The Future of Work

In December 2018, we were invited to present at a Pecha Kucha event organised by Agile City at the Whisky Bond. Highlighting the work of the union, the results from our members' survey and the In Kind project by members Janie Nicoll and Ailie Rutherford.

Gordon Dickson, our Projects & Finance Manager and Artist & Executive Committee, Janie Nicoll member delivered the presentation, which followed the Pecha Kucha format (20 slides lasting 20 seconds each).

Each year we survey our members on all aspects of being a visual artist living and working in Scotland.

Last year we found 4 out of 5 members are self-employed, with none of those safeguards you associate with paid employment and 80% earn less than £10k per year.

79% do not get issued with contracts for paid work making them vulnerable to exploitative practices.

With funding from the STUC, we are working on a Fair Work Contract for our members to protect their rights and ensure fair pay.

In Kind

Janie Nicoll discussed the project In Kind, which confronted the unpaid and voluntary work done by artists at international festivals.

This project came out of conversations we had with a range of artists, which made it increasingly apparent that the festival’s ‘in kind’ economy is the elephant in the room, while also being endemic within the art scene in general. Our project challenges the apparently successful arts festival model rolled out across major cities.

 

You can find out more about the In Kind project here