ARTISTS TALKING

# 160 [6 February 2010]

Please add your thoughts to this thread on the forums if you have a minute:

http://www.a-n.co.uk/forums/read/33,781

Thanks!

# 159 [4 February 2010]

Joanne Mattera discusses the invisibility of artists in statistics and how they are missing from job list reporting about the recession.She says in her blog:

"The number of bank tellers without employment is greater than the number of artists without jobs, only because most artists never had a countable job to begin with."

http://tinyurl.com/yhgmx6j

One comment links to this blog post about the latest suggestion to members from the Freelancers Union (this is all US based) to 'Pay to get paid'. This means taking 3-4% off your invoice in order to get paid quickly.

http://tinyurl.com/yfmc9uh

Blimey.

Another comment replies

'I think artists need to spend more time advocating for themselves and educating people about the fact that we are business people and that our earnings are a significant part of the economy.'

Couldn't agree more - we spend a fortune on materials/services etc. the writer of the comment expands on it in her own blog:

http://tinyurl.com/yzrsfb5

A convoluted post! But this seemed to go off in so many useful and interesting directions I thought it worth following up.

Thanks to kirstymhall on twitter for the link!

Read on a bit if you have time and look at Joanne's Marketing Monday posts - there's some really good stuff. Some of it is more relevant to the US though (e.g. donating to auctions - although we may need to know this if the tories get in and we go all philanthropy dependent).

# 158 [4 February 2010]

*INFINITELY MORE MANAGEABLE INTERNSHIP THAN THE LAST POST OPPORTUNITY*

5 -7 hours a week over 6 months; that seems more like an actual voluntary post. Long time scale to get to know people and gain lots of experience, but you don't have to be funded by the bank of Mum & Dad to do it...

Gallery Intern, Menier Gallery

London Unpaid (Expenses Paid) Part time Artform: visual arts   Contact:mail@meniergallery.co.uk Caron Pelletier

    
Description

The Menier Gallery, located in the historic Menier Chocolate Factory in Southwark, is currently looking for a Gallery intern to assist with its administration. The role would suit anyone looking to gain experience in an arts organisation and to develop skills in marketing and exhibition planning.

Tasks include:

Assisting with gallery site visits and answering enquiries (by email, mail, telephone and face to face)Conducting gallery visitor surveys and compiling feedbackHelping with the creation of gallery marketing and promotional materials Helping to maintain contact/mailing lists and assisting with gallery mailingsWhen appropriate, helping with gallery events and private views

Hours are flexible, ideally candidates should be able to volunteer 5-7 hours per week, with a commitment of 6 months.  An interest in the visual arts is essential.

For further details, please email mail@meniergallery.co.uk to receive a copy of the internship outline.

# 157 [3 February 2010]

*COMPLETELY IMPOSSIBLE-FOR-A-NORMAL-PERSON OPPORTUNITY*

Yes, wouldn't it be great to have Nettie Horn Gallery on your CV, to get this experience an all. But four full days a week minimum - for three months?! Not realistic in the slightest. Also - how do they expect University students to be able to commit to that much time? So many questions...

(I see they have circumvented the national wage legislation completely here. )

I wonder how many applications they will get though...

NETTIE HORN gallery is currently offering an internship within its team of three people.
 
This internship is an excellent opportunity to experience working at a dynamic gallery on Vyner Street, providing support to its Directors and curators in all aspects of the running of the gallery.

This internship would best suit a university student with an interest in working within an arts organisation and who has:
- Good administration and organisational skills

- Good interpersonal skills and the ability to work effectively as part of a team

- Strong verbal and written communication skills

- The ability to use MS Office, Photoshop and internet

- Good technical skills in order to assist with the installation of exhibitions

The internship will be for 3 months, commencing as soon as possible, and will require a commitment of minimum 4 days per week from 10am to 6:00pm.  

To apply please send a CV and covering letter to marie@nettiehorn.com.

Please note that this internship is offered as a voluntary activity and, as such, is outside the scope of the National Minimum Wage legislation.  Regrettably, no contribution can be made towards expenses.

All applications are welcome. Thank you

# 156 [3 February 2010]

I am staying in a travelodge in Wakefield this week - good for getting on with some work after school days at least. I booked a load of rooms for YSP dates back in November when they had their £9 sale. Bargain.

I sat down when I got in tonight and tried to work out what money was coming in when. I realised I only knew dates for YSP and that all my other income is as and when my employers choose... Regardles of a 'please pay within 30 days' on the invoice, I still haven't been paid for some jobs 10 weeks later. I realise this is the same for self employed people in lots of professions, but if anyone has any advice on getting more prompt payment, I'd appreciate it! Cashflow can really bugger my life up at times.

