The Business of Being an Artist

536 Pages·2010·2.72 MB·English

by  Daniel Grant

The
Business
of Being
an Artist
FOURTH EDITION
The
Business
of Being
an Artist
FOURTH EDITION
DANIEL GRANT
© 2010 Daniel Grant
All rights reserved. Copyright under Berne Copyright Convention, Universal Copyright Convention, and
Pan-American Copyright Convention. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise,
without prior permission of the publisher.
14 13 12 11 10 5 4 3 2 1
Published by Allworth Press
An imprint of Allworth Communications
10 East 23rd Street, New York, NY 10010
Cover design by Tamara Gildengers Connolly Interior design by Tamara Gildengers Connolly Page
composition/typography by Integra Software Services, Pvt., Ltd., Pondicherry, India.
ISBN: 978-1-58115-673-7
eBook ISBN: 978-1-58115-738-3
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Grant, Daniel.
The business of being an artist / by Daniel Grant.—4th ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-58115-673-7 (pbk.)
1. Art—United States—Marketing. I. Title.
N8600.G7 2010
706.8—dc22 2009039893
Printed in the United States of America
Contents
Introduction
CHAPTER 1. EXHIBITING AND SELLING ART
So, Where Can I Show My Work?
Gaining Media Attention
Marketing and Sales
Communicating in the Digital Age
The Disappearing Art Critic
Critical Essays Disappearing, Too
The Actual Sale
Marketing and Sales in a Weak Economy
CHAPTER 2. OPERATING AS A PROFESSIONAL
Getting Ready to Exhibit
Pricing Artwork
To Frame or Not to Frame
Accepting Credit Cards for Sales
A Word About Taxes
The Need for Good Recordkeeping
Working Small, Working Large
Protecting Oneself from Theft
Thefts at Art Fairs
Artists Who Work at Home
The Need to Specialize
Too Much Art
Giving Up the Day Job
CHAPTER 3. EXPANDING THE AREA OF SALES AND INCOME
Licensing
Publishing Prints
Self-Publishing
Print Publishers
Dealers and Galleries
Certificates of Authenticity
“Signed by the Artist”
Bartering and Leasing Art
Bartering
Leasing
Starting One’s Own Gallery
Art Partnerships
Selling to Corporations
Finding Corporate Buyers
Making Contact
CHAPTER 4. DEVELOPING RELATIONSHIPS WITH ART DEALERS
Finding Representation
Art Consultants
Art Galleries
Is the Artist’s Age an Issue?
Coming to Terms
Foundry Fees and Commissions
To Consign or Sell?
Artist-Dealer Disputes
Spreading Oneself Too Thin
Severing the Artist-Dealer Relationship
Galleries Change Artists
Art World Relationships
The Collector-Dealer Relationship
The Artist-Gallery Relationship
Art Gallery Etiquette
Bad Debts and Other Recoveries
CHAPTER 5. A WEB SITE
The Business of Marketing Art Online
Getting People to Your Site
Tracking the Number of Browsers
Linking to an Online Mall
Some General Rules of the Internet
Online Sales
Artists’ Blogs
Where Sales May Be Most Plentiful
CHAPTER 6. WHEN DOES INVESTING IN ONE’S CAREER BECOME A RIPOFF?
Business Managers
Artists’ Representatives
Publicists
Artists’ Career Advisors
Paying to Play the Art Game
Selling Art through Mailing Lists
The Value of Prizes and Awards
Publishing One’s Own Catalogue
Entry Fees for Juried Shows
Are You Deluding Yourself?
CHAPTER 7. ARTISTS AND THE LAW
Copyright
Copyright and the Internet
Does “Appropriation Art” Transform Copyrighted Material?
Making a Copyright Search
Trademark Protection for Artists
Copyrighted and Trademarked Subjects in Artists’ Work
Artists’ Moral Rights
Waiving One’s Rights
Confusion Over the Term “Site-Specific”
The Right to Privacy
Sidewalk Art
Art that Looks like Other Art
Artists Lose Lawsuits
Valuing an Artist’s Estate
CHAPTER 8. FROM SCHOOL TO THE WORKING WORLD
Apprenticing and Internships
The Skills that Artists Look for in Assistants
Artists’ Assistants and the IRS
Finding a Job as an Art Teacher
Art Schools and Controversial Art
Weighing the Pros and Cons of Teaching
Making Peace with the Academic Life
Artist-in-Residence Programs
Museum Artist-in-Residence Programs
CHAPTER 9. THE MATERIALS THAT ARTISTS USE
Safe Art Practices in the Studio
Substitute Ingredients in Artists’ Paints
A Primer on Paint Labels
Artists Making Their Own Paints
Owning a Printing Press
Art Materials Information on the Line
Trying Out Newer, Less Expensive Materials
The Changing Relationship of Sculptors and Foundries
Selecting a Print Studio or Foundry
Print Studios
Foundries
CHAPTER 10. GETTING READY TO HANDLE THE PRESSURES
Post-Exhibition Blues
Changing One’s Style
Changing One’s Media
Handling Criticism
Rejection Letters
Handling Art World Publicity
Love and Marriage
The Benefits and Pitfalls of Censorship and Controversy
Out of the Spotlight
Thomas Hart Benton Has a Message for Artists
CHAPTER 11. CONTESTS AND COMMISSIONS
Commissions for Percent-for-Art Projects
The Commissioning Process
General Services Administration
State and Municipal Agencies
Thin Skins and Strong Stomachs
The Efforts to Contain Public Art Controversy
Private Public Art Commissions
Damage and Neglect of Public Art
Who Decides Artistic Merit?
Jurying Art—Descending from the Ideal
When Jurors May Not Seem Fair
Jurors with Clear Biases
CHAPTER 12. THE SEARCH FOR GRANTS AND GIFTS
Applying for Loans
Applying for Emergency Assistance
Artists’ Foundations
Applying for Grants and Fellowships
Fiscal Management
So Who Will Provide the Funding?
Foundations
Corporations
Corporate Foundations
Government
Local Arts Agencies
State Arts Agencies
Regional Arts Agencies
National Endowment for the Arts
Individuals
Miscellaneous Funders
Asking for Money
The Proposal Package
Reporting Requirements for Grant Recipients
Keeping Perspective
About the Author
Index