Graphic from Hill Strategies report Organizational Stress and Resilience in the Arts in Canada, November 2021 (courtesy Hill Strategies)
A new report from Hill Strategies, an Ontario-based cultural research firm, that looks at the pandemic's impact on the arts sector paints a grim picture.
The report, Organizational Stress and Resilience in the Arts in Canada, says the total value of all goods and services sold in the culture sector decreased by 10 per cent from 2019 to 2020.
It also notes that 55 per cent of organizations and businesses in the arts, entertainment and recreation saw revenue decrease by at least 30 per cent over the same time period.
The report, the first in a new series that delves into topics like well-being in the arts, reflects data mostly from 2020, although some information is as recent as September.
It notes some arts organizations in Canada have closed as there were eight per cent fewer businesses in the arts, entertainment and recreation sector in May 2021 than in January 2020.
In 2020, there were 594,000 positions in the culture sector (including self-employed arts and culture workers), the lowest total since 2010, when culture-specific records began.
Performing arts organizations and artists, as well as festivals, have been hit the hardest, with the loss of 52 per cent of sales and 36 per cent of jobs between 2019 and 2020, it said.
The report cites challenges with moving forward as a sector, including financial restraints, staff burnout and ongoing uncertainty about public health rules.
On a positive note, it says the total value of all goods and services sold in the culture sector was 16 per cent higher in the second quarter of 2021 than in the same quarter of 2020. Sales dipped significantly during pandemic lockdowns during last year's second quarter, but have since increased steadily, although they are not back to 2019 levels.
The report highlights specific examples of resiliency at several organizations with the move to online programming. For example, the Woodland Cultural Centre, a First Nations educational and cultural centre on the grounds of a former residential school near Brantford, Ont., moved its tours online during the pandemic. The virtual tours are so popular they are now a substantial source of revenue, while also encouraging dialogue around Indigenous history and culture.
Source: Hill Strategies