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