Study Findings
The partnership is a collaboration between Arts Alliance Illinois and three entities within the University of Illinois System: Discovery Partners Institute (DPI), the College of Fine and Applied Arts at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and the College of Architecture, Design, and the Arts at the University of Illinois Chicago.
A webinar discussing the findings will take place on Thursday May 2 at 1:30pm. Register to attend.
Study Findings
The report used data from the U.S. Census Bureau to map the careers of creative talent in the state’s workforce. Broadly, it found that arts graduates find pathways both within and outside arts disciplines, with many lending creative talents to professions outside the creative industries.
Key findings include:
- 22% of US and 20% of Illinois arts graduates work in occupations related to their field of study. Others are applying their unique talents to other roles such as Management, Education, Administration, and Sales.
- Architecture (40%) and Graphic Design (29%) graduates are most likely to be employed in arts occupations, while Drama (10%) and Art History (6%) graduates are among the least likely to be so.
- More than one quarter of Music graduates (26%) end up working in Education and one fifth of Art History graduates (20%) end up working in Management occupations.
- Arts graduates are more likely to work outside their field than graduates of other majors like Healthcare, IT, and Education.
The findings suggest that creatively trained workers can be found in many professions outside the arts, with their unique skills and viewpoints ready to be tapped by willing employers.
“Understanding these trends is pivotal for shaping the future of arts education and career preparation,” said Aisha Motlani, Ph.D., the author of the study. “The findings challenge traditional assumptions about where creative professionals contribute, prompting a rethinking of how we prepare and guide arts alumni.”
This report is the first step in building a long-term partnership between universities, nonprofits, and industry that will achieve nation-leading and transformative improvements in how Illinois identifies, prepares, supports, trains, and employs creative workers. Immediate next steps include interviewing creative professionals across occupations.
This partnership was launched in September 2023 with the hiring of Motlani, who serves as the Illinois Creative Workforce Research Specialist. She is housed within the Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative (IWERC) at DPI, which produces research on Illinois education and workforce issues for impact on state policy and practice.
“Creatives bring so much to the table,” says Claire Rice, Executive Director at Arts Alliance Illinois. “Having Dr. Motlani on board to track their impact, assess their realities, and factor their talents into the larger picture of our workforce landscape is a critical step towards improving professional pathways for creative workers in Illinois.”
“We are delighted to have Dr. Motlani at IWERC. Her dedicated work on creative training and jobs is contributing to our research arm on the Illinois workforce.” said Dr. Meg Bates, Director of IWERC, “Her creative perspective also informs all of our education research from cradle to career.”
The full report is available here.
Register to attend the free webinar on Thursday May 2 at 1:30pm.