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New York’s Art World Is Twice As White As Its Population


July 1, 2014 | Sophie Weiner

The Museum of Art and Design’s biennial show NYC Makers, opening tomorrow, includes a recently conducted study showing that “New York’s art world” is twice as white as the city’s population.

With the recent protests against the lack of diversity at the Whitey Biennial and causal racism by attendees at the Kara Walker exhibit, this study arrives right on time. BFAMFAPhD, who condicted the study, told Hyperallergic that “New York City’s population is 33% white non-Hispanic, but 74% of people in the city with arts degrees are white non-Hispanic and 74% of people who make a living as artists are white non-Hispanic.”

The report is very in-depth, going on to cover everything from gender discrimination to “Rent Burden” among the city’s artists. Unsurprisingly, Hyperallergic comes to the conclusion “to say, in light of this, that the art world has a diversity problem seems like a comical understatement.” (Image: BFAMFAPhD)