BUYING ART AND CRAFT
Data on most aspects of visual arts and crafts is fairly scarce. Surveys conducted in the late 1990s by the ABS provide some of the only information on the amount of money spent by households on these items. These surveys also provide some limited information on the characteristics of art and craft purchasers.
The 2003-04 Household Expenditure Survey found that total annual expenditure on visual arts and crafts was $670m. This is equivalent to an average household expenditure of $1.66 per week. Total annual expenditure on paintings, carvings and sculptures was $282m, while $202m was spent on studio and other professional photography and $186m on art and craft materials. See Chapter 3 for more information on the Household Expenditure Survey.
Another survey in 1997, the Art and Craft Purchases Survey, which asked respondents whether and what type of art and craft purchases they had made in a three month period, found that a total of 0.9 million art items and 3.9 million craft items had been bought. The most common art items purchased were Paintings (372,100 purchased), while Pottery and ceramics (992,700), Garments and clothing (565,600) and Jewellery (525,400) were the most common craft items. See Chapter 2 for information on expenditure on arts and craft purchases by international visitors.
14.1 NUMBER OF ART AND CRAFT ITEMS PURCHASED, Three months before interview - 1997 |
|
 | | Whether made in Australia | |
| | Yes | No | Total(a) | Percentage made
in Australia(b) |
| | '000 | '000 | '000 | % |
|
| Art items | | | | |
| Paintings | 334.3 | 30.4 | 372.1 | 91.7 |
| Sculptures | 113.6 | 76.0 | 191.8 | 59.9 |
| Drawings/Works on paper | 88.3 | *18.5 | 107.4 | 82.7 |
| Original photographs | 106.5 | *13.6 | 120.6 | 88.6 |
| Original, limited edition prints | 81.2 | 25.7 | 110.0 | 76.0 |
| Total art items | 724.0 | 164.2 | 902.0 | 81.5 |
| Craft items | | | | |
| Pottery/ceramics | 885.5 | 81.2 | 992.7 | 91.6 |
| Garments/clothing | 435.1 | 108.9 | 565.6 | 80.0 |
| Woven/printed textiles | 61.3 | 76.0 | 140.8 | 44.6 |
| Glass | 264.5 | 93.2 | 377.3 | 73.9 |
| Jewellery | 383.9 | 116.3 | 525.4 | 76.7 |
| Furniture crafts | 193.7 | 36.8 | 242.5 | 84.0 |
| Wood crafts | 353.0 | 80.0 | 445.9 | 81.5 |
| Metal crafts | 47.2 | *18.6 | 67.0 | 71.8 |
| Leather crafts | 300.0 | 121.5 | 435.3 | 71.2 |
| Other crafts | 115.5 | *11.8 | 134.0 | 90.7 |
| Total craft items | 3 039.8 | 744.4 | 3 926.5 | 80.3 |
|
| * estimate has a relative standard error of 25% to 50% and should be used with caution |
| (a) Includes items where it is not known where they are made. |
| (b) Excludes items where it is not known where they are made. |
| DCITA, Cultural Trends in Australia No. 7: Art and Craft Purchases, 1997, prepared for DCITA by the NCCRS of the ABS. |
The Art and Craft Purchasers Survey found that art items were purchased by a total of 696,500 people aged 18 years and over. Those most likely to purchase were:
- aged 25-34 years
- living in capital cities
- employed full-time.
Over 80% of the art items purchased were made in Australia and had a value of $137.9m. Of this amount, the majority ($84.2m) were for Paintings. Australian-made art items were usually purchased direct from the artist ($41.4m or 30%) or from art and craft dealers ($34.4m or 25%).
The 1997 survey also found that 2.5 million people aged 18 years and over purchased 3.9 million craft items over a three month period. People most likely to purchase craft items were:
- female
- aged 25-34 years
- living in capital cities
- employed part-time.
The value of Australian-made craft items purchased in the three months before interview totalled $317.5m with Furniture crafts accounting for $120.5m, Jewellery another $58.6m and Pottery and ceramics, $44.4m. The most common places for craft purchases were direct from the craftsperson ($59.8m or 19%), from specialty craft shops ($46.7m or 15%) and from markets ($42.3m or 13%).
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