The 10 winners of this massive (and somewhat controversial) competition were announced October 8th with a representational work titled “Open Water No. 24” by Brooklyn painter Ran Ortner taking the top prize of $250,00. An artist whose work captured my attention early in the competition was Jason Michael Hackenwerth and I was pleased to see that one of his fantastic balloon beasts was also in the top 10. One other artist in the winners circle who’s work I found clever and which I admire for the sheer amount of time, preparation and work it must have taken to complete, is Eric Colin Daigh who constructs extra-large portraits using a pointillism technique reminiscent of the work of Chuck Close, but instead of using paint, his medium of choice is the humble push pin.

As a social experiment I would say that ArtPrize was a definite winner: It brought a boon to Grand Rapids’ economy, it injected art into the lives of its citizens and it provided an opportunity for artists to access vital funds to continue to work on their craft. Naysayers caught up in the notion that art is only for the elite should really examine this event and take note of its outcome. Art that is accessible equals art that is relevant and creating more art lovers in modern society can not be a bad thing.

Congratulations to all the winning artists!

Further Reading
http://www.artprize.org/home

New York Times articles with readers comments:
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/08/michigan-art-prize-goes-to-brooklyn-painter/

http://www.freep.com/article/20091008/ENT05/310080001/1320/N.Y.-artist-wins–250K-in-ArtPrize-contest

How does $250,000 sound as an award for having your work voted as the best in show by the public at large? Well all artists anywhere on the planet are being given that exact opportunity by two entrepreneurs with an interest in igniting public discussion about art. Business owner Rick Devos and Jeffery Meeuwsen executive director of Michigan’s Urban Institute for Contemporary Art have come together to launch ArtPrize.org, something they’ve described as a “social experiment” to “reboot” the dialogue between artists and audiences.

But the project has met with resistance from some facets of the art world due to the fact that the 10 winning artists who will be awarded prizes ranging from $250,000 (top prize) – $7,000 will not be chosen by a formal jury, curator or judge, but by the citizens of Grand Rapids Michigan where the venue will be hosted. According to critics of the competition, this method of choosing a winning artist is controversial and tantamount to scandal because it relies on the “uneducated” public’s opinion. From the public’s stance, many would probably counter that curators in the world’s elite museums and galleries routinely applaud and support works of art that leave audiences scratching their heads and have themselves, questionable and irrelevant taste.

András Szántó, one of the founding and contributing editors of Artworld Salon, issued a strong opposing critique of the competition in May equating it to an American Idol-style contest and predicted that the prize would have little if any impact on the long-term careers of the winning artists. Szántó believes that an appropriate, though “frayed” structure already exists for augmenting the notoriety of deserving artists, and that the prize money up for grabs could have been better spent by investing it into this system. He gives a scant critique of the existing system, mentioning the allure of capitalism and its assumed corrupting influence as an issue but neglects to highlight other major issues infecting it such as elitism, favoritism and prejudice (though Szántó is admittedly unapologetic about the elitism bit).

The disconnect between what is worthy of being in the MOMA or commanding high figures in a Christies auction and the average viewing public is very real (a 2006 Urban Institute study Investing in Creativity showed that only 23% of respondents felt that artists contributed a lot of good to society). I guess the bigger question is should it matter?

While I don’t believe an artist should cater to a populist notion that their work should be understood or accepted by everyone, I think that the existing elite circles in the art world do more harm than good when they anoint themselves the number one authority on what dictates good taste in art and then subsequently create an aura of alienation by promoting the idea that the only proper way a viewing audience can decipher or approach a piece of art is through the auspices of an art critic, particularly an art critic from “that” particular environment. There is a definite condescending air in the higher levels of art that regards the masses as intellectually inferior, and that prejudice even flows toward artists who are often regarded as incapable of describing or writing about their own work or whose work is ignored if they didn’t rise up the food chain in an expected manner.

Another assertion made in the Szántó article is that any artist who would win the ArtPrize competition would never be accepted into the art world “big-leagues”. Success is really up to the individual artist to define; for many just making a real income from their work would be considered having attained the “brass ring” and Szántó seems to assume that every artist entering the competition would want to eventually rub shoulders with the likes of Damien Hirst.

The creators of ArtPrize declare on their website that the primary aim of their social experiment is education and fostering communication between art experts and the public, not to act as a referendum on established art practices. Instead of decrying this opportunity as a “publicity stunt” its detractors should get beyond the large cash prizes and their fear of having their supposed authority superseded, and examine the event to gauge the response of the participating public and the artists, perhaps there is a lesson to be learned here about bridging a gap. This particular way may not be perfect but at least someone is putting some thought and action into it.

