We knew it, we know it: actors in the artistic and cultural sector have a tendency to congregate, to come together, thus forming strong artistic capitals, sometimes – often, even… – to the detriment of their surroundings. Montreal is, historically, the artistic and cultural city of Quebec. A statistical portrait of the players in the Montreal arts community provides, in figures, the profile of the metropolis’s 20,900 artists, its 91,000 cultural workers and 8,000 artistic leaders.
While Quebec has 43,100 professional artists, Montreal is home to 48% of Quebec’s entire professional artistic community, as revealed by the study carried out by Hill Strategies for the Conseil des arts de Montréal. A study based on financial data from 2020, clearly marked by the pandemic.
Even among close neighbors, the difference is radical: for equivalent territories, Laval lists 1,300 artists (0.5% of its active population) and Longueuil, 2,400 (1% of its active population).
What stands out from the study? Those involved in the Montreal arts community are overeducated. And paid less. Among them, 55% have at least a bachelor’s degree, compared to 44% of Montreal workers. And “in 2020, the median employment income of Montreal artists was only $17,400, which represents half of the median employment income of all workers on the island ($35,600) ”, we read.
In other words, the personal income of Montreal artists is 21% lower than that of other workers. This notable difference remains lower than elsewhere in Canada. In Toronto, it is -32%; in Vancouver, -35%: and for all of Canada, -39%.
This income of Montreal artists is 14% higher than that of Quebec artists, which stands at $15,200.
We also read in the study that “26% [des artistes de l’île de Montréal] have a child at home, a rate lower than the situation among Montreal workers (35%) and all Quebec artists (31%).
Should we cross-reference this data and read that artists change professions when the time comes to start a family? And that it is harder to build a nest in Montreal than outside?
“The difficulty of juggling an artistic career and a child is something I hear quite often,” responded Kelly Hill, president of Hill Strategies. “In many other Canadian provinces and cities, there is a fairly high proportion of artists who are at least 55 years old, and who are therefore less likely to have a child at home. This is not the case in Montreal, so it is not the cause of the lower proportion having a child. »
I would have liked to be an artistic leader (famous air)
We therefore find all kinds of artists in Montreal. Producers, directors and choreographers come out on top, “representing 29% of the island’s artists, a very high proportion and slightly higher than other major cities, such as Toronto (27%) and Vancouver (25%) “.
Nearly half of Quebec’s artistic leaders reside in Montreal, or 55%. The broad category of producers, directors and choreographers represents about three-quarters of this number.
And what about cultural workers? In 2020, one of these typical artisans in Montreal earned an employment income of $38,000, 7% more than the entire Montreal working population ($35,600). Quite a bit more than the artists…
In light of this portrait, what could help Montreal artists? Kelly Hill, who knows Canadian artistic realities and policies well, responds with a simple list: “Affordable housing. Affordable cultural spaces. Accessible and affordable child care. »
He continues: “Work opportunities (I am thinking of the reduction of these opportunities with the recent reduction of the Just for Laughs festival). Opportunities to obtain scholarships for artists and grants for the organizations that hire them. And a stimulation of demand: I hear about the difficulties in bringing people together for shows, exhibitions, since COVID. »