NEWS: Bridge Proudly Joins the DCASE “Art Is Labor” Program

Bridge is proud to join the City of Chicago, DCASE-sponsored “Art Is Labor” campaign. Creative workers are the foundation of Chicago’s rich arts and culture landscape.

From artists to ushers to techs to administrators, and so many others, creative workers are fueling the imagination and design that are essential to the city’s businesses, organizations, and communities.

Artists and arts workers, a subset of creative workers, are 3.6x more likely than the general workforce to be self-employed. They are also more likely to work multiple jobs and often earn income for their creative production through grants, residencies, and fellowships.

Employment policies, laws, and working conditions must recognize, respond to, and serve creative workers to ensure that they, their families, and communities thrive.

Open dialogue about the issues facing creative workers is essential. This includes transparent, fair and equitable pay policies, safe workplaces, and access to tools to improve the conditions of creative production.

The Departments of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) and Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP), through the Office of Labor Standards (OLS), are leading the “Creative Worker Rights: Art is Labor” Campaign to:

1) call attention to the truth that creative output is labor – from residencies and fellowships to more traditional forms of employment, creative workers are and should be protected as they earn;

2) connect Chicago’s creative workers – and their employers – to information about the relevant laws and resources at the local, state, and federal level;

3) highlight new protections that will improve creative workers’ ability to advocate and safeguard the conditions of their work; and

4) build the partnerships necessary to make sure that creative work is good work.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PROGRAM.