In a message dated 9/21/05 10:22:51 AM, [log in to unmask] writes:
Artists do need money, but many of them are also happy
to participate for free because showing in a museum is a great resume
builder
I wonder how this self-congratulatory argument would sit with the directors, the curators, the registrars, the preparators, the operations managers, the guards, the secretaries, the carpenters, the press officers, the printers, the caterers, the gift shop clerks, the cafe workers, the gardeners, the vendors, the packers, the truckers, the customs agents, the bankers, the artist assistants, the framers, the warehousers, the art supply dealers, the journalists, etc. etc .... DON'T THEY ALL WANT TO BUILD THEIR RESUMES? I can't tell you how many times I've stood at an art museum exhibition reception for which I've dedicated tons of my time and money and effort and emotion, and thought to myself, "I'm the only one here that is not being paid." Many museums operate on tiny budgets, with the support of generous volunteers and patrons, but of course money problems are all relative: the staff at the Museum of Modern Art, in it's multimillion dollar building, complains about funding too, and I don't know of an artist that has ever been paid a penny for lending work to them. Only twice in my 35-year career have I ever been paid for participating in an art exhibition -- at Artist Space and The Kitchen, both modest artist-supporting institutions in New York City. One paid me $100, the other paid me $50. Not a lot of money, but it was a policy they maintained for all the artists, it was more about respect than compensation. It meant the world to me, and I'll never forget it.
Allan
=======================
Allan McCollum
63 Greene Street, No. 308
New York, NY 10012
U.S.A.
(212) 431-0212
Email:
[log in to unmask]
Website:
http://home.att.net/~allanmcnyc
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