To anyone who might ask, "Where have all the artists gone?", the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has a very good answer. That answer is parsed out in this well-research 148-page publication titled "Artists in the Workforce: 1990-2005". Released in June 2008, the publication offers a nationwide look at artists' demographic and employment patterns in the 21st century. Working with extensive data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the report also provides detailed information on specific artist occupations. Among other findings, the report notes that there are almost two million Americans who describe their primary occupation as artist, and that as a group, they represent almost 1.5 percent of the U.S. labor force. Not surprisingly, the report also notes that most artists cluster in a very select group of metropolitan areas, including Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Washington, and Boston. Taken as a whole, it's a thoughtful report that will be of particular interest to policy makers and artists alike.
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