The End of the Gig: Re-Architecting the Artist's Contract
Employability of makers—from project to perspective. This topic has occupied me since my time as Lector of Creative Economy at Fontys. A few weeks ago, I posed a question on LinkedIn: Why do we fund projects, but not positions?
The discussion that followed (sparked by Falk Hübner’s reference to Dawn Bennett) revealed a deep hunger for structural change. We have optimized the sector for "Agility," but we have accidentally optimized it for "Precarity."
The Theory: The "Protean" Trap
Dawn Bennett’s research (Curtin University) highlights the concept of the "Protean Career"—a career driven by personal values rather than organizational ladders. While this sounds liberating, Bennett warns it often devolves into an "Identity Tax."
The Mechanism: When an artist has to constantly shapeshift to fit different funding pots (social worker one day, innovator the next), they erode their core artistic identity.
The Result: Risk aversion. You cannot make dangerous art when you are worried about next month’s rent.
The History: We Have Been Here Before
The idea of employing artists in non-art structures is not new. In 1966, the Artist Placement Group (APG) in the UK coined the phrase "Context is Half the Work." They placed artists like Barbara Steveni and John Latham into corporations (British Steel) and government bodies—not to make "art for the lobby," but to disrupt the boardroom logic.
Their finding: An artist on the payroll is an "Incidental Person"—someone who asks the questions that the regular staff are too institutionalised to ask.
The Modern Case: "Embedded" vs. "Unembedded"
A recent study by the Zurich Centre for Creative Economies (Martel & Wickert) analyzed "Embedded Artist" programs in government. They found a crucial distinction:
Unembedded (Freelance): The artist delivers a service. The impact is limited to the project.
Embedded (Employee): The artist questions the premise. The impact changes the policy.
At Meneer Rick and Emoves, we apply this "Embedded" logic. We don't hire artists to "do workshops"; we hire them to be artists in our structure.
The Shift: When we offer a 0.6 FTE contract, we buy "Availability," not just "Output." That availability allows the artist to influence the organisation’s DNA—teaching the accountant about creativity, and learning governance from the manager.
Actionable Guide: How to Move from Project to Perspective
For Organisations (The Employers):
The "0.6 Rule": Don't hire 10 freelancers for 10 projects. Combine those budgets to hire 1 artist for 0.6 FTE. You will get more loyalty, more memory, and better art.
Define "White Space": Write into the contract that 20% of their time is for "unassigned artistic research." If you fill every hour with production, you turn them into a factory worker.
Integrate, Don't Isolate: Invite them to the strategy meetings, not just the creative meetings.
For Makers (The Employees):
Ask for the "Retainer": If a client offers you three small projects in a year, counter-pitch a monthly retainer. "Instead of 3 invoices, let's do a 1-year service agreement."
Sell the "Process," Not the "Product": Explain that your value isn't just the final show; it's the problem-solving capacity you bring to their team every week.
Conclusion
The avant-garde move for 2026 isn't a new aesthetic. It is a payroll system. If we want art to be valuable, we must create the vessel to hold it—and often, that vessel is a job.
References
Bennett, D. (2009). "Academy and the Real World: Developing Identity."
Martel, F., & Wickert, H. (2021). Embedded Artists. Zurich Centre for Creative Economies.
Artist Placement Group. (1966). Context is Half the Work.
