|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
Frequently Bought Together
Product Details
|
Product Description
Review
"This book is a godsend...it should be required reading in fine arts curricula." -- Santa Fe New Mexican
"I'll bet this powerful little paperback finds a permanent home on the list of best business books for artists.... The contract, invoice and inventory templates alone are worth the cover price." -- The Artist's Magazine
"Together [the authors] make for a powerful combo, offering both extensive knowledge of the gallery system and the ins and outs of art law, for some well-founded tips on how to succeed in the art world...it's the perfect gift for anyone working in a creative field." -- CoolHunting.com
"This book is filled with the kind of nuts-and-bolts business advice every artist needs to read." -- ArtBistro.com
"Bhandari and Melber, both Brown University graduates, have drawn on their own experiences and interviews with 100 curators, dealers, and other arts professionals to offer advice on everything from preparing artwork for shipping to coping with rejection." -- Boston Globe
"Emerging curators, along with established curators who work with living artists, would do well to read it, as would art dealers and workers at nonprofit spaces or organizations.... One unique aspect of the book is the quotes in the margin -- from high-profile artists and well-known professionals who've been around the block. Shamim Momin from the Whitney Museum and Peter Eleey of the Walker Art Center talk about how they meet new artists and visit their studios, and Seattle gallerist James Harris underscores the importance artists' websites have when he looks for new work to show." -- College Art Association News
"...even those who have no interest in the art world may find Art/Work of use. Their instructions on how to pack objects for example, are so thorough, only the most dexterously challenged will find difficulty executing them. What's more, should this book reach the majority of working artists today, the quality of gallery staff life would improve by a level of magnitude..." -- Paddy Johnson for The L Magazine
"I'll bet this powerful little paperback finds a permanent home on the list of best business books for artists.... The contract, invoice and inventory templates alone are worth the cover price." -- The Artist's Magazine
"Together [the authors] make for a powerful combo, offering both extensive knowledge of the gallery system and the ins and outs of art law, for some well-founded tips on how to succeed in the art world...it's the perfect gift for anyone working in a creative field." -- CoolHunting.com
"This book is filled with the kind of nuts-and-bolts business advice every artist needs to read." -- ArtBistro.com
"Bhandari and Melber, both Brown University graduates, have drawn on their own experiences and interviews with 100 curators, dealers, and other arts professionals to offer advice on everything from preparing artwork for shipping to coping with rejection." -- Boston Globe
"Emerging curators, along with established curators who work with living artists, would do well to read it, as would art dealers and workers at nonprofit spaces or organizations.... One unique aspect of the book is the quotes in the margin -- from high-profile artists and well-known professionals who've been around the block. Shamim Momin from the Whitney Museum and Peter Eleey of the Walker Art Center talk about how they meet new artists and visit their studios, and Seattle gallerist James Harris underscores the importance artists' websites have when he looks for new work to show." -- College Art Association News
"...even those who have no interest in the art world may find Art/Work of use. Their instructions on how to pack objects for example, are so thorough, only the most dexterously challenged will find difficulty executing them. What's more, should this book reach the majority of working artists today, the quality of gallery staff life would improve by a level of magnitude..." -- Paddy Johnson for The L Magazine
Product Description
The most comprehensive guide of its kind, Art/Work gives artists of every level the tools they need to make it in an art world so competitive one dealer likens it to "The Sopranos, except nobody gets killed." Whether you're an art school grad looking for a gallery, a mid-career artist managing a busy studio, or someone just thinking about becoming a professional artist, this indispensable resource will help you build your career and protect yourself along the way.
Unlike other creative professionals, visual artists don't have agents or managers. You have to do it all yourself, at least until you find gallery representation -- and even then, there are important business and legal issues you need to understand to stay in control of your career and ensure you're being treated fairly. Heather Darcy Bhandari, a gallery director, and Jonathan Melber, an arts lawyer, walk you through these issues so that you can essentially act as your own manager and agent. They show you, for example, how to tackle business basics such as tracking inventory and preparing invoices; how to take legal precautions like registering a copyright and drafting consignment forms; how to use promotional tools like websites and business cards; and how to approach career decisions such as choosing the right venue to show your work.
In addition to drawing on their own experiences, Bhandari and Melber interviewed nearly one hundred curators, dealers, and other arts professionals, in cities across the country, about what they expect from and look for in artists. The authors also talked to a host of artists about their careers and the lessons they've learned navigating the art world. The book is full of their entertaining anecdotes and candid advice.
No matter what kind of artist you are -- or want to be -- this book will help you. Art/Work covers everything you need to know to succeed, saving you from having to learn it all the hard way -- and letting you spend more time making art.
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
There are no customer reviews yet on Amazon.ca
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.6 out of 5 stars (24 customer reviews)
45 of 46 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Definitive Resource for Artists and Art Professionals!, Mar 17 2009
By Shaun Irving - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: ART/WORK: Everything You Need to Know (and Do) As You Pursue Your Art Career (Paperback)
I'm an emerging artist who's been shooting for the past couple of years. I've done some shows in the non-profit realm, but only in the past few months have I been actively trying to figure out the ins and outs of the gallery scene.For months now, I've been scrounging for the most basic information: How do for-profit galleries operate? What kind of contractual/financial obligations are required? How do you properly document your work? I've gone to workshops, interviewed artists, and dug through a lot of junk on the internet...
