At 05:15 PM 9/27/96 -0400, you wrote:
>Does anyone have advice about commissioning a print edition to benefit
>one's organization?  Is the artist generally paid a fee, or expected to
>donate the edition?  Any other tips, do/don'ts would be appreciated --


ALWAYS pay artists a fee for their work!   Please!  Artists are
professionals too, and if you think the pay is bad in the museum world, try
being a freelance artist.  (off my soapbox now, but it IS my job to crusade
for artists' rights)  If the artist is particularly attached to your
organization, he/she may offer to do it at a reduced rate.  Recently we had
an artist do an edition of about a dozen etchings (a few hand-colored) for
us, and we sold it as a straight consignment out of our gift shop:  took 35%
commission.

What is the size of the edition?  Is the artist printing it him/herself or
are you getting a print shop to do it?  If the latter, consider writing a
joint copyright into the contract between all 3 of you (the organization,
the printer, and the artist).  In the absence of such an agreement, the
publisher (you, in this case) owns the copyright and this isn't fair to all
concerned.

Try looking up back issues of The Print Collector's Newsletter and see if
this issue is covered.  Otherwise, contact a print dealer or publisher (I
greatly respect Pegram Harrison, in Bloomington, IN) and have him/her
arrange the whole deal for a percentage.


Julia Moore
Indianapolis Art Center