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ArtsPay NJ

A Compensation Survey and Pay Equity Project for the New Jersey Arts Community

ArtsPay NJ Webinar

View the recorded webinar from March 8, 2024!

New Jersey’s arts service organizations, the collaborators of ArtsPay NJ, and the research team at Baker Richards presented highlights of the survey’s findings and explored how to use the public interactive dashboard to enable workers and employers to compare salary and other information by artistic discipline, job title, budget size, geographic area, etc.

The results of the first ever compensation study of the New Jersey Arts Sector are now available!

Data Collection and Analysis by:

Baker Richards is the third-party research firm that has been contracted to collect, anonymize, and analyze the data from ArtsPay NJ.

Based in Cambridge, UK but working around the world, the Baker Richards team of consultants, researchers, and developers share a passion for the arts and an obsession for detail. We have worked with hundreds of organizations, including many of the world’s leading theatres, opera houses, orchestras and art museums.

Among other projects, Baker Richards is known for their multi-year partnership with Arts Professional in collecting and reporting on data in the ArtsPay UK project.

Frequently Asked Questions

 

What is ArtsPay NJ?

  • ArtsPay NJ is a long-term project to build pay equity in the arts in our state. 

  • 2023 is the first year of the project and includes compensation surveys for nonprofit organizations and individuals

  • 2023 data will give us a snapshot of current compensation levels in our sector. This data will reveal areas where we need to address inequity and will set a baseline to measure progress in future years

  • This project is coordinated by the arts service organizations of New Jersey: ArtPride NJ, Arts Ed NJ, Dance New Jersey, New Jersey Theatre Alliance, New Jersey Association of Museums, and South Jersey Cultural Alliance. Each of these organizations are committing funds to support the project.

  • This project is managed by Baker Richards, a UK-based arts research firm with a multi-year track record of researching pay within the arts sector of the United Kingdom.

Why is this project important to arts organizations and arts workers? 

  • Inequitable pay structures, low pay, and lack of benefits contribute to people leaving the arts workforce, especially in states with high cost of living like New Jersey.

  • Low compensation makes it difficult for people without other financial means such as family support or a high-earning partner to maintain a career in the arts, which creates a less diverse workforce. 

  • Structural racism, sexism, ableism, and other systemic oppressions in the United States have created wage gaps in all sectors, including the arts. We must be able to see where those gaps exist in our sector to address them.

  • Lack of public information about compensation in the arts makes it difficult for organizations to appropriately structure salaries and difficult for arts workers to effectively advocate for themselves. Transparency is the first step toward pay equity in our field. 

  • Other existing arts compensation surveys focus on the national arts sector and don’t address the unique economic issues of New Jersey. Additionally, the results of other surveys are often only made available to executive leaders, those that participate in the survey, or those that pay for the information. The results of this survey will be available to all arts workers, arts organizations, funders, and the general public at no cost. 

What does “compensation” include?

  • For the purpose of this project, compensation includes:  salary or fee, health benefits, retirement benefits, life insurance, vacation/PTO, parental leave, professional development funds, flexible work arrangements, and any other employee benefits offered by the organization.

Who should participate in ArtsPay NJ?

  • ArtsPay NJ consists of two different surveys.

  • One survey (~30 minutes) will be filled out by an individual on behalf of an arts organization. They will give compensation information for all job titles at the organization.
    • All non-profit organizations in NJ for which the arts are the primary focus of their mission should complete this survey.

  • One survey (~20 minutes) will be filled out by individual arts workers about their own experience. Each individual will report their own compensation information, demographics, and job satisfaction through a mix of multiple choice and open-ended questions.

    • All people who identify as arts administrators and artists in NJ should complete this survey. 

    • We want to hear from full-time, part-time, and contract/freelance workers. 

    • Because this survey is focused on compensation, we are not collecting data from volunteers or trustees.

What will happen to the data? Is it anonymous?

  • The data will be collected and analyzed by Baker Richards, an arts research firm based in the UK. 

  • All data will be completely anonymous. No employer will see an individual’s survey responses. No one will see the data linked to the name of a participating organization.

  • The data will be released in two  forms:

    • A written report by Baker Richards, highlighting the major themes and learnings

    • A public dashboard where anyone can view trends filtered by job title, geographic region, organizational budget size, arts discipline and more.

Who has access to the results?

  • The results will made available to the public at no cost. Baker Richards’ Report and a link to the public dashboard will be available on the websites of the Arts Service Groups in New Jersey.

  • You do not need not have participated in the survey to gain access to the results

Why should I participate in ArtsPay NJ?

  • You will help our entire sector move towards a more equitable and sustainable future

  • The more organizations and individuals participate in the survey, the more accurate and full picture of our sector will emerge. 
  • As an individual, you will learn how your compensation compares to the rest of the field, and gain data to advocate for yourself.

  • If you are a leader of an organization, you will learn how your staff compensation compares with other organizations across the state, and be better equipped to competitively recruit, hire and retain employees.

Who is funding this work?

  • In addition to the financial commitment of the arts service organizations, this project is made possible by generous funding from the Grunin Foundation, The Newark Museum of Art, an anonymous donor, and New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

Have a Question or Need Help?

If you have further questions, please reach out to the designated contact at the service organization that best represents your art form.

Arts Ed NJ: Wendy Liscow

ArtPride New Jersey: Adam Perle

Dance New Jersey: Sarah Weber Gallo 

New Jersey Theatre Alliance: Erica Nagel

New Jersey Association of Museums: Sam Hwang

South Jersey Cultural Alliance: Julie Hain

Organizational ArtsPay NJ Survey

 

The 2023 Organizational Survey is now closed. 

Who Should Complete this Survey?

The Organizational ArtsPay NJ Survey should be filled out by a designated person on behalf of an arts organization. They will give compensation information for all job titles at the organization. All non-profit organizations in NJ for which the arts are the primary focus of their mission should complete this survey.

 

ORGANIZATIONAL SURVEY TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE:

Overview Webinar with NJ Theatre Alliance, ArtPride, and Baker Richards Consultants | July 20 @ 10am | WATCH RECORDING

Overview Webinar with South Jersey Cultural Alliance and NJ Theatre Alliance | July 24 @ 1pm | WATCH RECORDING

 

Individual Arts Worker Survey

The 2023 Individual Arts Worker Survey is now closed.

Who Should Complete this Survey?

The Individual Arts Worker Survey should be filled out by individual arts workers about their own experience. Each individual will report their own compensation information, demographics, and job satisfaction through a mix of multiple-choice and open-ended questions. The survey should take about 15-20 minutes to complete. 

All people who identify as arts administrators or artists in NJ should complete this survey. We want to hear from full-time, part-time, and contract/freelance workers. Because this survey is focused on compensation, we are not collecting data from volunteers or trustees.

Thank you for your participation! Completing this survey is an important step toward pay equity in the New Jersey Arts Field.

Webinar Materials