In more cheerful news.. I got an offer of lecturing work from Blackpool College after the Lanc zine/book fair last weekend. Also, Women's Studio Workshop got in touch saying that my book, Unfolding Architecture, was going to be in a show in the Grolier Club in New York in December 2010 (amazing venue!). They also asked if I would write an essay for the catalogue as their emerging/young artist voice - for an honorarium. I'm very flattered and excited. There is also the possibility of going halves on flights for me to be on a panel of artists at a seminar in Jan/Feb 2011... Hopefully I can do that too - I would love to go back to New York. Any excuse!

After giving a talk at the Biennial about Linz last month, I have been approached to build a cardboard set for a play/comedy series one of the staff is organising at the Bluecoat. Trouble is, he's asked me to name my price - but has also stressed how small the budget is. But is his small the same as my small? Probably not. I'll start at recommended rates and go from there I guess... I have been keen to do some set deisgn for a while...

http://www.wsworkshop.org/_art_book/ab_archive.php

http://www.grolierclub.org/

# 155 [1 February 2010]

I've just been reading this while doing some research on artist-led groups. It's another article from Alias (I posted one from Gordon Dalton a while back I think):

http://www.stevenpaige.com/Artistrisklatest_Steven...

Steven Paige discusses some really  interesting points about the pitfalls and advantages of artist-led activity and asks whether "the term artist-led is lazy shorthand for a type of idealised radical position, with some ethical butter applied?"

# 154 [1 February 2010]

Should artists be giving artworks away for free? Add your tuppence worth to this discussion on the forum.

http://www.a-n.co.uk/forums/read/27,756,759

Also, my news article on free labour in the arts in this month's a-n:

http://www.a-n.co.uk/publications/article/600067/7...

# 153 [1 February 2010]

I have a day at home today! Well, the morning at least..

I was in Yorkshire last week; a really nice three days at one school, but then Thursday was just exhausting. I was at a little school where they had decided the best way to use their day with me would be to put me with 39 6/7 year olds. Seriously, talk about setting me up to fail! It was okay - we all made things, but it was just a constant struggle to settle them and get any kind of concentration. Not great. Couple that with a confusing meeting at the park and I was ready to get back to Cheshire.

Friday and Saturday was the first Lancashire Artists' Book & Zine Fair at UCLAN in Preston. As usual I broke even on cost, but didn't make anything. Still, these events really are more about meeting people, getting some books out in the world and looking at other people's work. I had some really lovely comments and caught up with various people I don't see enough, so it was good.

The new house is still fairly corridor-between-boxesesque (I only have Sundays to unpack at the moment), but my studio is starting to take shape. I have to go into Liverpool later today, but this morning I am going to start on a bit of stone carving. I need a nice pair of pink legs for a piece I want to make so will make a start on some soapstone before tackling the more expensive pink talc. I haven't carved since my first year at eca, so it may take a few goes. I may end up casting them with pink resin or plaster in the end, but I have to try or I'll always be wondering! Just got to find the chisels now...

# 152 [27 January 2010]

Bloody hell. I need some more days this month; it's getting ridiculous.

# 151 [25 January 2010]

Absolutely knackered, life still in boxes blog:

Firstly, thanks so much for all the recent kind comments - these have cheered me up immensly and make me want to continue blogging.

Secondly, I didn't put the link to the the conference if anyone else fancies watching it. Still haven't watched anymore yet.

http://www.thersa.org/events/state-of-the-arts-con...

I am in week two of four straight weeks in schools in Yorkshire and am pretty shattered after not being able to sleep last night. I have to get up at 5am on Mondays to drive over (I stay with a friend's parents in the week) and today I only just made it up the motorway with my eyes open.

Moving house the weekend before last was so much worse than I anticipated. I would really like to be at the new place unpacking, but I can only do bits at the weekends. I will be spending my evenings writing and also laying out the books for the end of the YSP project so at least I am doing some useful things. This week also involves some book finishing off as it is the Lancashire artists' book and zine fair on Friday and Saturday.

Lastly, Susan Jones posted this on twitter earlier from the Guardian. Talk about badly researched, over generalising, romantic artist stereotyping. Pah, in my opinion, this article just sets artists back in public perception to starving in an attic or being eternal students.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2010/jan/24/arti...

I am also keen to know which visual artists out there earn £521 per week? That's the average apparently. I like the way they also mention sales from the affordable art fair and say some of that may go to galleries - try around 50% usually. Do more research next time please.