Most artists show multiple times a year but still can’t make a living, survey finds

Most working artists do what the contemporary art world asks—exhibiting regularly, setting professional goals and managing their careers—but still can’t make a living, with many reporting that debt shapes their professional decisions, a new survey found.

The findings appear in a new report that draws on responses from more than 1,000 visual artists across four self-identified career stages, from early-career artists to those exhibiting at major museums and international fairs. The report is based on two surveys conducted between December 2024 and November 2025.

Netvvrk, an artist mentorship platform started by critic and curator Paddy Johnson, produced the report with support from the Trellis Foundation. Artists received the voluntary surveys through Netvvrk’s membership and a wider mailing list, and responses were collected online using Typeform.

Art market analyst Tim Schneider reviewed the findings and noted some limitations. He explained that the results are meant to show general trends, not provide exact statistics. Access to the full report requires registration through Netvvrk’s website.

“Let’s get the tough love out of the way first: some of the core challenges of an art career are structural and likely permanent,” Schneider wrote in the report. “A small minority of star artists will probably always command a large majority of the sales revenue and exhibition opportunities, just as they have for hundreds of years.”

Schneider also pointed to the broader policy context shaping artists’ financial lives, writing that sustaining an art career in the United States remains difficult amid limited federal arts funding and weak public support for culture.

The report finds that many artists are meeting the baseline expectations of the art world, but that effort is not translating into sustainable careers.

Nearly 80% of respondents said they exhibited their work at least twice a year in venues they considered appropriate, and 86% reported setting professional goals. Despite this, 82% said their biggest challenge was a lack of opportunities to show their work or generate revenue—suggesting that while artists are exhibiting, those shows often do not provide sufficient income, visibility or long-term advancement.

“Many artists feel they’ve reached a ceiling on growth no matter how much or little they’ve already achieved,” the report said.

Nearly three-quarters of surveyed artists described themselves as optimistic about their careers. At the same time, 75% reported earning $15,000 or less annually from their art practice, with more than half earning $5,000 or less. Only 3% said they earned more than $100,000. The report also found that 45% of respondents earned less in 2025 than in 2024.

This suggests that optimism persists even as financial security remains elusive, and that working steadily does not reliably translate into stability.

Debt impacts artists at all career stages, even those with the most recognition. The report found that debt shapes the professional choices of 56% of all respondents, and this number rises to 59% for “Zenith” artists, who show their work at major museums and blue-chip international fairs.

The report explains that advancing in one’s career does not necessarily ease financial stress, noting that greater visibility can introduce new financial pressures as artists take on larger projects and higher operating demands.

“But many industry professionals assume that if you’re talented enough and work hard enough, the business side will take care of itself,” Johnson wrote. “The data proves otherwise. Career advancement doesn’t automatically create stability.”

The survey also found that many artists lack basic business practices. Only 39% said they require written agreements when consigning their work, and 91% said they have no estate plan or only limited records of their inventory.

In a section interpreting the results, Johnson noted that even the report’s most established artists can lack “basic business systems like estate plans.” This shows that being recognized professionally does not always mean having professional safeguards.

The authors emphasized that the report is not intended to function as a formal polling project. Schneider described the findings as “directionally true,” offering a framework for identifying trends rather than a statistically representative portrait of all artists.

“2025 was a rough year for artists,” Johnson wrote in a letter included in the report. “Material costs are up. Show opportunities are down. Sales are unpredictable.”