‘If the art ends up being pretty, making it here won’t be’: examining precarity, neoliberalism, and artists’ labour on CBC’s Crash Gallery.

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dc.contributor.authorMcDonald, Robin Alex
dc.contributor.authorPeters, Wendy
dc.date.accessioned2026-02-20T16:08:52Z
dc.date.available2026-02-20T16:08:52Z
dc.date.issued2025
dc.description.abstractBackground: In 2015, the Canadian Broadcasting Company launched Crash Gallery, a reality TV series in which artists from across Canada compete in playful challenges. Analysis: This article analyzes the impact of neoliberal priorities on federal arts funding and CBC television programming. It considers the imprint of neoliberalism on depictions of artists and artistic labour on Crash Gallery via themes of: individual competition and meritocracy; temporary and precarious work; flexibility and non-routine ways of working; compulsory sociality and emotional labour; and hazardous working conditions. Conclusions and implications: Crash Gallery’s depictions of artists as flexible, passionate, and willing to work under hazardous circumstances naturalizes and valorizes neoliberal working conditions for artists in Canada.
dc.description.urihttps://macewan.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01MACEWAN_INST/d1nmsu/cdi_crossref_primary_10_3138_cjc_2024_0056
dc.identifier.citationMcDonald, Robin Alex, and Peters, Wendy. “‘If the Art Ends up Being Pretty, Making It Here Won’t Be’: Examining Precarity, Neoliberalism, and Artists’ Labour on CBC’s Crash Gallery.” Canadian Journal of Communication, vol. 50, no. 2, 2025, pp. 249–277. https://doi.org/10.3138/cjc-2024-0056
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.3138/cjc-2024-0056
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14078/4226
dc.language.isoen
dc.rightsAll Rights Reserved
dc.subjectCanadian Broadcasting Company (CBC)
dc.subjectCrash Gallery
dc.subjectneoliberal priorities
dc.subjectfederal arts
dc.subjectworking conditions
dc.title‘If the art ends up being pretty, making it here won’t be’: examining precarity, neoliberalism, and artists’ labour on CBC’s Crash Gallery.en
dc.typeArticle

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