ARTISTS TALKING

# 25 [13 March 2009]

I am mainly surrounded by piles of paper as I put together book after book after book in preparation for BABE (Bristol Artists' Book Event) on the first weekend in April. 

After the last 'paying to enter' things entry, I had to think about this as a table at an artists' book fair costs money. BABE is £80 for the weekend and then of course, you need to add in petrol and sleeping. My answer to these costs is to take my husband with me and try and make it into a nice weekend away. The really hard bit is not buying too much of other people's work! 

I have been really struggling to make the books I want to as I just can't pay for materials/production. Instead of beautifully made, gleaming, letterpressed editions, I end up with pamphlet stitched books done on my printer and with a little screenprinting. I long to be back at Women's Studio Workshop in NY, where I did a book residency last year. Never before have I appreciated time and facilities to make work so very much. I was like a machine! They are another organisation that have had funding cuts this year. I wish I could do something to help. If I ever won pots of money, that would be one of the first donations!

I organised Liverpool Artists' Book Fair last year and really struggled with table charges as I know how difficult it is to do these events. As it was tables were charged at £25/weeekend and £15 for one day. This just paid for advertising and paying cafe workers. For hours of work over four months, I didn't pay myself a bean. But, I loved doing it, it was the first one and Bristol and others offer so much more in terms of audience and establishment. This year, to avoid killing myself with all that unpaid work again, the book fair has had to go. It has a good home and will be at A Foundation this year, but it was so very difficult to give all my work away in exchange for goodwill.

I suppose BABE has to be thought of as a trade fair and therefore, an investment. It is a financial risk, but I have my fingers crossed that I can at least break even........

http://artistsbookfairliverpool.blogspot.com/

http://www.arnolfini.org.uk/whatson/exhibitions/de...

http://wsworkshop.org/

# 24 [10 March 2009]

I have just been having a conversation over email with another artist about paying to enter things.

I my head I have a very clear rule about this: I don't do it. On reflection I thought that there are some things I would pay to enter, these being competitions on the level of BSR and the Jerwood prizes.

We began by discussing Celeste, a fairly new prize that now has an online focus. It has various categories and costs 50 Euros to enter. Finalists are decided by selection commitee and finalists themselves decide how the prize money is awarded.  The website does, usefully,  have a pretty little pie chart showing how entry fees are spent: 

http://www.celesteprize.com/prize/

25% - prizes, 10% website, 23% employment and 13% selectors fees and so on. So, to be simplistic about it - that means that as prizes total Eur40,000, therefore wages add up to Eur36,800 and the selectors will earn Eur20,800 between them with the website costing Eur16,000. That's a hell of a website!!

Rather than a competition for cutting edge contemporary art, this seems more like a game show format to me, much like Saatchi's upcoming TV show, which is a game show - right? In this model, artists, especially those who are inexperienced and might not know any better, are being used as a source of funding. Want to put on a show/festival/residency? I know; just get £35 off each person entering and it will pay for itself, plus we can employ ourselves for the duration, genius! 

People - this is your money!! If you're going to spend it anyway, wouldn't it be better spent elsewhere, perhaps on some food, or even getting people together and sorting our your own project? I'm not saying the prize has no value; for the winners it has incredible value, and also for the finalists I expect. The website may generate opportunities for people adding their work to the entries too. But for the majority, those who the competition depends on for funding, it won't do much at all. Spend the entry fee on a subscription to a-n and axis instead, where you will be aligned with a much more desirable (and credible) crowd.

I also get fed-up trawling through res-artis, which a couple of years ago I used all the time. Now, although it is still an amazing resource for finding residencies, it also lists numerous places that seem like little more than posh bed and breakfasts around Europe, with studios attached. Not so much an application form as a booking form here. Much more time has to be spent weeding out opportunities that represent work rather than a nice hoiday. 

We all know there is not enough funding out there and that other ways are needed to make art more self-sufficient, but to my mind, entry fees and dumbing down on quality to appeal to and use the masses are not it. 

# 23 [3 March 2009]

Interesting comments here about Mr Bourriard, his altermodern and the state of the art market of late. Does anyone think that Damien Hirst style production/ value markets will really collapse?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/mar/01/tate-britain-bourriaud-art-market

# 22 [27 February 2009]

I just read in a-n with great sadness that the Gomperts Trust will not have enough income to award grants this year.

I have received two grants from the trust and have found it such a supportive organisation. This is probably due in part, to the very personal and genuine reasons for the family setting up the trust - in memory of their duaghter and sister. It is also because of Natasha Gomperts, an artist herself, who takes a personal interest in the artists' work and allows a relatonship to develop. The last grant I received was also thanks to Greg Daville, an artist who sadly passed away last year. A previous recipient himself, he interviewed me with Natasha and I am grateful that for a short time before his death we were able to have conversations, swap reading lists and discover common ground via email. 

The Juliet Gomperts Trust for me, is a model of how funding would be given in an ideal world: without preconceptions about what will be funded, what outcomes should occur and with a real down-to-earth bent that is not impressed by hollow words. Their recent residency at the Torriano meeting house seemed like a very forward thinking turn for the Trust, who also fund artists undertaking a residency in Italy. I sincerely hope they are able to improve their income in the future and carry on the good work.

# 21 [27 February 2009]

The Government have said that Arts Council need to cut admin costs by 15% by next year:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2009/feb/26/arts...

Might this be the start of a mini-revolution where artists begin to adapt, cut out the middle men and sort out their own affairs a la direct holidays and direct line car insurance? Well, perhaps not, but we could shed some brokers could we not? 

I have an image in my head of a cake in need of flour and plenty is being poured in to the mix, but as it goes through numerous sieves it is gradually siphoned off and clogged up until the cake is hardly left with enough to rise. 

