Springboard for the Arts’ ongoing Guaranteed Income for Artists pilot supports 75 artists, culture bearers, and creative workers in the Frogtown and Rondo neighborhoods of Saint Paul and in Otter Tail County, MN with $500/month for 18 months in 2023-24.
Originally launched in 2021 as a “sidecar” to the City of St. Paul’s People's Prosperity Pilot, the goal of Springboard’s pilot is to explore the impact of guaranteed income on artists, culture bearers and creative workers at a neighborhood level and to provide a national model for the inclusion of artists in policies that address economic inequity.
Up Next:
Springboard will be participating in the 17th International Basic Income Week. Join us September 16-22, 2024 for a host of activities, events, and workshops to celebrate and share resources around Basic Income.
Learning Resources:
Get insight on the impact of Guaranteed Income pilots for artists and creative workers in Minnesota.
Read evaluations of 30+ guaranteed income pilots across the United States, including ours!
Meet the artists making narrative change projects in response to Guaranteed Income.
Learn more about how artists' are helping to shape the narrative of guaranteed income.
The Art of Guaranteed Income
"Guaranteed Income is the G.O.A.T." by Kandace Creel Falcón
Interdisciplinary artist Kandace Creel Falcón created and installed a billboard located on County Highway 210 outside of Foxhome, MN. Originally an oil painting, the large image features three goats sitting on a bed of grass, a blue sky, red barn, and sun behind them. In the background above sits the phrase, “In rural, we tend to the herd.”
"For the Birds: a means to create, not waste" by Jess Torgerson and Erika Frikken
Cohort Member Jess Torgerson partnered with local artist Erika Frikken to create For the Birds: A Means to Create, Not Waste, a mixed media installation inspired by Guaranteed Income. The installation will be on view at the Kaddatz Galleries in Fergus Falls, MN through April 27, 2024.
"Bubble Up Economics" by Torri Hanna
Cohort member Torri Hanna created a fiber arts installation. About the piece, Torri writes, "The idea is that the small GI payments spread to low-income people will circulate throughout the community and benefit everyone. We've had trickle-down economics for decades now, and most of the benefits have gone to the megarich and large corporations. It's time for a change!"
"You can be hardworking and still need help." Postcard by Alicia Thao
Cohort member Alicia Thao created a digital illustration and postcard. About her work, Alicia writes, "Through my art, I depict individuals from diverse career paths, illustrating that one can have a job, be hardworking, and STILL need financial help."
"Prosperity Sounds" by the Kashimana
Prosperity Sounds EP is a trio of songs in response to the question what does prosperity sound like. Created by cohort member Kashimana, the EP illustrates the hope that guaranteed income as well as universal basic income can provide some solutions towards closing the wealth gap.
"Prosperity Dance" by Deja Joelle
"Everyone deserves to live and thrive." DejaJoelle's meditative work, "Prosperity Dance," is a collaborative performance that invites us to reflect on the essential nature of income, rest, togetherness and quality of life.
Bright Futures Audio Postcards are a visual and audio representation of Saint Paul’s People’s Prosperity Guaranteed Income Pilot Program. The Bright Futures physical postcards have a QR code with a link to a produced audio story of one of the current participants in the People's Prosperity Pilot, describing why the program worked for their family.
Therapeutic. Mindfulness. Selfcare. Gratitude. Artist Briauna Williams created a multi-page coloring book, "Exhale" in response to the topic of Guaranteed Minimum Income.
Artists Respond: People, Place, and Prosperity is a growing cohort of artists in Saint Paul and Rural Minnesota that have created public projects that demonstrate the root causes that lead to the need for guaranteed income, and the impact of guaranteed income on the families and communities that are supported by it. Meet the cohorts and discover their work.
Artists Respond: People, Place, and Prosperity is a project of the City of Saint Paul and Springboard for the Arts, supported by Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, the Economic Security Project, Ford Foundation and The Kresge Foundation.
FAQ
A guaranteed income is a monthly, cash payment given directly to individuals. It is unconditional, with no strings attached and no work requirements. A guaranteed income is meant to supplement, rather than replace, the existing social safety net and can be a tool for racial and gender equity.
We originally launched our pilot in 2021 as a response to the Covid-19 crisis. In addition to the specific challenges of the COVID-19 crisis, the pandemic illuminated that there was, and still is, little to no safety net for most individual artists, creating a pressing emergency of equity in economic opportunity, especially for artists who are Black, Indigenous and/or People of Color.
In developing our work, we sought to address these vulnerabilities through a combination of direct services to meet artists’ needs and broad programming to address systemic issues. We were inspired by the existing People’s Prosperity Guaranteed Income Pilot in St. Paul, and wanted to create a pilot with the goal to direct unrestricted, noncompetitive financial support to artists and creative workers. As our pilot expanded from 25 artists in St. Paul to 75 artists across St. Paul and rural Minnesota, we learned even more about Guaranteed Incomes’ impact and what it makes possible for artists, including (but in not way limited to):
- - Closing gaps for gig and contract workers
- - Making it easier to manage life as an artist and any number of other responsibilities, including childcare, caregiving, and continuing education
- - Sustaining an artistic practice (buying supplies, equipment, studio rent)
- - Supporting an artists’ emotional and mental wellbeing
For more data and findings on our pilot and its history, read our impact report, the Art of Economic Justice.
No, the Guaranteed Income for Artists Pilot is being funded by private foundations and support, including the Kresge Foundation, the McKnight Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the Bush Foundation.
We are not taking open applications for the Guaranteed Income for Artists Pilot. Recipients will be selected at random from an eligible pool of artists who have been adversely impacted by COVID-19 and have received support from Springboard’s Coronavirus Personal Emergency Relief Fund and other services. We are focusing this pilot on 50 artists in the Frogtown and Rondo neighborhoods of St. Paul, and 25 artists in Otter Tail County.
Mayors for Guaranteed Income: https://www.mayorsforagi.org/
Guaranteed Income Pilots Dashboard: https://guaranteedincome.us/
Stockton Demonstration Project findings: https://www.stocktondemonstration.org/
Peoples Prosperity Guaranteed Income Pilot in St. Paul: https://www.stpaul.gov/departments/financial-empowerment/peoples-prosperityguaranteed-Income-pilot
Guaranteed Income Pilot in Rural Georgia: https://dailyyonder.com/guaranteed-income-initiative-to-focus-on-rural-black-women-in-georgia/2022/05/23/
Other guaranteed income pilots working with artists:
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, CA/Bay Area:https://ybca.org/guaranteed-income-pilot/
Creatives Rebuild New York: https://www.creativesrebuildny.org/
Power of Cash Narrative Change Fellowship: https://www.economicsecurityil.org/fellowship
Thank you to the following funders and partners for making this work possible:
