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Questions and answers about AIR including eligibility, terms and conditions and who AIR works with.

» What is AIR?
» Can anyone sign up for AIR?
 » What if I work as an artist and an arts organiser?
 » How will AIR work with other artists’ organisations?
 » As part of our Open Studios event we would like to serve and charge for teas. Is this covered within the AIR Public and Products Liability insurance?

Q What is AIR?

As an integral part of the a-n Artist subscription you become a membership of AIR – Artists’ Interaction & Representation and get immediate access to a portfolio of new benefits:

Welcome pack – Good practice publications and AIR information
£5m Public and products liability insurance – for UK-based artists only
Low cost artists insurance policy
Free What’s on listings + image throughout the year on www.a-n.co.uk/interface
Open dialogues – meet like-minded artists at events organised around the UK.
AIR e-bulletin – for invites, information and consultation
10% off any a-n advert
Prizes and discounts – books, supplies, services and events
AIR Advisory Group – leading research and campaigns, representing artists’ views and needs to others

Password to www.a-n.co.uk with 24/7 access to all online resources including:

NEWS FEEDS – personalised alerts when new entries are posted on the daily updated Opportunities and jobs on www.a-n.co.uk

Knowledge Bank – online research resource on artists’ strategies for Making a living, Profile and promotion, Time and space and Professional practice, includes practical guidance on self-employment matters including interactive toolkits on contracts, fees and professional development

Publications – all new and back titles in downloadable formats.

If you select the Online+print subscription, you also receive a-n Magazine 10 times a year by post, plus any othe printed titles as they are published.

When choosing the Online option you get a welcome pack with key publications on subscribing and then can access or download everything else we publish on www.a-n.co.uk

AIR members automatically get access to the rolling programme of new benefits as they become available.

Q Can anyone sign up for AIR?

AIR is open only to practising visual and applied artists and only available as an integral part of an a-n Artist subscription. You only need to sign up for AIR once – you won’t need to do so each time you renew your subscription. Your AIR membership will only expire if your subscription lapses.

Practising artists who live outside of the UK can sign up for AIR with their Artist subscription, although they can’t benefit from the Public and products liability insurance – prices for non-UK based a-n+AIR membership vary because of postage costs.

You will be entitled to attend and vote at any meetings of Artist Members and have the other rights set out in the company’s constitution (Memorandum and Articles of Association), a copy of which is available by post on request. In the event of the company winding up, you would be liable for the sum of £5. Artist Members will also be invited to join any Artists Advisory Groups that the a-n Board forms to help it represent the views of artists more effectively.’.

Q What if I work as an artist and an arts organiser?

You can be in a-n+AIR as an artist and use AIR benefits in that capacity. It’s important AIR is an environment where issues can be freely discussed and knowledge shared amongst artists.

Q How will AIR work with other artists’ organisations?

We urge artists to join national organisations like Scottish Artists’ Union and Visual Artists Ireland, as appropriate, with whom AIR hopes to partner on campaigns and advocacy. a-n and AIR will seek to raise awareness of good practice amongst members of Engage (gallery education), Museums Association, NALGAO (local authorities) and VAGA (galleries and curators).

Q As part of our Open Studios event we would like to serve and charge for teas. Is this covered within the AIR Public and Products Liability insurance?

The serving of food and drink would be covered by the policy provided it was an ancillary activity to the principal activities covered by the policy, which in this case would be the display and sale of your art. The insurers would not wish to pick up the risks of a commercially run café, etc. The policy would also provide legal defence costs for any prosecution brought under Part 2 the Food Safety Act 1990. Note however if you are an artists' group, you may need to check whether the group itself requires its own insurance,as the AIR subscription only provides the above insurance to an individual subscribing artist.

Legal:

AN: ARTISTS INFORMATION COMPANY
Company registered in England no. 1626331
Registered address: FIFTEEN, Rosehill, Montgomery Way, Rosehill Estate, Carlisle CA1 2RW
VAT: GB369047919

AIR members’ public and products liability insurance

Since launch in 2006 of AIR – Artists’ Interaction & Representation – the AIR Artists’ Advisory Group has been working to bring AIR members some of the practical benefits that other professional associations provide. Detailed discussions with carefully selected specialist insurance brokers have resulted in development of a new public liability insurance scheme, arranged by a-n The Artists Information Company exclusively for AIR members.