I'm not saying the flour doesn't need sieving - it does, but you can go overboard. 

# 20 [26 February 2009]

A new article on knowledge bank - For those who would like to read more about volunteering to view up the pros/cons and who perhaps prefer a more objective point of view!

http://www.a-n.co.uk/knowledge_bank/article/506400

# 19 [26 February 2009]

As with all areas of my life, I have a lot to say (regarding this blog), but seem to be unable to articulate it how I would like. This comes partly, I suspect from having no authority in this area (I feel I should be supported by facts, figures at al) and also because the very last thing I want to do is moan. 

Above all, I want to take responsibility for my own situation rather than simply complaining about what makes it difficult. 

It seems a central resource (perhaps from an audit of artists) would provide a step from which to argue our case. If there were reliable statistics to hand it might be easier to speak eloquently and with conviction about payments and working conditions. Currently I find it is a cloudy area to say the least, where I find few people on the outside (of arts) who fully understand the breadth and quantity of contemporary artists' practice. 

# 18 [24 February 2009]

I have just had a read through the comments on this blog and it has given me a lot to think about. I also feel very glad not to be alone!

One comment reminded me of something that used to anger me greatly when I had just graduated; Elizabeth Haider relating her experiences of schools expecting her to work for nothing/little. As a graduate I tried to be realistic when looking at opportunities, but even then I was absolutely incensed by the (mainly private) schools looking for artists in residence, to teach up to 12 ish hours a week, given a studio and accomodation granted, but often accompanied by some measly bursary such as £3-4,000 per academic year.  Shocking. What other industry would accept these conditions? Why do these schools even want someone in classes with their children (and wards) who is paid so little? Do they not value the staff they are placing into teaching positions? A friend from ECA added to my argument when she went into a residency at one school and had left by January, being very ill-equipped to cope with classes of children and given little support, not to mention having no time to do her own work and being incredibly stressed.

I wrote to a few schools one year to tell them what I thought of their 'residencies', but I only ever received one reply. They, in their defense, seemed to believe they were giving an invaluable opportunity to an emerging artist. Plus, they felt they were only offering what everyone else was. If they hadn't had any applicants I suspect they would have thought again, but of course, they had plenty.

Anyway, I try not to look at those adverts these days and to put my energy into more useful endeavors. I did have a good laugh at my younger, angrier self though. What this also make me realise is how important it is not to simply blame those offering the opportunities/the administrators etc (although they could be better educated about rates!) - but to look a bit deeper and try to address the problems where they begin, rather then where they are manifested.

# 17 [19 February 2009]

Internships, volunteering and the problems of free labour in the arts:

Before I start, I have to acknowledge that there are many positives to volunteering, obviously! It can be an incredible contribution to society with numerous rewards for the individual. What I would like to talk about here is volunteering in the arts as a replacement for employment.

During my BA I volunteered at a number of galleries and, with the exception of one, I found I was generally clicking people in, making tea and cleaning the kitchen. No points for valuable experience at all, although I should point out it was a while ago now! They never worked out very well either as I was doing a degree, working up to 30 hours a week in two part time jobs, and they wanted people to work every Saturday and who would be at each opening. Not really possible for me! Since then I have been quite suspicious of and annoyed by volunteers being used as staff, not to mention the fact that I have never been in a position (financially) to take advantage of such things.

During the CCS meeting at Manchester I was very interested to hear what others had to say when it came to this point in the document. It confirmed my fears when the Curator from Manchester Art Gallery said she saw many problems in the system, but that their gallery would use free labour, beacause it could. She was quite sympathetic with the plight of people trying to find careers in the arts and said that they observed mainly middle-class white, female graduates volunteering - the people that (in Museums at least) end up forming the main part of the staff. She also said that because of the sheer number and quality of applicants for jobs at the gallery, people they employed for entry-level jobs were actually on their second or third job. This seems to suggest that there are not only too many artists, but perhaps also too many curators, administrators and managers for the work available.

I am not questioning the quality of internships that already exist out there - I already commented on Andrew Bryant's very positive experience at Tate and I also remember being very taken by the programme at Collective when I was graduating - but I am saying that they are simply impossible for lots of people.  There also seems to be an unspoken tradition that it is difficult to get employment in institutions without putting in the free hours first.

An alternative to volunteering? It will always exist, but how about properly organised, valuable and PAID internships that are similar to apprenticeships or CPD training. Perhaps museums and galleries could also agree to abide by certain terms? There has to be enough provision for people to live and not get into debt by taking part, and previous experience volunteering should not be a significant factor in choosing from applicants. 

# 16 [17 February 2009]

I may not live in Scotland anymore (I went to eca back in the day..) but I still care what happens!

Arts Futures : Creative Scotland?
Wednesday Night Open
6 p.m. Wednesday 25th February 2009

Glasgow School of Art
Mackintosh Lecture Theatre
167 Renfrew St
Glasgow G3 6RQ


Leigh French and Guyan Porter will lead an artists' briefing & open discussion looking at recent events leading to the proposals for Creative Scotland.

Some of the key areas for discussion:

- history & contexts : how did we get here?
- core scripts revealed
- culture capture & creeping nationalism
- cultural entitlement & spaces of contention
- freedom of expression : legal frameworks
- crises of capital & public sector cultural provision
- national intimacy or cultural pluralism?
- progressive international cultural policy models
- how can artists & communities engage in policy development?
- where would we like to go : how do we get there?


Presenting Information Towards an Informed Debate...
free event - all welcome!

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For further information, please contact:
 tara s Beall
 Cultural Engagement Events Manager
 The Glasgow School of Art
 Studio 55 / Mac Bldg / 167 Renfrew Street / Glasgow G3 6UT
 44 (0)141 353 4567
t.beall@gsa.ac.uk