Need for Stronger Networks and Spaces Cited as Key Challenges 

Fairfax, VA (June 26, 2025) – ArtsFairfax, the designated local arts agency for Fairfax County, announces the results of the Fairfax Regional Artist Survey, a study designed with local artists to help their peers identify the needs and obstacles individual artists face in living and working in Fairfax County, the City of Fairfax, and the City of Falls Church.  

“ArtsFairfax is committed to serving our entire arts landscape. We want to ensure our local, individual artists have access to the professional and promotional resources we offer to arts nonprofits,” says Stuart Holt, President & CEO of ArtsFairfax. “We’ve made great progress in growing our arts directory and promoting local artist calls, so the next challenge for ArtsFairfax will be to strengthen the professional network for area artists.” 

The Fairfax Regional Artist Survey was available for six months from June through December of 2024 and was offered in five languages: English, Spanish, Korean, Farsi, and Hindi; 8% of survey participants took the survey other than English. 

ArtsFairfax received 1,480 responses, of which 1,019 qualified as artists who live or work in Fairfax County, the City of Fairfax, or the City of Falls Church.  

Key Takeaways:  

  • Fairfax is home to a flourishing creative community of professional artists. 86% of survey participants have a career practicing their art.  
  • Individual artists need financial support. 51% of survey participants have an annual household income under $100,000—well below the median household income in Fairfax County.  
  • Fairfax is missing out on available art because it is challenging to present work in the region. Of the survey participants who regularly perform or present their art to the public, half of them present 75% or more of their work outside of the Fairfax region. 
  • Individual artists identify weak local networks and a lack of appropriate and affordable spaces as challenges. 56% of individual artists said that the things they need most to share their work in the Fairfax area are more affordable facilities and help networking and connecting to organizations. 
  • The need for stronger networks was more important for some segments of the individual artist community. 63% of artists of color and 62% of artists under 45 said it was one of the things they needed the most.  

To identify next steps as a result of these survey outcomes, ArtsFairfax hosted a free community event on June 25, 2025, at Reston Community Center. The event included a presentation on the survey outcomes by AMS Analytics, followed by a Q&A and a guided discussion facilitated by ArtsFairfax.  

ArtsFairfax plans to publish a full report on the Fairfax Regional Artist Survey this Fall.   

Visit https://artsfairfax.org/artistsurvey/ for more information.  

More about the Fairfax Regional Artist Survey 

The Fairfax Regional Artist Survey had three goals: learn more about how many Fairfax area residents identify as artists, define what individual artists need professionally to succeed, and define what individual artists need to reside in the Fairfax region.  

The Fairfax Regional Artist Survey was the first study of its kind and was created to identify the needs and obstacles for individual artists of all disciplines. To develop the survey, ArtsFairfax worked with research specialists AMS Analytics and received invaluable insight and recommendations from the ArtsFairfax Artist Advisory Committee—local artists selected for the variety of their professional experiences, art practices, and where they have lived and worked throughout the study region. The Artist Advisory Committee includes Ken Avis (music, songwriting); Sarah Berry (public art, curation); Shu-Chen Cuff (dance, choreography); Brunilda Herring (theater, arts education); Mike Maggio (poetry, literary arts); Nancy Sausser (fine art, arts administration); Caroline Weinroth (music, songwriting); and Barbara Zamora (artisan).   

More about ArtsFairfax 

ArtsFairfax is the nonprofit designated as Fairfax County’s local arts agency. Dedicated to the belief that arts are essential to a thriving community, the ArtsFairfax mission is to expand support for and access to arts and culture opportunities for the more than 1.2 million residents across Fairfax County, the City of Fairfax, and the City of Falls Church. By offering vital funding, as well as professional and promotional resources, ArtsFairfax promotes the role of arts and culture to deepen social engagement, create a sense of place, and fuel economic growth. Incorporated as a 501(c)(3) since 1964, ArtsFairfax provides these services to all who contribute to and experience arts in Fairfax County, and is funded in part by the County, the Virginia Commission for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts as well as corporations, foundations, and individuals.   
 

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