Art Stats 2019 turns its lens to artists and arts workers. This report brings together results from a public opinion poll that surveyed over 1500 artists and arts workers to ask questions about costs of work space, homes, essential training and income.

Since 2013 Toronto Arts Foundation has been working with Leger to research public opinion about the arts and document the findings in our popular Toronto Arts Stats booklets. What has emerged is a record of the appreciation Toronto residents feel for the arts and an understanding that the arts add value to their lives and the city far beyond economics. For many, the arts are a defining asset of our city.

This year, for the first time, we examine the city from the perspective of individual artists and arts workers. The results of the 2019 survey are sobering. Bearing disproportionately high costs for both work space and essential training, and burdened by disproportionately low incomes, many Toronto artists believe they cannot sustain a living and are considering leaving the city.

As with most research undertaken by Toronto Arts Foundation, the learning gleaned from Arts Stats 2019 will be applied to future planning. Just as NeighbourhoodArts Network was created to respond to the needs of artists located outside Toronto’s core, and Arts in the Parks to offer accessible programming for under-served communities, the Foundation will work with this data and with other partners to explore solutions. We applaud those who are currently engaged in finding solutions and thank them for their vital leadership.

Arts resources and partners:

Artscape Launchpad
Akin
Spacefinder
Hill Strategies
Ontario Living Wage
Ontario Nonprofit Network Pension Plan
Toronto Arts Council Resources
City of Toronto

Acknowledgements:

Arts Stats 2019 is a Toronto Arts Foundation publication, produced in partnership with Leger, the largest Canadian-owned polling, research and strategic marketing firm. Special thanks to: Dave Scholz (President, Communications and Public Affairs, Leger), Patrick Ryan (Research Analyst, Communications and Public Affairs, Leger), Peter Kingstone (Toronto Arts Council) and Toronto Arts Foundation staff Margo Charlton, Susan Wright (Deputy Director), Jaclyn Rodrigues (Community Engagement Manager), Dr. Shawn Newman (Reasearch and Impact Manager) and Tabassum Siddiqui (Interim Communications Manager).

Art Stats 2018 asks Torontonians why the arts matter. This report brings together results from a public opinion poll, showing that most Torontonians are optimistic about their city and believe the arts add to their quality of life.

In 2013, Toronto Arts Foundation and Leger began a partnership to explore public opinion about the arts. What has emerged in the last five years is a better understanding of the deep appreciation Torontonians have for the arts. 

Art Stats 2018 shows us that most Torontonians are optimistic about their city and believe the arts add to their quality of life. While they may be concerned about transit and housing and many worry about taxes and crime, almost all Toronto residents recognize the value of living in a city that supports the arts. The arts matter to
Torontonians.

From neighbourhood galleries, to vibrant street festivals, arts in the parks and concerts downtown – Torontonians are drawn to the arts and the way in which they connect us to each other and inspire our communities. Torontonians support the arts because they make our city unique, reflect our diversity, and engage us with new ideas. As we approach another municipal election, arts supporters will be looking to their mayoral and city council candidates to stand up for the arts.

We hope that our fourth Arts Stats booklet helps generate discussion about the many ways Torontonians are connected to and care about the arts.

For information on how to use Arts Stats 2018, download the TOOLKIT

Acknowledgements:

Arts Stats 2018 is a publication of Toronto Arts Foundation compiled by Margo Charlton (Toronto Arts Foundation) and Patrick Ryan (Leger). Our gratitude to Dave Scholz, Executive Vice-President at Leger for his continued support of arts impact research.

Toronto Arts Stats 2017 asks questions about genorosity and the arts. What motivates Torontonians to give their volunteer time, or money, to the arts? This report brings together the results from a public opinion poll and a survey of arts administrators revealing where perceptions of philanthropy to the arts differ.

Arts Stats 2017 explores the theme of generosity, revealing how the arts stack up against other charitable organizations for donor dollars, the barriers that stop people from giving, the benefits of volunteering and donating, and what information could persuade someone to become a donor. The results provide insights into why Torontonians donate to the arts. 73% of Torontonians say that making a difference is the top benefit to donating to the arts. Surprisingly, receiving acknowledgement (34%), and getting invitations to special events (31%) are not top priorities to donors. 

