Dr Susan Jones
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susandrjonesarts.bsky.social
Dr Susan Jones
@susandrjonesarts.bsky.social
Independent arts researcher and commentator on artists’ livelihoods and arts policy interrelations www.padwickjonesarts.co.uk
At last! An independent longitudinal qualitative study getting to heart of why artists do what they do and how, identifying barriers & brakes & how ACE’s institutions favouring policies >2010 impacted + conditions for artists’ emotional, environmental & economic resilience. DM for pre pub copy.😊
December 1, 2025 at 12:08 PM
On 3 Nov @starandshadow.bsky.social I'm contributing insight from my independent longitudinal, qualitative study of artists' lives to Artists' Graft. Other speakers are Kat Bevan, Theresa Easton, Dr Ewan McKenzie and Dr Tom Hopkin. Part of ESRC's Festival of Social Science 'Our working lives'.
October 20, 2025 at 3:48 PM
I was honoured to have Owen Kelly's consideration of my research 'Artists' lives: ecologies for resilience' as a MIAAW podcast. He describes the research's value as 'a detailed analysis of the lives #artists lead when #culture is seen as an industry".

Listen at podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/m...
October 7, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Artists' lives: ecologies for resilience 2025 is now completed.

33,440 words
84pp
14 #artists' stories

If #artistslivelihoods is a research topic close to your own heart I'd be delighted to send you a personal copy. Just send me a DM.
July 25, 2025 at 1:41 PM
Call to #visualartists in UK for info for my study of #ecologiesforartistsresilience - how many hours a week (or month) do you get to spend in your studio?
What conditions affect how long you can spend?
DMs welcomed
March 7, 2025 at 9:49 AM
@dcmsgovuk.bsky.social @lisanandymp.bsky.social @artscouncilengland.bsky.social #SimonMellor @artsprofessional.co.uk (2019)“trickle down” funding doesn’t work for many #artists, and routing funding through organisations “not very effective way of supporting the development of independent #artists”.
February 21, 2025 at 11:30 AM
Tellingly, new £270m #arts #culture uplift announced by @lisanandymp.bsky.social (before she's reshuffled?) "a good day for *arts organisations*" (says ACE) while this and govt review scope of @artscouncilengland.bsky.social ignore pivotal contributions of individual #artists #makers and all....
February 20, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Spot the gap - govt @dcmsgovuk.bsky.social review @artscouncilengland.bsky.social led by Margaret Hodge will consider impact of this national body's policies and operations on everything *other than* individual practitioners #artists #writers #dancers #musicians #photographers #communityartists
February 20, 2025 at 12:42 PM
Uk folk — contribute to this significant research programme Our Future Health in partnership with @nhs
February 16, 2025 at 2:18 PM
I'll be speaking up for #artists and the history of productive support for artist-run initiatives and grassroots developments at this @Testspace event in Sunderland 3 March. Eventbrite bookings via www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/speak-up-2...

More about me and what I do is at www.padwickjonesarts/services
February 11, 2025 at 6:05 PM
Here’s me - who I am, the stuff I know about and where to locate writing and presentations
Www.padwickjonesarts.co.uk/services
February 9, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Here’s a summary of my major research studies on #artistslivelihoods and #artspolicy interrelations

Follow link to see the publications and resources arising - and DM if you’d like a briefing, presentation and personalised advice.

padwickjonesarts.co.uk/services
January 29, 2025 at 5:29 PM
#artists #ecologiesforartistsresilience
What makes an #arts #commissioner good to work with?
What qualities and attitudes make a relationship with commissioner, arts manager, host productive and supportive?
January 20, 2025 at 2:26 PM
Maybe, just maybe....
"....evidenc[ing] emerging #grassroots appetite for a dramatic shift from current hierarchical patterns driven by national imperatives to nuanced, localized #grassroots infrastructures ...." from my research published @culturaltrends 2022 www.tandfonline.com/eprint/HVTIT...
January 17, 2025 at 2:37 PM
#artists always get lost (as confirmed by former @ace_national CEO Peter Hewitt) in #artspolicy because their interests and needs aren’t aligned with #trickledown economic frameworks of the #arts funded or commercial, which are always more important to sustain where #funding is concerned.
January 5, 2025 at 12:47 PM
This isn’t a newly published letter @theguardian.com but worth reiterating at point in the year when the vast majority of #artists face a fallow period with little or no paid work, orgs offering scant fees for much return in the few opps on offer and £CoL high

www.theguardian.com/culture/2024...
January 5, 2025 at 12:14 PM
Perfect #christmas reading for me @thewhitepube and @verso #artistslivelihoods do matter - listen up you #artspolicy #artsorganisations folk
December 25, 2024 at 11:30 AM
#trickledown is a totally crap principle wherever applied

@graceblakeley.bsky.social
December 23, 2024 at 4:59 PM
We’re moving towards the finale of 2024 when all the out of office messages from salaried arts folk in jobs with paid ‘leave’ ping in. But for #artists it’s a lean £time that extends beyond Jan when - due to #trickledown #arts economies - there’s little £work - #resilientecologies urgently needed!
December 21, 2024 at 6:31 PM
This by @graceblakeley.bsky.social is a good read if you’re interested to understand how to confound #capitalism in all its inequities &build inclusive localised democratic systems, sharing power, fostering #communitywealthbuilding >https://cles.org.uk/
#arts #devolution
@lisanandymp.bsky.social
December 17, 2024 at 8:25 PM
Poor picture of a really good meal #cauliflowerpotato curry with coriander leaf and cumin infused rice, both from #prashad recipe book we use regularly.
December 15, 2024 at 11:43 AM
Ok - how many house plants have you got? We’ve got a couple of dozen and one of them is c40 years old.
December 7, 2024 at 1:48 PM
These selected texts highlight mismatch between the values #artists hold > essential sustaining art practices over a lifecycle and those of contemporary visual arts infrastructures where undervaluing of artists (socially and economically) is a feature.
www.culturehive.co.uk/CVIresources...
December 1, 2024 at 1:26 PM
My current research into #ecologiesforartistsresilience goes into the fine detail of #artistslives through qualitative and generally longitudinal methods. It’s a purposeful counter to institutionally driven surveys produced in ever-increasing numbers.
November 28, 2024 at 6:16 PM