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The Real Story Behind the Arts Agenices Salary Survey 2013

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John McInerney

John McInerney

Americans for the Arts (AFTA), recently released Local Arts Agencies Salaries, 2013, a survey of 700 national service organizations that serve the cultural sector. While salaries in the nonprofit sector are usually below those in the for profit sector, salaries for leadership arts service positions seem reasonable given the overall environment and the salaries in the entertainment industry as a whole. The average salary for all executive directors in the AFTA survey is $78,394. For comparison, the mean salary for “Top Executive, Civic and Social Organization” by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is $95,810. Service organization salaries also seem reasonable compared to Performing Arts Executive Directors, $96,85-(BLS), and Top Executive Director, Museum, Historical Site and Similar Institution, $106,000 (BLS)–particularly when you take into account that the BLS figures include both forprofit and nonprofit positions.

The Salary Survey is a comprehensive and insightful survey but, unfortunately, the real news here is not about salaries of local arts agencies executives. The real story lies in the stark lack of diversity amongst leaders of arts service organizations and the sector as a whole. Eighty six percent of respondents identified as white (90% of Executive Directors) and 75% were women. Perhaps even more troubling, only 2% of respondents identified as Black/African American. The Voice of NonProfit Talent has documented that this lack of diversity carries through the full nonprofit sector, with overall nonprofit employment being approximately 82 percent white, 10 percent African-American, and five percent Hispanic/Latino. While I can’t source a definitive survey of just cultural nonprofits, I think it is reasonable to assume that results for culture would be similar, in particular when one looks at the demographic make up of the majority of cultural audiences and the demographics of the many cultural sector conferences for arts professionals annually. 

If you have not looked around your community in the last decade, this lack of diversity is not reflected by the country population as a whole. The 2010 US Census documented that half of all population growth from 2000 to 2010 was Hispanic and that 30% of the country’s population is now people of color. That number is expected to be 50% by 2042. And this is not even breaking news. In Philadelphia, we calculated five years ago that our regional population growth through 2020 would come ONLY from communities of color, with the white population growth remaining completely flat (Research Into Action).

These troubling statistics should add to the growing chorus of conversations about diversity in the arts sector. However, it is going to take more than catchy conference themes to make the arts more relevant. Just as the Ford foundation was instrumental in launching the modern nonprofit cultural sector in the 1960’s by funding and supporting an expanding array of cultural nonprofits, it is time for dramatic action from arts leaders, arts funders, and civic leaders.

Even more important, we need to recognize that, while questions about making artistic product relevant to broader audiences is a core diversity issue, the real problem may not even be about racial diversity at all. Study after study has shown that the highest predictors of cultural participation are education and socioeconomic status. This is not the arts problem alone. We need to recognize that if we want to change the diversity of our audiences (and our staff), we need to make access to education and employment opportunities universal. To this end, we need to recognize that if we care about the arts and care about making sure that they are enjoyed by all, we need to work not just for arts funding and arts issues, but to work with other leaders to resolve the serious issues with our education system in this country and ensure that marginalized communities have access to the resources and assistance they need to better their lives. Then, hopefully, the 2023 and 2033 surveys will tell a different story.


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