Buying Art: (mostly) Do's and (a few) Don't's
Niq Thomas. stimulated, assemblage, 48” x 60", 2021. CSPS Hall, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Learn more about Niq and his work here.
Welcome back! For the past two weeks, we’ve discussed why you should begin an art collection, and how to start an art collection. This final segment is a best-practices-approach to buying art: connecting with artists, supporting their practice, and purchasing their work.
(If you missed out, check out 3 Reasons to Start an Art Collection Pronto and How to Start a Meaningful Art Collection. )
In prepping this final installment, I cast the net far and wide to all my artist friends, seeking their personal stories of all the ways we can better support artists. I opened a Pandora’s box of insight, hilarity, and cautionary tales, both from the perspective of artists AND collectors.
** Disclaimer: I need to start out by saying that this post is not intended to be a stern talking-to. Look, we all don’t know what we don’t know. In many ways, the contemporary art world is still the Wild West. Unlike most other fields, there is no universal protocol when it comes to commissions, contracts, pricing, or exhibition agreements. And as artists, it’s incumbent on us to define and enforce professional behavior and treatment. Get your systems in place, artist friends! This list is not inclusive, and not every item will apply in every situation. These are just things to consider as a potential collector AND as a practicing artist.
Jill Wells, Mural Commission for Disability Rights Iowa, oil on interior wall, 126 square feet, 666 Walnut St, Des Moines, Iowa. Photo credit: Emanart Photography. Read an interview I did with Jill here and check out her work here.
FOUR DO’S FOR APPROACHING ARTISTS
As a potential collector, do your homework.
At this point, you should know what kind of work you want to collect, and ideally a few artists creating this type of work. A cautionary tale - when falling in love with an artist’s work, please remember that many artists may not want to talk about the content or inspiration behind their art practice. It may simply be too personal. Many of us create because words are too painful or cannot do justice to our life experiences. Often, this is precisely what makes our work so powerful. Respect the artist by letting them set the stage with how much they want to share.
Do establish your annual art budget.
You can then break this down into monthly or quarterly purchases, or you can invest in a more costly piece per year.
Do match your budget to the artist.
Do not ask the artist to cut you a deal. And do not expect your artist friend or relative to give you “old” art for free. (ARTISTS: Do not give old work to friends and relatives for free.)
Do inquire respectfully.
If there are no prices on the artist’s website or social media page, send them a private message letting them know that you admire their work, that you’re interested in purchasing a piece, and your budgetary range. Provide an email and cell phone number. There are plenty of email scams targeting artists (I had a scammer contact me just this weekend), so make sure you write in a meaningful way and provide more than one form of contact information. (ARTISTS: Establish your pricing and payment methods.)
Reinaldo Correa, model and Installation of Prairie Revival, steel, High Performance Paint & LED Lighting, 15ft x 12ft x 20ft, Marion, Iowa. 2017. Read an interview I did with Reinaldo here and see more of his work here.
FOUR DO’S TO BETTER SUPPORT ARTISTS (plus 4 don’t’s)
**Another Disclaimer. I do not believe any of the following examples are done maliciously. Honestly, I think art is still seen by many, including artists, as a murky Venn diagram intersecting a talent, a calling, and a fun past-time, and not a legit professional endeavor. We artists have a responsibility in setting the tone of professionalism in our work by defining what we will, and will not, do. So, take stock and hold yourself to a higher standard.
Do buy work from living artists.
Don’t only buy work from big box stores, thrift shops, or antique stores. Most of us value supporting local businesses. Art’s no different. If you can’t afford high-end work, consider buying a print or a small piece.
Do commission artists. Respectfully.
Don’t approach an artist with an image or idea of something you’ve seen, and ask them to recreate it, particularly if the subject matter or style is unlike anything the artist normally creates. Remember that artists often charge for initial consultations and preliminary sketches. (ARTISTS: Charge for initial consultations and preliminary sketches.)
If you want original art for your business, do treat it as a legitimate business expense.
Loads of well-meaning small businesses provide local artists with wall space to exhibit their work. I’ll be honest, I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, it allows emerging artists to have an exhibition experience prior to gallery exhibitions. It also allows artists to support their friends’ small businesses. On the other hand, many of these businesses profit doubly from artists in A) beautifying their business space free of charge, and B) securing a percentage of sales if artwork is sold from their business. And unlike galleries, many small businesses do not contribute installation labor (this is usually on the artist); do not promote the artist or artwork in their marketing efforts; do not cultivate relationships with potential collectors on behalf of the artists; and often do not host receptions for the artist. Yet, many still take a percentage from the artist if artwork sells. I would challenge artists and business owners alike to get very clear on creating a more symbiotic professional relationship in these situations. For example, a business could agree to purchase a piece after the exhibition, pay a rental fee for the exhibition, give the artist 100% of the sales, dedicate consistent marketing efforts to the art and artist (social media posts and tags, an artist interview, inclusion in the monthly newsletter), or a combination of these.
Do support artists before you ask them to donate work for your fundraising event.
Don’t expect artists to donate work to your organization each year. The following is another cautionary tale from a friend from grad school. I couldn’t have said it better myself.
“My husband and I get asked by so many of our local fundraising groups to donate! My jewelry (which is a luxury good - hand crafted, ethically sourced stones, sustainable materials whenever available) and my husband’s wood fired ceramics. The Rotary, Easter Seals, Ladies Who Lunch, all have big ticketed events where they auction or silent auction goods. If I know the person and if they have bought work from us previously, I will donate (usually!). But, I’m always stunned that people who have never supported us will ask for something for free for their cause, expect a donation, and often don’t tell us, potential donors, about the mission that they’re raising money for, and don’t offer a ticket to the fundraiser in exchange. It seems like a small offering to create better buy-in and help with the sale for the work. The best experiences I have had are with larger fundraising events where we were offered a ticket; invited to attend; treated as if we belonged there; introduced to people as donor artists; and then later followed up with the actual selling price of the items for our research and development and tax records. I want to be able to try to recoup some of that loss. Saying “exposure” and creating genuine exposure are two different things. Artists deserve a seat at the table if you’re capitalizing off of them.”
The moral of the story, I believe, is that artists are not only creative visionaries, but we are also small business owners. The more we own that, and then create practices that reflect and respect that fact, the better.
Started a collection and wanna frame it? I got you covered. Start here. Read:
Want to support artists, but don’t need any more art? Read Six Ways to Support Living Artists