Artists Report Back used data about artists’ demographics, occupations, educational attainment, field of degree, and earnings as recorded by The Census Bureau’s 2012 American Community Survey (ACS) to make statements about the current conditions and contradictions of working artists and arts graduates.

In 2014, I convened the New York City based collective BFAMFAPhD and served as the creative director of our publication, Artists Report Back, which used the quantified data report and data visualization to advocate for increased diversity in art and design education. Our Report received national attention, placing us in dialog with student organizers, policy-makers, administrators, and government officials, including New York City Department of Cultural Affairs Commissioner Tom Finkelpearl and Design Director Jason Schupbach at the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). I am heartened by the Department of Cultural Affairs’ 2015-2016 diversity survey that “offers a starting point for [the City] to take serious action.” I am honored that the NEA used our data in their recent report, Creativity Connects, to call for greater funding for minority communities in art and technology.