Art Models Struggle for a Living Wage and Recognition

"Aaron Bogan, a professional art model and illustrator originally from New Jersey, moved to New York City last year from the Bay Area, attracted in part by what he described as an "abundant" modeling scene. For the past 20 years, Bogan has been a life drawing model, a physically demanding contract-based profession."

""Figure models are the blue-collar workers of the arts," Bogan said. "I don't think anybody knows the amount of physicality and mental fortitude it takes to do what we do on stage." In California, Bogan was part of the Bay Area Models Guild, which claims to represent some of the highest-paid figure models in the country, negotiating a minimum $50 hourly wage for their models. Though Bogan said he finds himself working more hours in New York City than ever before, he is earning just $22 an hour, above the minimum wage but below the living wage at standard full-time hours. On the night he spoke to Hyperallergic, Bogan had worked intermittently from 9 am until around 10 pm. He said he models six or seven days a week."

"A typical three-hour open drawing session begins with artists filing into a studio arranged expectantly toward an area where a model will disrobe. Nude, the model contorts into poses, ranging from sitting cross-legged on the stage to elaborate stances involving chairs, poles, and, for Bogan, katana swords. The relationship between the model and the student is demarcated by a stage, and for the artist, tucked behind a sketchbook or easel, the hours go by quickly, almost prayerfully. For the model, the work can be a gratifying form of artistic expression or meditation, but the postures are physically exerti"

Aaron Bogan relocated from the Bay Area to New York City for a larger modeling scene and has worked as a life drawing model for twenty years. Figure modeling requires significant physicality and mental fortitude and is typically contract-based. Pay and conditions vary regionally: a Bay Area guild negotiated a $50 hourly minimum, while some New York models earn about $22 per hour despite long days and six- to seven-day weeks. Open drawing sessions last around three hours and include strenuous poses. Models regularly face pay disparities, heavy workloads, and limited recognition within the arts ecosystem.

Read at Hyperallergic