Deadline to enter is July 31, 2009.

Further Reading:
ArtPrize.org
ArtPrize – Anarchy or Education?
Anti-ArtPrize – András Szántó’s criticism of the competition
MyArtspace blog article in support of ArtPrize

From time to time I’ll use this blog to feature interviews with professionals that serve key roles in the fine art community. For the first post in this series I’ve interviewed international art dealer Reed V. Horth of Florida. Reed specializes in 20th century art and contemporary emerging artists. He was kind enough to answer two sets of questions for me; part one aimed at artists and part two aimed at art collectors. Below is the artists oriented portion of the interview. Enjoy!
–

There are several terms used to refer to individuals who sell art: dealers, brokers, & consultants. Can you explain if there is any difference between these terms? And if so, please describe what role these individuals play in the art buying / selling relationship?

These terms can often be substituted for each other as their meanings often overlap. Ultimately, our role as Art Professionals is to consult and give safe council to both buyer and seller (whether to an individual artist or to a casual buyer, serious or professional collector, investor, museum or institution… the role remains essentially the same). Generally dealers have artists or genres which they deal in a physical or virtual capacity. Brokers generally are interlocutors between a specific buyer and specific seller. Consultants are some combination of the two who literally consult, artists, buyers, sellers and publishers. I have personally served in each role, and been called upon to write contracts, advocate for both buyers and sellers, and deal with attorneys and intermediaries on behalf of all.

What is the average commission an artist can expect to pay to a reputable dealer or broker who sells a piece of their work?

This is entirely case by case and will involve myriad factors, not the least of which is the work which will go into building or enhancing a market. Things which must be considered are the existing size of the artist’s sphere of influence, the resume of the artist and the style of work he or she produces. An artist who has a geographical following may not translate to other markets with the speed and vigor they might hope for. These markets may require a broader marketing plan and this equals higher fees for the broker or dealer. Often, as an artist expands, I have seen “Keystone” pricing structures (Example: The artist receives $1000 for a work, the marketer/Dealer “Keystones” the price to $2000. This incorporates their fees and the expenses inherent in marketing.)

Sometimes the role of the broker or dealer and the keystone pricing model are an area of confusion and debate. If you have a representative who places your work not just with private buyers, but also solicits galleries, and other art professionals, the artist’s fee is only one part of the overall “Wall Price”. (Example: The artist receives $1000 for a work, the marketer/broker “Keystones” the price to $2000. The gallery has a “Wall price” of $4000.)

With the above mentioned pricing structure in mind, would you suggest artists price their work with the keystone pricing already built in, or just price with their own fee in mind and allow the sales people who market the work to add their fees and increase the price of the work accordingly?

No, I do not recommend that artists try to build their own pricing model, as it inhibits and puts restraints on galleries, brokers and intermediaries who may not price in this fashion. Artists should find a fair price they are comfortable with and charge that amount. This keeps it simple for all.

How common would you say it is for a gallery to buy an artist’s work wholesale (like in most other retail industries) as opposed to taking on the work through a consignment arrangement?

I am not necessarily an outright advocate for open consignments. Artists must always be on the lookout for predatory dealers whose ethics may be “Questionable”.(Thank you!)I have advocated a “Buy one- Consign one” model. This is obviously case by case, but you should speak with other artists who the gallery represents in order to get an unblemished, third-party “off-the-record” appraisal of the way they deal with their artists.

Would it be considered gauche for an artist to request a wholesale purchase of their work instead of a consignment contract if such an arrangement is not a gallery’s normal practice?

Artists have assets… namely, their art. While all galleries have their own policies, and we must be respectful of their practices, you must protect yourself and not rely solely on the dealer to provide you sage council. Go with your gut. If it seems too good to be true… it probably is.

Good advice. If a gallery offers a 10% discount which scenario do you think is fair and please explain why: gallery absorbs full cost of discount, artist and gallery split cost of discount, artist absorbs full cost of discount.

Artists should price their artwork reasonably to their dealers. If they are overpriced to begin with, the gallery may need to ask you to eat a portion of the discount in order to get a deal done. This is fair for them to ask and fair for you to accept. This being said, if your prices are reasonable, the gallery should not need to go to you and ask you for a 10% discount as it is a small portion of the whole which can be made up for in bulk sales.

Are there some quick ways that an artist can determine whether or not their work is over or under-priced for a particular market?