Acknowledgements:

Toronto Arts Stats 2017 is a publication of Toronto Arts Foundation, compiled and edited by Margo Charlton of Toronto Arts Foundation. Survey questions were designed and analyzed by Margo, Lisa Coven and Patrick Ryan (Leger). Special thanks to Michelle Yeung, Jaclyn Rodrigues and Jennifer Green. 

Our thanks to Dave Scholz of Leger for his continued support of arts impact research.

Toronto Arts Stats 2016 reveals public opinion about the arts including how Torontonians see the arts as a way to attract tourists, improve the economy, create employment and make the city more beautiful. 96% of Torontonians see at least one benefit of the arts to the City of Toronto.

Torontonians see the arts as having a positive influence in the neighbourhoods they live in, their individual lives and the city they call home. Starting in 2013, Toronto Arts Foundation and Leger have developed a partnership to explore public opinion about the arts.

Through a partnership with Leger, Toronto Arts Foundation is examining the impact of the arts on life in Toronto. Public surveys provide timely snapshots of how residents access the arts, how the arts contribute to community development, and improve the quality of life in our city.

Bringing the City Alive 2013 examined the arts as a way of attracting residents to live in Toronto. 798 Ontario residents who either ‘live in, work in or visit Toronto’ were surveyed on their views of the arts in Toronto.

The results revealed how central the arts are to life in Toronto.

• 63% of GTA residents surveyed said that the city’s arts and cultural activities are important in their decision to live in the GTA.
• 65% of those surveyed agree that the city’s arts and cultural activities help companies attract and retain good employees.
• 65% of those surveyed showed support for the Toronto City Council Executive Committee’s motion (January 10 2013) calling for a significant increase in direct arts investment.

Bringing the City Alive 2014 was expanded to look at many aspects of arts engagement and value including connecting to cultural heritage. The results revealed how residents value the arts.

• 70% of GTA residents regularly engage in the arts whether through attendance, volunteerism or donation.
• 74% agree that the arts bring benefits to Toronto including attracting tourists, highlighting the city’s diversity, and improving the economy.
• 62% feel that funding to the arts should be further increased.

Between 2020 to 2022 ArtWorksTO delivered its programming with funding from the Future Skills Centre and the City of Toronto. This impact highlights report underscores impacts of the program during this time with information gathered and analysed by independent consultants Kris Erickson, PhD and Fiona Scott. The impact report was jointly authored by Laura Metcalfe from the City of Toronto and Angie Aranda from the Toronto Arts Foundation. 


In 2021, Toronto’s six Local Arts Service Organizations, led by East End Arts, undertook a study to better understand the dynamic shift to digital and virtual spaces for Community Arts organizations and practitioners. The aim was to assess the effectiveness of the strategies and practices that these groups used in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the changes and barriers that they encountered in moving to virtual modes of delivery. The project was completed by a research team composed of Nordicity and Toronto Arts Foundation’s Research & Impact Manager, Dr. Shawn Newman, with support from former Toronto Arts Council Strategic Programs Manager, Erika Hennebury. Funding came from the Canada Council for the Arts’ Digital Strategy Fund.

The Arts & Culture in Public Spaces Survey was created to understand how Torontonians feel about participating in arts and cultural activities happening in outdoor public spaces in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The data presented here will help Toronto Arts Foundation, the City of Toronto and numerous community groups plan for arts activities and events happening in 2020 and 2021.

This report shares more in-depth feedback from Community Organizers: it contains interviews with nine community organizers about their experiences with Arts in the Parks and includes information about their neighbourhood, the role of their group, and their own motivations to be advocates for their parks and for the arts. In addition, discussions focused on the impact of the arts to the well-being of their community, challenges to bringing arts into parks, and how Arts in the Parks program can be improved.

A vital guide to helping community organizations and municipalities envision their own arts events in parks.

An evaluation report of Toronto Arts Foundation’s Arts in the Parks program, which brought 282 events to 36 parks across Toronto in 2018.

An evaluation report of Toronto Arts Foundation’s Arts in the Parks program, which brought 340 events to 54 parks across Toronto in 2017. 


A research and discussion paper commissioned by Toronto Arts Foundation with the support of The Metcalf Foundation and Toronto Arts Council.