This is specifically tailored to meet the needs of practising visual or applied artists who require insurance against their legal liabilities to pay compensation arising out of injury to third parties and damage to third party property, which result from their activities as artists. a-n believes this policy provides equivalent or better cover than many other public liability policies which artists may to be offered, and which our research shows are commonly only available at a high individual annual cost.

This article introduces the key areas of AIR members’ Public and Products insurance, provided as an automatic benefit for all UK-based AIR members from 1 November 2007, including eligibility, duration, kinds of activity covered and principal exclusions.

About the policy
This insurance is underwritten by the International Insurance Company of Hannover Ltd from 1 November 2009 and provided through an arrangement made by a-n The Artists Information Company on behalf of AIR members with Hencilla Canworth Limited.

Eligibility
Provided their AIR subscription is current, all UK-based members of a-n The Artists Information Company’s AIR (Artists’ Interaction and Representation) scheme are automatically covered by the new policy.

Duration
This policy is issued to a-n The Artists Information Company for an annual period commencing 01/11/2009 and is intended to be renewed annually thereafter.

Activities
This policy is only operative while you are undertaking the following activities:
(a) the making, designing, creating, preparing, installing, selecting, exhibiting and display of any works of visual or applied art (including works not created by yourself).
(b) the lecturing, teaching or demonstrating of visual or applied art including (but not limited to) workshops, residencies and community projects.

‘Visual or applied art’ includes but is not limited to painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, digital or time-based media, sculpture, ceramics, community arts, glassmaking, textiles, jewellery, mixed media, interactive arts, crafts, live art and physical performances.

Geographical scope
AIR members who normally practice in the UK will be covered, including while temporarily engaged in work visits outside the UK (other than within USA or Canada).

Cover
The policy provides insurance cover against legal liability for damages (including claimant legal costs) for accidental Injury to any person, and accidental loss or damage to third party property. The limit of indemnity provided is £5,000,000 any one claim (any one period in respect of Product liability); additional cover can be taken out if necessary.

What is not covered
Main policy exclusions include:
• Bodily injury to any employees (this includes freelance, volunteer or self- employed persons working under your control)
• Any use of applied heat, fire or pyrotechnics away from your studio or normal workspace other than the use of domestic appliances, pottery ovens, kilns, flash paper, flash cotton or flash string
• Any activity undertaken more than ten metres above ground or floor level
• Any liability arising out of the creation and installation of public artworks after the point of handover of the work to the commissioner
• Damage to property in the custody or control of the AIR Member
• Pollution or contamination unless from sudden and accidental causes
• Costs of repair, recall or replacement of defective products
• Liability for breach of professional duty or inadequate advice
• The first £250 of any claim for damage to third-party property arising from work undertaken on third-party premises

AIR members can download the policy summary and documents from the AIR-only section of this site using their a-n+AIR login.

Practising visual and applied artists who wish to join AIR can do this on www.a-n.co.uk/subscribe

Credits
Realisation of the AIR Members’ Public and Products Liability Insurance would not have been possible without active participation of the AIR Artists’ Advisory Group – David Cotterrell, Elpida Hadzi Vasileva, Rob Kesseler, Mitra Memarzia, Stephen Palmer, Claudia Pilsl, Paul Scott, Sally Sheinman, Erika Tan, Helen Thomas, Caroline Wright – the additional support and expertise of Nicholas Sharp, Consultant, Swan Turton solicitors and a-n Board member, and Simon Zimmerman, Artists’ Insights Coordinator, Arts Council England informed by the research study by Platform3, supported by Arts Council England..

About Hencilla Canworth
Hencilla Canworth has many years experience in arranging public liability insurance schemes for members organisations, including Equity (the actors union), Musicians Union and Scottish Artists Union. It also has a long history of providing bespoke insurance solutions in the arts sector.

www.hencilla.co.uk

First published: a-n.co.uk October 2007