Yes…. Are they selling? If not, pricing may be a factor. If so, prices may need to be bumped up. Build a dialogue with your representatives. Most dealers will let you know when works are moving more rapidly, as they will need more inventory. A solid dialogue with a trustworthy partner will allow you both to evaluate whether or not the market can bear a price hike, or whether or not the pricing is excessive. But, don’t raise your prices more than once or twice per year.

When an artist wishes to establish a relationship with a gallery or other type of art dealer, what is the best way to make first contact; phone call, email or cold call visit?

Dealers and brokers have busy schedules and their time should be respected, therefore it is probably best to make initial contact in the most non-intrusive fashion possible. I suggest a letter or email with one or two photos (low resolution attachments for email), followed up by a call to ask whether or not the information was received. If the work is well received, see if you can schedule an appointment to meet directly with the decision-maker in the business.

Why is it important that an artist who has gallery representation NOT sell work directly to clients at a lower price than the gallery?

First, it is unethical. You hire the gallery to do a job for you, just as they hire you to do a job for them. They depend on you to be ethical and not circumvent their efforts. A tremendous amount of time, money and energy is expended to build a market for an artist, market them and expand their sphere of influence. If this marketing yield a client interest, the client may try to go directly to you and it is your responsibility to send them back to the gallery who has worked so hard for you.

Name three qualities a dealer tends to look for in an artist and the artist’s work that make them want to represent the artist.

Talent: Number one factor. It comes in all forms depending on what the dealer likes, has a market for and specializes in. Bear in mind there are a lot of talented singers, but only one person wins American Idol.

Originality: This can take many forms. (Obviously, as this is the definition of “original”) This goes for media, technique, personality, genre, theme, and everything associated with your art. What separates you from everyone else?

Professionalism: Dealers depend on their artists to produce quality work consistently. This is their business, not just their passion. Artists who treat this as a profession tend to fare better with business owners who have overhead, staff and bills to pay.

Name some behaviors or qualities that can make a dealer or broker NOT want to deal with an artist.

Talent: Number one factor again. Some artists are good, but not great. It sometimes takes a fresh set of unbiased eyes to differentiate between the two. While myriad factors exist which define talent, it is entirely subjective and should be taken constructively.

Originality: If your artwork looks, feels and is related to everything else in a particular gallery, there may not be room for artistic competition in the existing contracts that gallery may have.

Professionalism: If an artist is unreliable, unethical and unprofessional, it is difficult for dealers to reconcile. If an artist sells directly to a client when the dealer’s work has clearly been the cause, it is unethical. If an artist cannot call their dealer or representative back when they are working on a deadline, it is unprofessional. Dealers often have a very narrow window in which to close a sale, before the buyer goes elsewhere or finds another item to purchase. Delays mean money out the window. If an artist displays unprofessional behavior, particularly when clients are present, that dealer, their other artists and all their future business may stand to be greatly damaged. Contracts are put in place for a reason. Make certain that they are fair to you and have terms you can live with. Then, once signed, live up to those terms. This is what you would expect from your dealer, right?

Can you name several “red flags” artists should look for when deciding which galleries and dealers to stay away from?

While there is no tried-and-true system for determining which galleries to deal with… Check them out. Talk to artists, neighbors, the local magazines or newspapers. Oftentimes, they will have good advice about individual galleries that you might not hear from the staff. Never sign contracts unless you are 100% certain you can live with the terms of it.

In your opinion, what is a fair “exclusivity” clause in a contract between an artist and gallery?

Exclusivity should be regionalized based upon geography, performance, sphere of influence and potential upward mobility. As a general rule, you should not have more than one gallery in any one town when you are starting out. If they are doing a good job and selling your work at reasonable intervals there is no need for change. Look for outlying cities that might have circles who would also enjoy your work and may have galleries to solicit. As that sphere grows, so will your business.

How has the Internet changed the fine art industry?

Anyone can be “discovered”. Whether it is dance, song, writing, art or politics, anyone has a shot when you have 200 Million potential viewers. That does not mean everyone will, but the information is out there. This also means that you will have more chances of being solicited directly and testing your allegiances to your dealers. Remember, if a gallery has done their job well you may have a spike in inquiries directly to you. This means they are doing a good job and they deserve to be rewarded for it. In the long run, these referrals back to the gallery will pay you dividends.

How do you see the fine art industry changing in the next 5-10 years?

I am not an artist, although I sometime wish I was… YOU determine the future of art. It is up to us in the industry to keep pace.

–

Thank you Reed!
Keep watching the blog for part two of the interview featuring questions and answers for art collectors.

