Sustainability of Creative Workers in St Petersburg: the Case of Non-governmental Cultural Institutions

With the development of creative economy in St. Petersburg over the past few years and attention to modern art, more and more cultural institutions of different types have begun to appear. Currently, there are more than 20 non-governmental galleries and art centers in the city. We see examples of successful implementation of projects in economic and cultural terms and, on the contrary, examples of projects that do not survive in the competitive environment and are closed after a short time. The main responsibility for the success of an institution rests with the directors, curators and cultural managers. They must remain in the profession and support not only their careers, but also the activities of the institutions that they head, as well as the artists taken under their care. The type and structure of their work are different from many other professions and are characterized by instability, autonomy and inconstancy. Despite the difficulties, cultural and creative workers value their independence and romanticize their profession. In order to remain on the market, they develop strategies to ensure sustainability, become flexible, and confront the challenges that they face in the market. The topic of cultural and creative production and labor is quite well discussed in the scientific discourse, but most of the research and works are based on European, especially on the British example. The example of the Russian cultural and creative economy differs significantly from the British one, which implies the need to study the experience of Russian artists.