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Hello again,

Here below is some information more up-to-date on Canada's policy of paying visual artists a fee when their work is on display in a museum. The practice has been around for many years, as indicated in the text. I was surprised myself to discover that the artists are paid a Permanent Collection Exhibition Fee even when the museum actually OWNS the work (these particular fees are one-time for a ten-year license). The Exhibition Fee Schedule itself may be downloaded as a PDF file, at:

http://www.carfac.ca/documents/CARFAC%20FEE%20SCHEDULE%202005%20Dec%2013%202004%20final.pdf

It seems that in Canada visual artists are paid for their expertise by public galleries just as concert musicians, composers, choreographers, singers, dancers, filmmakers, songwriters, playwrights, essayists and novelists are paid here in the U.S. when their works are presented or reproduced publicly. I wonder why so many of us in the U.S. consider that our visual artists deserve to be excluded from this practice?

Interesting, eh?

Allan

--- forwarded article ---

MEDIA RELEASE

A “LIVING INCOME” FOR CANADA'S ARTISTS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

A Press Conference will be held on Thursday, January 6, 2005, at 1:30pm, CARFAC National offices.

(January 5, 2005 – Ottawa, ON) - Canadian Artists Representation/le front des artistes canadiens (CARFAC) has introduced major changes to the CARFAC Exhibition Fee Schedule for the first time in over thirty years. The Fee Schedule is used by public art galleries, artist-run centres and museums across Canada. The new 2005 Exhibition Fee Schedule and the new policies, which are to be implemented over the next five years, are a major step towards achieving a 'living income' for visual artists.

CARFAC is the federally certified representative for all professional visual and media artists in Canada. As such, CARFAC is obligated to represent the interests of artists in Canada and to establish the standards and fee scales within this sector. CARFAC’s founding principle in 1968 is that artists, like professionals in other fields, should be paid fairly for their creative output and services. This principle continues to be CARFAC’s central area of concern.

The 2005 Fee Schedule is conceived with several principles in mind:

To increase exhibition fee rates substantially, improving artists’ livelihoods towards the goal of a living income for visual artists.

To recognize that the Fee Schedule in its original structure is an accepted norm, and that changes to it must be incremental and respect the current and emerging budgets of exhibiting institutions.

To reflect the realities of the differences in size and operating budgets of various art institutions as well as the variations in the scope of exhibitions.

Major institutions in the visual arts agree that Canada’s artists have seriously lost ground in the last 10 to 15 years. Federal funds to the visual arts have not kept up with growth. Many artist-run centres and art galleries have suffered from a lack of increases to their budgets, and even sometimes suffered reductions. This has impaired their ability to keep up with expenses.

Also, the Canada Council grants system is unable to support all the excellent individual artists making applications. It received 2400 requests in the year 2004, but was able to offer only 220 grants. Its basic support from the federal government has not grown and it cannot keep up with demand.

The number of practicing artists has increased and the demand for their work has grown. Production, transportation, and exhibition costs have escalated significantly. Artists’ incomes have not. Canada’s visual artists are in crisis.

CARFAC is an artist-run, nonprofit association of professional visual and media artists. As the national voice of Canada’s professional visual artists, CARFAC defends artists’ economic and legal rights and educates the public on fair dealing with artists. It is made up of individual artists who support our work through membership and participation. CARFAC engages actively in advocacy, lobbying, research and public education on behalf of artists in Canada.

For further information contact CARFAC National, 2 Daly Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6E2.
Office hours are Monday through Thursday 9am-5pm, Fridays 9am-3pm EST.
Phone: (613) 233-6161
Fax: (613) 233-6162
Email: [log in to unmask]
Website: www.carfac.ca

Or contact Pat Durr, National Spokesperson (613) 232-8755, or Karl Beveridge, National Vice-Rep (416) 703-0477

(This article is posted at http://envision.ca/templates/news.asp?ID=6267)

=======================
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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