Further information:
Reed V. Horth is a Fine Art Concierge and dealer specializing in the location and procurement of international paintings and sculpture from 20th Century Icons such as Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Norman Rockwell and others; as well as contemporary emerging artists such as Travis Franklin, Tristan Schane, Erik Jones, Javi Suarez, Jr. and Peruvian Master Estremadoyro. For the past 12 years he has been responsible for the arranging estate sales and collections for museums, galleries, institutions, investors and private collectors worldwide, including members of the FORBES and FORTUNE 500 lists globally. You can learn more about Reed V. Horth at his website: www.robinrile.com

•Allow room for growth in your artist statement – your subject of interest may shift over the years so be certain that your statement reflects your current focus as oppose to making a declaration about what you plan to create for the rest of your life.

•Reevaluate your artist statement periodically to see if your focus still matches what you wrote.

•Good practice for working on your artist statement is applying for grants and fellowships. They usually require you to write some sort of statement about your work that forces you to examine the purpose of what you create.

•Avoid “art jargon” instead speak in common language that can be understood by most people whether they are avid followers of the art world or not.

•Be honest – don’t seek to impress just seek to inform. Most people can spot insincerity right off, while being genuine will in most cases make the purpose behind your work easier to understand (and easier to write).

•Don’t believe the myth that artists are challenged when it comes to writing about their own work; instead, accept it as a requirement for being an art professional and a great opportunity to communicate with your potential collectors!

•Unless a longer statement is called for, two or three solid paragraphs should be enough to convey the purpose of your work. As a simple guide, remember to answer the “who”, the “what”, and the “why” behind the art you create.

(Image by Edwin David)

Since 2006, there has a been an online “olympics” of computer graphic art called Dominance War which allows online communities from around the world to compete as teams in a competition to make the best fantasy characters in 2D and 3D. The rules are pretty simple and inclusive but participating artists are limited to creating characters from specifically designated races and classes.

Busy as I am, I had completely forgotten about the competition this year until my brother who is an instructor for Full Sail in Florida threw down the gauntlet and challenged me to participate. My youngest brother is also chomping at the bit to jump into the fray so we will all be participating this year. All participants are required to choose an online community (team) where they maintain a thread about the progress of their character’s development until it is complete: My brothers’ and my own thread are listed below.

This will be a nice departure from my traditional painting and a chance to work exclusively in digital.

May the best artist win! But more importantly, I hope everyone has fun

Sequoia’s Entry: http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?p=5754646#post5754646
Robert’s Entry: http://www.gameartisans.org/forums/showthread.php?t=7830
Derrek’s Entry: http://www.gameartisans.org/forums/showthread.php?t=8155

For more information:
Dominance War IV – Massive Art Challenge Online

Ahhh zbrush. It’s a little challenging for me not to gush over this software because I have become really smitten with it. Out of all the digital packages out there that claim to provide an experience close to traditional art making, this one has come the closest in my opinion.

In a nutshell, ZBrush is a sculpting program that allows artists to create 3D sculptures from a virtual lump of clay or from devices called “Zspheres” that when combined strategically, act as a virtual armature for your digital clay. ZBrush has been adopted like a religion in the computer graphics, special effects and game making industries. For an example of a CG pro putting it to good use view my brother Robert A K’s website. You will also find tons of great examples on the software company’s forum ZBrush Central.

On a lesser scale, ZBrush is also being adopted by traditional artists who use it to make reference for their paintings and drawings. For my own work, I’ve begun creating a collection of models that will allow me to conveniently produce reference when taking my own photos or when working from a live model is not convenient. I feel it necessary to inject a caveat for artists here: Using a program like ZBrush is not a lazy way out of learning anatomy, on the contrary, the software will sort of force you to learn anatomy if you care at all about making sculptures of figures that are at all convincing in their weight, movement and mass. As you pose the models you have created, you’ll find that knowing how muscles deform and flex in different positions will do you a world of good because posing your sculpted model will result in distortions of the form that will require you to fix them.

While ZBrush is not a replacement for life drawing, it’s a great supplement and can push you to learn more about human and animal anatomy.

To learn more about this great tool:
http://www.pixologic.com/home.php
http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/index.php
http://www.pixologic.com/turntable

Any serious artist can do themselves a world of good by creating a library of quick legal references dealing with subjects like contracts, small business and intellectual property law. Internet searches can prove useful when looking for basic data but books more times than not trump the Internet when it comes to providing thorough and well researched information.

