A report published by the Arts Council in December 2018 found that 68% of artists supplement this income with additional jobs, such as art handling, invigilation, or art tuition, taking their average salary to £16,150 per year. As governments responded to the threat of Coronavirus in the spring of 2020 with lockdowns, however, many artists faced the double threat of seeing their galleries closed and commercial exhibitions cancelled, at the same time as losing the support provided by casualised work on zero-hour contracts.

In early March 2020 British artist Matthew Burrows, who leads the mentoring programme Artist Support Projects, received numerous phone calls from fellow artists facing just such difficulties. As he set off on a run near his home in East Sussex, he thought through ideas for ways in which artists could support one another.

Upon his return, Burrows posted an etching for sale on Instagram under the #artistsupportpledge, and with the caption: ‘During these challenging times and in an effort to generate support for artists I'm offering this print for sale at £200. Every time I reach £1000 I make a pledge to buy another artist's work for £200.’ Within a week, the hashtag had been taken up by thousands of artists worldwide, from the UK to Europe, North and South America, Australia, Russia, Taiwan, and Japan, and at the time of writing has been used over 330,000 times, leading to an estimated £20 million in sales.

The basic concept of the Pledge remains unchanged since Burrows’ first post: artists offer work for sale on Instagram up to the value of £200 (excluding shipping), using the #artistsupportpledge, and mentioning the initiative in their caption. Interested collectors message the artist to purchase a work, and for every £1,000 of sales that artists earn through the movement they pledge to spend £200 on the work of other participating artists.

Although many of the artworks offered under the hashtag were initially paintings, drawings, and prints, in April 2020 the UK Crafts Council joined forces with Burrows, using their platform and resources to promote and extend the Pledge to artists and makers of all kinds, including jewellers, ceramicists, and sculptors.

For artists, the Artist Support Pledge offers a vital sense of community and solidarity in a time of crisis, and a new, self-sustaining economic model. Unlike many traditional aspects of the commercial art world, the #artistsupportpledge has no barriers to entry, providing all who participate with an equal platform to share and sell their work, and to support others in turn. For collectors, meanwhile, the initiative offers a unique opportunity to support creatives, and to discover new talent and inspiration from across the globe.