Data from the 2024 Studio Tour Survey

By Debbie Parke, Studio Tour Co-Director and Rhea Lowell, EACA Archivist

The 2024 Studio Tour has come and gone, and with the participants surveyed about their experience, we now have the survey results to digest.  We want the membership to see the data.  Raw data from the survey, a comparison of 2023 to 2024, and an analysis of some of the data are provided below.  Raw Data from the Survey  The response to the 2024 survey was excellent, with more than 100 of the artists answering. The responses to the 5 questions asked in the survey are shown below in pie charts with the first category starting at the 3 o’clock position of each chart.

Comparison of the 2023 vs 2024 Studio Tour Survey Data

Some survey questions in 2023 were close enough to those asked in 2024 that it’s possible to highlight some changes between the two years. However, the comparisons below may not be totally accurate because of different response rates. The 2023 survey had a response of 50%, while in 2024 over 90% of the artists responded. So, for example, we don’t know if the 50% who responded had higher sales, lower sales or were representative of all the sales that year. In the future, EACA plans to continue using the simple, short survey developed in 2024, in hopes that the response from artists will continue to be strong. If it is, then annual comparisons can be made with more confidence.

There are two very interesting comparisons between 2023 and 2024, shown in these two tables. The first table shows that the reported number of visitors at the studios increased in 2024. The number of studios reporting fewer than 100 visitors decreased in 2024, while a higher number of visitors (more than 100 per studio) increased this year. The second table compares the reported sales in 2023 versus 2024. This table shows that more artists in 2024 reported lower sales amounts compared to 2023. Therefore, if the sales and attendance numbers are representative for 2023, it appears there were more visitors in 2024 but lower sales amounts.

Analysis of the 2024 Studio Tour Survey Data

Of the 111 participant artists in the 2024 Studio Tour, 102 (92%) responded to the survey afterwards. the response was so robust, we can analyze the data can and draw some useful conclusions.

A very useful comparison looks at the number of visitors to a studio compared to the number of artists showing there. The graph in the attached figure shows that for the 28 artists showing by themselves in a studio, there were on average 87 visitors. For

studios with two or three artists, the number of visitors was more than double the visitors for solo artists, at about 190. For the few studios that had four or five artists showing their work, there were more than three times the number of visitors than for single artists. Therefore, if artists want as much exposure to potential buyers as possible, artists should try to share studio space. Thanks to the efforts of Debbie Parke and Pat Rasmussen, more artists shared studios this year than ever before. On average, there were 1.63 artists per studio in 2024. Previously, the number of artists per studio ranged from 1.13 to 1.59.

The table included with this paragraph shows the average number of (1) artists at a studio, (2) visitors, and (3) sales for the artist, broken into categories by the number of years the artists have participated in the Studio Tour. This table demonstrates that, of the 17 first-time participants, slightly more shared studio space with other artists, compared to artists who have been part of the Studio Tour for several years. Despite sharing studio space, first time artists reported fewer visitors and had significantly lower sales than artists who have been part of the tour for longer. Artists who have participated in the tour for two to 10 years had sales that were, on average, about three times the level of first-time participants. First-time artists, however, should not be discouraged. The table shows that if artists continue showing for more years, they should see improved sales at future Studio Tours. Artists who have been part of the tour for more than 11 years were the most successful in sales, despite having generally fewer artists in their studio and fewer visitors. Clearly, their hard work and participation over the years has led to an established group of followers who attend the Studio Tour specifically to visit the studios of those long-term artists.