Artist Trust conducted a survey of individual artists in Washington State to understand the early impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on their livelihoods. This was an online survey available on our website and shared with artists and partner organizations by email and social media. Data collection began on March 11, 2020, the day Washington State Governor Jay Inslee banned events of 250 or more in King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties, closing many cultural institutions, performance venues, and arts spaces where artists make and present their work. Collection ended on March 20, 2020. By then, social distancing mandates were instituted statewide.

The survey asked four core questions regarding the early impact of COVID-19 on artists and their work. The data in this report is the result of content analysis of individual responses.

About the Artists

The survey received 1,005 responses with 73% from King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties. More than 7% of responses came from Eastern Washington counties. Rural counties accounted for another 7% of responses. Artists from 31 of the state’s 39 counties responded.

A majority of responses were from visual and performing artists, who seemed to be the most impacted in the early stages of the pandemic due to the cancellation of events and closure of non-essential businesses. Multidisciplinary and film/media artists were the next most impacted.

To download the results as a PDF, click here.

Artist Impact

Artist Response

To create this critical program, Artist Trust is building a coalition of people, organizations, and corporations who will join in supporting artists now. To join in support of artists’ urgent needs, visit www.artisttrust.org/donate.