UNESCO Reports on COVID-19 Impact on Cultural Industries and Artists
According to a UNESCO report titled "Re|shaping policies for creativity. Addressing culture as a global public good" (2022), culture and creativity contribute 3.1% to the global GDP and account for 6.2% of jobs, with the COVID-19 pandemic resulting in a loss of 10 million jobs in 2020. Incomes for cultural workers decreased by 10%, equating to around €1 billion. Between February and March 2020, Italy saw the cancellation of 7,000 performing arts events. UNESCO's Director-General, Audrey Azoulay, emphasized the need for long-term strategies to address challenges such as digitalization. In January 2022, the Van Gogh Museum protested against closures in the Netherlands, while artists criticized the exploitation within the art system and proposed new residency models. Initiatives like the Association AWI – Art Workers Italia and the Forum dell'Arte Contemporanea are addressing these sector challenges in Italy.
Key facts
- UNESCO report 'Re|shaping policies for creativity' published in 2022
- Culture and creativity represent 3.1% of global GDP and 6.2% of employment
- 10 million jobs lost in cultural sector in 2020 due to COVID-19
- Cultural workers' incomes decreased by 10%, about €1 billion
- 7,000 performing arts events canceled in Italy between Feb-Mar 2020
- One in three major biennials/events canceled worldwide
- Cultural exports doubled from 2005 to $389.1 billion in 2019
- Van Gogh Museum protest in January 2022 turned galleries into beauty salon
- Italian galleries allowed to stay open under November 2020 DPCM as commercial businesses
- Audrey Azoulay called for long-term policies and digitalization support
- Artists Salvatore Iaconesi and Oriana Persico proposed 'New Living' residency model
- Artist Giuseppe Stampone described a structural crisis in the art system
- Artist Reverie noted post-pandemic acceleration and continued digital importance
- Grazia Toderi criticized exploitation of artists and lack of institutional support
- AWI – Art Workers Italia founded in 2020
- Forum dell'Arte Contemporanea last held November 2020
Entities
Artists
- Salvatore Iaconesi
- Oriana Persico
- Giuseppe Stampone
- Reverie
- Grazia Toderi
- Vincent van Gogh
- Francesco Arcangeli
Institutions
- UNESCO
- Van Gogh Museum
- Artribune
- Castelvecchi Editore
- AWI – Art Workers Italia
- Forum dell'Arte Contemporanea
- Radio GAMeC
- Clubhouse
- ResiliArt
Locations
- Amsterdam
- Netherlands
- Italy
- Bologna
- Padua
- Naples
- Rome