# I Call on You to Value Teaching Artists
As a Master Theatre Teaching Artist and a proud member of Teaching Arts of the Mid-Atlantic (TAMA), I call on the arts and culture sector, the philanthropic community, policymakers, schools, libraries, healthcare providers, senior centers, detention centers, and all community-based organizations to fully value Teaching Artists.
Teaching Artists are trained professional artists with specialized skills to create arts experiences for participants of all ages. Art-making and arts learning have always been powerful pathways for connecting, creating, imagining, and transforming both individuals and communities. Teaching Artists design and lead this work, embedding creative practices into everyday life. We amplify voices, build empathy and understanding, support healing, foster connection, and help communities respond creatively to complex challenges.
It is time to recognize Teaching Artists as paid professionals and to advance pay equity in the field of teaching artistry as a matter of social and economic justice, essential to building a sustainable and vibrant arts ecosystem and thriving communities.
# A Call to Action
I urge all stakeholders to take the following steps:
- Adopt fair pay standards by using Teaching Artists of the Mid-Atlantic’s Fair Pay Salary Ranges
- Encourage Teaching Artists to utilize TAMA’s Fair Pay Rate Builder to determine equitable compensation
- Honor the rates provided by Teaching Artists based on this tool
- Engage in transparent dialogue and provide a clear rationale if budget constraints require negotiation
# Understand the True Cost and Value of the Work
Fair compensation must reflect both the cost of doing the work and the value of the work.
Costs may include, but are not limited to, research, planning, curriculum design, materials, technology, facilitation, culminating events, documentation, evaluation, reflection, transportation, and virtual or in-person setup.
Teaching Artists operate as small businesses and absorb expenses such as, background checks, liability insurance, healthcare, taxes, professional memberships, ongoing training, administrative support, studio or workspace costs, marketing, and fundraising.
# Why This Matters
Pay equity is a social justice issue. Equitable and fair labor practices are essential to the professionalism, sustainability, and future of any field. Teaching Artists deserve to be compensated in ways that reflect their expertise, their impact, and the full scope of their work.
When Teaching Artists are valued, entire communities benefit.
# A Shared Responsibility
I believe pay equity is possible, but it requires collective action.
It starts with you.