Commissioned by Toronto Arts Foundation with support from the Metcalf Foundation and Toronto Arts Council, Generator and The RISER Project: Sector developers for independent theatre in Toronto takes a look at Generator and Why Not Theatre’s The RISER Project, two change initiatives in the performing arts sector. Both ventures have emerged from the theatre community to devise new ways to support independent artists in today’s context of precarity and limited resources.

Written by researcher Helen Yung of the Culture of Cities Centre, the report looks at the ventures as case studies with which to examine sector change and how we measure the success of change initiatives. Overall, the report asks: What insights and learning can be derived from looking at these two bold new ventures? 

For more information contact: Margo Charlton, Research Manager, Toronto Arts Foundation margo@torontoarts.org  416-392-6802 ext 201

In 2011 the Toronto Arts Foundation received funding from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council to lead a research partnership with Art Starts, OCAD University and York University. The goal of the study was to gain a better understanding of how residents engage with the arts at a community level, to explore barriers to arts access and to identify ways to strengthen local arts engagement.

Neighbourhoods are filled with creative energy! From local festivals bringing people into the streets and parks, to art classes for children and knitting circles for adults; from showcases highlighting fashion design and urban dance, to community gardens festooned with colourful fences, to graffiti artists using buildings as canvases; from people meeting up to make music together, to individuals quietly working on their calligraphy; from plans to open cultural hubs to enterprising people finding a way to sell their art – there is no shortage of vibrant expression in the communities we researched. The question is rather how the work can be supported and encouraged and how residents can become more in touch with the creative potential of their neighbourhoods.

From June 2011 to July 2013, the research team conducted a research study to explore arts involvement and the impact of arts in three neighbourhoods in Toronto. The goals of the study were to: 

• gain a better understanding of how residents engage with the arts at a community level;
• explore barriers to arts access; and 
• identify ways to strengthen local arts engagement.

Working with community organizations and community liaison workers, 17 researchers made 300 connections and conducted focus groups, interviews and surveys with close to 200 residents, artists, arts groups and social service organizations working and living in three communities: Malvern, St. James Town and Weston Mt. Dennis.

Research:

Research Manager, Margo Charlton, presented the findings from ‘Transforming Communities Through The Arts’, a two year research study in three Toronto neighbourhoods, at the 2014 Creative Cities Summit. The presentation is here.

As part of our Creative City: Block By Block vision the Foundation undertook a two year research project to explore the impact of the arts in three Toronto neighbourhoods. Funded by SSHRC the project was a partnership with OCAD University, York University and ArtStarts. The full report can be found here.

As part of our Creative City: Block By Block vision the Foundation undertook a two year research project to explore the impact of the arts in three Toronto neighbourhoods. Funded by SSHRC the project was a partnership with OCAD University, York University and ArtStarts. The community report can be found here.


The Arts & Equity Project is a research and educational initiative of Toronto Arts Foundation and the Neighbourhood Arts Network, with support from Manifesto Community Projects. Launched in the spring of 2011, the project was made possible through the Ontario Ministry of Culture’s Cultural Strategic Investment Fund. The Arts & Equity Project focuses on arts and community groups who are working to reduce barriers to community participation and collaboration. The project set out to learn from, document, and share the experiences of these groups.The Arts & Equity Project began through consultations and research interviews with arts and community groups, community engaged artists, cultural workers, and community-based social service workers. We wanted to develop a better understanding of some of the challenges they face in relation to equity and professional development, as the kinds of strategies they use to address these concerns. Based on what we learned, we created a series of participatory workshops.

The workshops brought people together to examine community arts, equity, and engagement in a collaborative way. They were designed to address some of the common questions and concerns that practitioners identified during the consultations. The workshops provided a space for in-depth exploration of common challenges through discussion, problem-solving, and arts-based activities. They also enabled practitioners to develop stronger networks for peer-to-peer learning, support, and potential partnerships.

Utilizing learning generated through the interviews, consultations, and workshops, we developed this Arts and Equity Toolkit. The toolkit includes three primary components: a reflective section that examines issues and provides a set of principles for working towards community arts equity; examples of equity in practice that zoom in on the work of a variety of local practitioners in relation to 6 priority issues; and a set of practical resources connected to each of the six priority issues. The toolkit aims both to provide a means of support to those who are working to build more inclusive and equitable communities and to act as a starting point for future dialogue about equity in the field.