ABSTRACT
The surveys, one for artists and arts workers who are parents and one for galleries asked a range of questions about how parents are accommodated in the industry. The precarious and unregulated nature of artists’ wages, coupled with supplementary, often casualised work in peripheral industries, means that artists returning to work after parental leave are left with difficult choices about continuing to pursue a career in the arts. Conscious of the generally over-burdened state of the art industry, we were very careful to frame the recommendations positively, emphasising that almost every contemporary art space could do something to make artist parents more welcome – as visitors and as presenting artists. In July 2019, Nina Ross and Jessie Scott launched the Culture of Silence report at West Space, who organised a childcare worker to provide on-site care for attendees and participating artists’ children.