Nolo has gained a reputation for publishing handy and easy to digest legal guides and Getting Permission falls right in line with that standard. It covers topics sure to be of use to artists or anyone interested in making legal use of creative works. Examples of some of the chapters in the book include; Getting Permission to Use Photographs, Getting Permission to Use Text, Getting Permission to Use Artwork, Website Permissions, and The Public Domain. The book also contains useful sample forms on an accompanying DVD.

I reproduce some of my traditional paintings as giclée editions and I also print original digital paintings so I am always reading and searching for information that will allow me to do this in a smart and ethical way that benefits both myself and my collectors. There is currently some debate in art circles about the subject of giclées – what they should be called, whether they should be limited, if they qualify as “fine art”, etc. Much of the concerns are born from suspicion over the new media and the encroachment of digital technologies upon traditional practices. Other concerns stem from legitimate fears that less than honorable individuals can use the technology’s ability to flawlessly reproduce original artwork to defraud unsuspecting buyers.

Traditional printmakers whose craft can be far more labor intensive than digital printing, are understandably defensive when they perceive that terminology used to describe their artwork is being misappropriated. Nothing will get a hand-pulled print maker’s dander up faster than calling a digitally printed reproduction of a painting a “print” even though technically speaking, that’s what the resulting object is. In fine art circles, “print” has traditional been use to describe artworks created when an artist carves an image into a surface (metal, stone, wood, etc.,) referred to as a “plate”, applies pigment to that surface, and then presses it against a substrate to leave an impression. Several impressions pulled from the prepared surface make up an edition.

Traditional printmakers feel that when a painting is photographed to create a giclée edition, it is more appropriate to refer to the resulting object as a reproduction since it is based off of an original work rather than being an original work itself. This seems like a common sense and honest way to present these types of printed works to potential buyers and I am in agreement with the hand-pulled print making community’s insistence that they be distinguished that way. Now where I differ in opinion with some of the more hardcore traditional printmakers is when it comes to original digital paintings created completely on the computer. When I create a digital work, the resulting file is my “plate” and the resulting digital print is referred to as just that, a print, but there are those, though shrinking in number, that are reluctant to accept the legitimacy of such artwork under any circumstances. I’m sure photographers know that old story all too well.

Because there is no governing body with the authority or universal acceptance from the art community to create firm rules and regulations about preferred terminology to be used when dealing with digital prints and reproductions, artists and art dealers are left with the responsibility of mining through the plethora of information and opinions that surround the subject to decide on the best way to ethically and responsibly present their work to the marketplace.

Further reading:
www.worldprintmakers.com
www.artprintissues.com

A little while ago I was asked to put together an advice sheet for a group of young artists who were either in college or preparing to become freshmen. The tips I compiled mostly consisted of things I wish someone would have told me when I was first starting out. I thought the tips would make a nice first blog post.

• Decide whether your art will be a hobby or if you want to pursue it as a profession. The sooner you make this decision, the better.

• If you decide to pursue it as a profession, invest in it by educating yourself not only about your craft, but about federal and state laws that may affect what you do (copyright, patent and trademark laws, state contract laws, etc.). For an example of current proposed legislation effecting artists do a Google search for “Orphan Works Bill”.

• Depending on what type of art you practice, you may want to consider joining a guild, club or society dedicated to that art to help you network and keep up with current happenings in your field.

• Take relevant business courses. If you are trading the work that you produce for cash, you are officially in business. It is a myth that artists cannot be professional and good businesspeople. Because this myth is still prevalent you may run across people who doubt your ability to manage a business transaction well. To defeat this myth, always maintain good business practices: never work without a contractual agreement. Make an effort to be punctual when returning a client’s email or phone call.

• DON’T WORK FOR FREE you have a right to be compensated for your craft.

• Always value your work and yourself as an artist. Don’t allow people who don’t understand creative people to belittle what you do or tell you that it is not a worthy pursuit.

• Make a conscious effort to start building a portfolio today, without examples of your work to show you will find getting work, grants and exhibitions difficult.

• Learn HTML and CSS. Putting up and maintaining your own website is getting easier and easier, there is almost no excuse not to have one and most people expect a practicing artist to have a web presence. With blog software and some knowledge of HTML and CSS you can have a custom website up within an hour or two.

• If you are confused about how to price your work, consult someone in your profession for tips, the Internet makes this incredibly easy.

• Another stereotype is that artists are egotistical and difficult to deal with. Maintain goodwill and be respectful of others and you will create a positive reputation for both you and your work.

• Periodically take time to reflect on the work you have created and think of ways that you can improve it and continue to grow. Always be open to learning new things.