Background
From 2022 to 2024, CRNY Artist-Organizer Kevin Gotkin worked on a range of projects about the lives and livelihoods of Deaf and disabled artists. Kevin’s background in research and cultural organizing helped them identify initiatives that match what artists and organizations need in our rapidly evolving contexts. The projects span CRNY’s program areas to offer data, programming, and documentation to support the vibrant fields of Deaf and disability artistry.
A Portrait of New York's Deaf and Disabled Artists
CRNY’s 2022 Portrait of New York State Artists survey collected data from 1,367 Deaf/disabled artists, or 10.2% of the overall respondents (N=13,377). This is an usually large dataset and offers a rare opportunity to explore the size and breadth of Deaf/disability data in the arts. The data are available for public use at the National Archive of Data on Arts & Culture.
The survey collected responses between February and May 2022.
Demographics
Of the 1,367 Deaf/disabled artists in the sample...
63.2%
Aged 25 to 44
73.4%
Black, Indigenous, and People of Color
61.6%
LGBTQIAP+
13.9%
Immigrant artists
68.2%
Based in NYC
Artistic Disciplines
When prompted for up to 3 disciplines that best reflect their practices, the largest numbers of Deaf or disabled artists were in…
1. Visual Arts
N=616
2. Music
N=368
3. Literary Arts
N=358
Additionally...
In a separate survey question, 48.7% (N=666) reported that teaching or educating others is core to their practice
Income
41.7% (N=538)
had an annual household income of less than $15,000 in 2021, compared to 29.3% of hearing/nondisabled artists.
73% (N=941)
had incomes under $25,000.
95.2% (N=1,227)
had incomes under $50,000.
Economic Stability
72.9% (N=982)
reported feeling “Unstable” or “Extremely Unstable,” compared to 62.9% of nondisabled artists.
Only 3.1% (N=42)
reported feeling “Stable” in their financial stability.
0% (N=0)
No Deaf or disabled artist identified feeling “Extremely Stable.”
Nearly 1 in 4 (N=322)
said their financial stability fluctuates.
Housing, Opportunity, and Agency
1 in 3
reported their housing circumstances were unstable and did not meet their needs.
85.4% (N=1,167)
reported experiencing barriers to pursuing educational or professional development opportunities.
Evenly split
When asked if they feel agency over their future, Deaf/disabled artists were about evenly split between those who agreed, disagreed, and those who reported neither/were unsure.
The survey data point to an urgent and chronic emergency for a large share of all artists in New York. Deaf/disabled artists experienced even more severe impacts.
- Deaf/disabled artists reported more difficulty paying for an emergency: 28.6% (N=381) said they could pay for $400 of unexpected expenses without using credit, compared to 36% (N=3,947) of hearing/nondisabled artists.
- Deaf/disabled artists worked part-time jobs at about the same rate as hearing/nondisabled artists (approximately 30%), but they had lower rates of full-time employment (6.1% vs. 9.3%) and higher rates of unemployment (35.6% vs. 26.7%)
- Deaf/disabled artists made up only 5.4% (N=436) of the 8,149 artists who agreed or strongly agreed that they were in “good physical health.” The percentage was 6.4% among the smaller portion of all artists (N=4,974) who agreed or strongly agreed that they were in “good mental and emotional health.”
- When asked about their future, a smaller share of Deaf/disabled artists reported some degree of optimism: 47.8% (N=653) of Deaf/disabled artists, compared to 63% of hearing/nondisabled artists.
The data also help us understand how the early period of the Covid pandemic (March 2020 to February 2022) impacted Deaf/disabled artists.
- 52.4% of Deaf/disabled artists reported getting sick, compared to 40% of hearing/nondisabled artists.
- Compared to hearing/nondisabled artists, Deaf/disabled survey respondents reported higher rates of…
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Loneliness
- Food insecurity
- Housing insecurity
- New debt
- New caregiving responsibilities
These results reveal many holes in the social safety net for Deaf/disabled artists, likely an indication of compounding factors for a majority-BIPOC and LGBTQIAP+ sample.
But the need for action to support these artists does not call for pity. The data also help us witness Deaf/disabled artists’ commitment to their work and how we can join the movement to organize and advocate.
- The share of artists with health insurance was higher for Deaf/disabled artists compared to hearing/nondisabled artists: 90.2% compared to 81.5%
- 1 in 3 Deaf/disabled artists was aware of guaranteed income before learning about CRNY, compared to 1 in 4 hearing/nondisabled artists
- Deaf/disabled artists had higher rates of political advocacy than hearing/nondisabled artists: 26.1% compared to 16.5%
- 3,456 of all artists reported active participation in Disability Justice as a supporter or advocate. One quarter (N=851) of these artists identified as Deaf/disabled, meaning there are thousands of hearing/nondisabled ally-artists in New York who could be engaged in the movement work led by Deaf/disabled organizers.
Related Content
Related Pages
Portrait of NYS Artists
Research
A 2022 survey that collected social, financial, and well-being data from over 13,000 individual artists across New York State.
National Archive of Data on Arts and Culture (NADAC)
Data Repository
Creatives Rebuild New York (CRNY) launched the "Portrait of New York State Artists" survey in February 2022 to build a portrait of the needs, circumstances, and experiences of artists across New York State. CRNY used data from this survey to conduct advocacy and narrative change work, and to assess whether the funding provided to artists through CRNY's programs helped meet the needs of individual artists in any substantive or transformational ways.
Employment Research
Deaf & Disability Arts
How does employment support the lives and careers of Deaf and disabled artists in New York State? This project offers context, data, and analysis from the Artist Employment Program.