The Career Success of First-Generation Artists

• In Event: 72.049 - Roundtable Session 34
  In Roundtable Session: 72.049-14 - Mixed-Methods Research in the Lived Experiences of Artists and Arts Educators

Abstract

In this paper I look at self-reported arts employment data to determine what, if any, relationship exists between having a professional artist as a close relative and career success as a professional artist. Using data collected by the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP), a binary logistic regression was conducted on the likelihood an arts alumnus was currently holding employment as a professional artist using three categories of predictor variables: pre-enrollment, enrollment, and post-enrollment factors. Results supported the hypothesis that status as a first-generation artist would be associated with a lower probability of finding career success in the arts. These results suggest that colleges and universities should provide more career planning for these students.

Author

• Zachary Morgan, Indiana University - Bloomington