A lot of places will take artwork on consignment. This is especially true for specialty shops, restaurants and other businesses that display works for extended periods of time as opposed to hosting rotating exhibitions. Unlike constantly changing gallery exhibitions, which tend to write checks at the end of the month for any works sold during the show, some of these venues may not pay the artists for works sold for extended periods of time.
These situations can be extremely challenging. If a venue has sold an artwork, the artist should be paid for it in a reasonable time frame, preferably on a month-by-month basis. Unfortunately this isn't always the case. Some venues don't think to pay the artist for works sold unless the artist reminds them to do so! (There are legal implications and ramifications involved in waiting extended periods for payment, but they can be difficult to pursue.)
There are many reasons for delayed payments including overall lack of organization, poor bookkeeping, staffing shortages, misunderstanding how to work with the artists themselves, difficulties making ends meet and greed (note: this is not the only item on this list as too many people would too readily assume).
Here are a few suggestions of ways to work around these situations.
- Don't exhibit your best-selling work in such a venue if it is more lucrative to show it elsewhere.
- Exhibit pieces that don't matter so much to you, that you harbor no real attachment to and that you won't be perturbed by not being paid for them in a timely manner.
- Check in with the venue frequently to inventory your work and keep track of sales. Changing out your work frequently will help to promote sales and encourage you to keep careful track of what you have in a venue and of what works are doing well there.
- Be fully aware of the venue's policies concerning artworks and avoid situations that do not have written consignment contracts. Look through paperwork carefully and make sure that you are in agreement with the terms outlined.
- Consider working with the venue to manage your own sales or offer to help manage overall artwork sales for them (assuming you are willing to invest the time and energy in this).
- Encourage a group to whom you belong (and whom you enjoy working with) to get involved and to offer to host rotating exhibitions in the space. (Let the venue know how this can be a benefit because it will encourage new people to come on a regular basis to see the changing shows.)
A lot of places are struggling nowadays to keep their doors open, so artists may find themselves having more and more difficulties collecting on sold works. As with many situations, being in communication and being as aware of the situation as possible by calling, emailing and checking in will help to ensure that you are paid in a timely manner. (Checking in will also help you to keep track of your work, how lucrative a venue is and whether or not you are having any issues with theft.)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
"Exhibit pieces that don't matter so much to you, that you harbor no real attachment to and that you won't be perturbed by not being paid for them in a timely manner."
This made me think about what my late art proffessor told me years ago- don't get too attached to your work. Just get rid of it: you can't eat it, use it for shelter, or use it to fuel your car. If you are worth your salt, you will make better works in the future anyway- bang 'em out and move on.
Some galleries might also want to extend a certain amount of time to ensure the customer is satisfied/that no quality issues arise that might entail a return/refund of the work.
Thank you for responding. That is very true and I agree in many ways. If you are producing art to sell, you should detach yourself from it. Some artists, despite being detached, want to see a quick turnaround and response, and that can be detrimental if working with a gallery with a slow turnaround time.
And some artists have a hard time detaching. It really depends on the purpose of the artwork created. Some pieces are inherently personal, produced for the artist first and foremost. Should those pieces necessarily be shown? It depends. We can stand to learn a lot from one another, from our grievances, from our likes/dislikes...
Many such works are not made to be sold. As artists detach from them over time, perhaps they will consider selling as a final means of moving on after purging something, but it isn't a top priority.
Post a Comment