{"id":1457,"date":"2021-01-05T20:23:55","date_gmt":"2021-01-05T20:23:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/data\/?page_id=1457"},"modified":"2021-02-03T22:23:04","modified_gmt":"2021-02-03T22:23:04","slug":"artists-covid","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/data\/artists-covid\/","title":{"rendered":"The Impact of COVID-19 on NYC Artists"},"content":{"rendered":"

COVID-19 Impact on NYC Artists: Closures and Cancellations<\/h2>\n
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\n Artists and cultural spaces in New York City have been especially impacted by the negative effects of COVID-19.<\/p>\n

On March 12, 2020, in response to COVID-19, New York State (NYS) Governor Andrew Cuomo barred gatherings of more than 500 people and placed restrictions on other gatherings<\/a>, prompting New York City\u2019s (NYC) cultural institutions\u2014including the Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met), the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Guggenheim, the Metropolitan Opera, Carnegie Hall and the NY Philharmonic\u2014to shut their doors, postpone all programming and cancel all shows<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In a press conference the same day, NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio stressed the importance of the restrictions, which he conveyed as \u201cdifficult but necessary.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

On March 20, 2020, Governor Cuomo announced an executive order creating “New York State on PAUSE” restrictions<\/a>, resulting in a de-facto shelter in place order.<\/p>\n

While artists, cultural organizations and institutions, cultural groups and galleries began exploring creative ways to keep people engaged with art, culture and commerce while observing safety precautions<\/a>, data shows that the art and cultural community, in particular, was disproportionately and negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, as compared with other sectors.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Number of Artists Employed in NYC<\/h2>\n

July 2019
\n96,900 Artists Employed<\/small><\/p>\n

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July 2020
\n29,800 Artists Employed<\/small><\/p>\n

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July 2019 – July 2020 Change
\n-69% Decrease in Artists Employed<\/small>
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Download the Data <\/i><\/a><\/p>\n

Data Team Home <\/i><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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NYC Artists During COVID<\/h2>\n
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\n Prior to the pandemic, the cultural sector was one of the largest industries in NYC<\/a>, employing nearly 293,000 workers, paying them $31 billion in wages and generating $110 billion in economic activity<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In 2019, the theater industry in NYC alone grossed $1.8 billion and drew 14.8 million patrons<\/a>, while the dance sector contributed over $300 million to the City’s economy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In New York State, the cultural sector contributes more than $120 billion to the economy annually. However, when cultural institutions closed their doors in March 2020, the City\u2019s artists, actors, musicians, stagehands and freelancers suddenly found themselves unemployed and severed from their communities and livelihoods.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n Over the next few months, the museum sector alone lost almost 34 percent of its jobs due to closures. On March 19th, the Metropolitan Opera laid off all of its union employees and on March 31st, The Met announced it would look to its $3.6 billion endowment to cover costs and maintain employees, something the museum had not previously done, even during World Wars, 9\/11 or in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

By early April, the Queens Museum had laid off 30 employees, the Whitney Museum of Art had laid off 20 percent of its staff and other institutions expressed they may have to lay off a significant number of employees \u2013 in some cases up to 68 percent.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Jazz<\/p>\n

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Drop in NYC Artists’ Employment due to COVID19<\/h3>\n
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