Knowledge bank

for Arts organisers

Whether you're working with artists regularly or occasionally, you'll find the articles and good practice guides in Knowledge Bank essential reading. Subjects covered include project management, working with artists, organising events, contracts, insurance and good practice in paying artists.

Jane Watt Knowledge bank commissions coordinator

Introduction

a-n’s Code of Practice for the Visual Arts encourages artists and arts organisers to “contribute confidently” when embarking on professional arrangements. Whilst much has already been gained from wide distribution of this publication and its companions, Establishing a charge rate for a working artist and Good practice in paying artists, that have successfully raised awareness of suitable levels of remuneration of artists when undertaking residencies and community commissions, a consistent attitude to quantifying the value of artists has yet to be adopted across the exhibition and gallery world.

Although budgets are often tight in publicly-funded venues, it is clear that artists are an essential ingredient in the exhibition equation. Whether making great work offered for sale or creating complex site-specific works or installations that provoke and question received attitudes about what an artist is and does, all professional artists need to make an income that not only enables them to develop and sustain their practice but also to contribute financially to family and private lives.

And whilst years ago artists may have expected arts funding bodies to advocate for, and ‘police’ schemes such as Exhibition Payment Right – albeit once it had been instigated by artists including Conrad Atkinson as members of the then Artists’ Union – the sophisticated arts environment of the twenty-first century tends to rely less on such tactics and more on the commitment of each individual working within their peer group or network to act professionally and honourably.

Mindful of the ‘aid or trade’ debate that prefaced the 2005 G8 conference, it could be argued that rather than trying to come up with a new ‘top down’ scheme (that would never in any case be likely to be granted high enough levels of financial resources), artists’ interests would be better served if all involved in public exhibition processes knew how to work within the parameters of good practice and had access to tools for negotiating professional arrangements. In practical terms, this could be readily delivered within the induction and training programmes for public gallery and exhibition staff and arts officers, and through assessed professional practice modules in art and design courses.

As part of a portfolio of resources on artists’ fees and payments arising from a partnership with Arts Council England, Good exhibition practice is offered as a positive step on the road to achieving that ambition.

This is a text-only version of Good exhibition practice. To download Good exhibition practice as PDF format click here

Introduction

As a UK artist you automatically hold copyright in your original works of art. This guide introduces the basic concepts of copyright law and offers practical advice on protecting your work against possible infringement.

Themes

Lucy Kimbell outlines some issues that can arise from residencies in business settings and should be resolved in advance.