To Mariana Mace,

Thanks very much for sharing your comments on the issue of paying
artists to exhibit in non-profit spaces.  Yes, indeed the art world is a
strange place.  Would the Canadian policy, if followed in the U.S.
really wreck the exhibition programs of museums and art centers???  All
the curators and administrators of museums, college art galleries and
art centers I've talked with cite as defense for not paying artists,
the smallness of their budgets along with the attitude that artists are
getting so much in the way of reputation enhancement by showing there.
I think it would take a radical mind re-adjustment of the art world to
make this happen here, but maybe it's time to try.  Thanks for your
help.
Jane Ingram Allen

Mariana Mace wrote:

> We had an exhibit of Canadian Inuit artists about a year ago.  Yes,
> the Canadian govt. does mandate an artist fee.  For our exhibit the
> cost was $95(Caanadian) per artist.  We felt okay about paying that.
> We were a little less sanguine about having to pay an extra fee to
> the gallery where some of the works had been on display.
>
> I'm on the exhibits committee for a local art center and the policy
> there is to, at most,  pay return shipping  and insurance for art
> work.  We have very occasionally had a show where the artist has
> requested a fee.  We do very few of those, as you might guess.  When
> we have had national juried shows we have charged a jury fee.  I
> personally have had work in shows which charged entry AND hanging
> fees.  Strange and wonderful place, the art world.
>
> Mariana Mace