Only to find that everything I needed (and lots more) was in this book.
This is the definitive how-to book on running a fine art business (from the artist's side), specifically in regards to working with galleries. They don't offer any secret formulas for success, but instead dish out best practices for presenting yourself as professionally as possible.
What amazed me most was the depth of subject matter this book covers. It offers everything from sample legal forms to explicit instructions on how to pack your work for shipment. They use a very open and honest writing style throughout. Instead of coming across as preachy or snobbish, the authors sound more like a good friend letting you in on the secrets of the industry.
An interesting device they use throughout is to include relevant quotes from art professionals on almost every spread. These tie in directly with the subject matter of each section and represent the perspectives of artists, curators and gallery owners. It's one thing for the author to say what he or she thinks, but another thing when you get other voices add to the mix.
My only complaint about the book is a very minor one. While the book is striking in its design, I question the use of a bold sans serif for the body text throughout the book. There's enough white space and leading to make it work, but it seems a choice of aesthetics over practicality.
I don't often get this jazzed about books (especially not over a how-to manual). But I've seen firsthand what a lack of comprehensive resources there are for artists trying to figure out the how's and what's of the art world. This book does a magnificent job of filling that void and I'd recommend it to any artist who's trying to get established.
20 of 23 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Learn to be a business person as well as an artist, Jun 4 2009
By Charlene Anderson "CJA" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: ART/WORK: Everything You Need to Know (and Do) As You Pursue Your Art Career (Paperback)
Where was Art/Work when I was just starting out? Here's a down-to-earth book that teaches you all the nitty-gritty details you didn't learn in art school.Art/Work gives artists of every level the tools they need to make it in the highly competitive art world. Whether you're an art school grad looking for a gallery, a mid-career artist managing a busy studio, or someone just thinking about becoming a professional artist, this book will help you build your career and protect yourself along the way.
Heather Darcy Bhandari, a gallery director, and Jonathan Melber, an arts lawyer, walk you through issues directly related to being a visual artist. They show you, for example, how to tackle business basics such as tracking inventory and preparing invoices; how to take legal precautions like registering a copyright and drafting consignment forms; how to use promotional tools like websites and business cards; and how to approach career decisions such as choosing the right venue to show your work. I found the chapter in dealing with galleries most informative, and I've been a practicing artist for almost 30 years.
In addition to drawing on their own experiences, Bhandari and Melber interviewed nearly one hundred curators, dealers, and other arts professionals to talk about what they expect from and look for in artists. The authors also talked to a variety of artists and the lessons they've learned navigating the cutthroat world of art.
No matter what kind of artist you are -- or want to be --No matter what your media, or what stage you are in your career, this book can help you. Art/Work covers everything you need to know to succeed, saving you from having to learn it all the hard way -- and letting you spend more time making art.
97 of 125 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Please remember WHO is writing the book...by artists? No. By gallery workers, yes..., April 11 2010
By GroveCanada "Grove" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: ART/WORK: Everything You Need to Know (and Do) As You Pursue Your Art Career (Paperback)
It's all very well to write a book for artists, but if you are working for galleries, you may have a bias.This bias is actually a Huge problem...
In the art world, when an artist gives a work to a gallery on consignment, the gallery is not putting any cash into the artist's hands...
Traditionally, this meant a ONE THIRD COMMISSION to the gallery if the work sold...
No cash outlay for any commodity on the open market, only gives a fraction of what a retailer might get if they bought the commodity wholesale...
In fact, if a product is bought at a wholesale price, the retailer has tremendous powers to mark up the price- this is how the art market has become such a wild ride...
Now, back to the book...The book talks about 50%...But the authors have not the age or perspective or wisdom in business to understand the ethic of 50%...
50% is the wholesale price of the art work...At a 50% discount to the gallery, the gallery should be BUYING the work outright...
No other product sells for half price unless it has been purchased wholesale...
Those that know art & the art market know that one third was standard. They know that 50% without cash down is exploitative...They know that young artists don't know any of this...
Galleries have been getting away with this scam for the past decade because since 9/11, artists have been desperate to accept any offers, no matter how ridiculous, many idiots actually paying to show...
Is it right to take money from an artist to pay for their own show? No. But people do it.
Is it right to get a half off price from an artist without any cash payment? No, but people do it...
This is a flaw in this book. A fatal flaw.
Do the authors know this is a flaw?
Possibly. But their bias is For the gallery, not for the artist, so they will argue in defense of the practice, saying everyone is doing it.
I do not read books to know what everyone is doing. I read to learn. To be taught.
I am disappointed that the authors do not know the rules. The real rules. Not the ones made up in the past ten years.
If any artists are listening, please know this, ONE THIRD IS THE TRADITIONAL COMMISSION YOU GIVE FOR ON CONSIGNMENT ART WORKS TO A GALLERY....
50% is only if they buy the work from your studio to re-sell...
If they don't give you cash in hand, they don't get 50 percent. That is wholesale.
Once they buy it from you wholesale they can mark it up as they please.
But for Gosh sakes, don't give more than a third to a gallery if they don't buy the work from you...It is highway robbery. Ask an old person, they will set you straight if you don't believe me...
& beware of books for artists written by galleries...(though there were some good parts to this book- the commission thing sort of kills it)...sorry...
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
