intersection of disability studies, community engagement, and arts management, preparing foundational work for a proposed Fulbright project aimed at enhancing inclusivity and participant engagement.