Morning!
This year I got shortlisted for a commission and a residency that ended up being awarded to 1) a social enterprise and b) a design agency. They were small/medium to large things – between 2 – 12k, so substantial projects, but not in the intimidating (for me) leagues of some public art budgets. After writing about the Olympic ‘Taking the Lead’ commissions earlier in the year I noticed that a large chunk of those went to production companies and very few to individual artists, which led me to wonder why.
Some ideas about why this may be:
Artists don’t apply in large numbers for really large scale projects as individuals. I am making presumptions and drawing parallels with Dany Louise’s report on arts funding and her findings that many artists simply aren’t applying for funding. Individual artists may lack experience and presume they aren’t able to handle a large commission, especially if they feel they don’t know what it involves.
The work is of a scale that it requires more than one person. Like when artists start having work made for them to keep up with the demand or ambition of the work.
Commissioners are nervous, money is tight. A production company or group of artists possibly represent; experience, ability to handle a large commissions (strength in numbers), something different (hybrid of art/music/technology).
Production companies have paid staff (sometimes) and are able to put together a more impressive tender. Design aspects of companies might mean ideas are more resolved, communicated more easily, are less esoteric and therefore more likely (in the commissioner’s eyes) to appeal to wider public than work of one artist.
My question – in increasingly lean times, are artists going to find it even harder to get paid work on offer if they’re tendering against well organised, experienced groups and businesses? This may be especially true for recent graduates who’ll have less opportunity to gain experience and will lack the track record that commissioners want to see. Maybe artists need to adopt strategies used by larger outfits and utilise those strengths for themselves. This doesn’t necessarily mean working in collaboration, but strong communication and a confidence in what you’re offering. Taking a brief and making it into your project, negotiating the terms until you are happy.
All things that we artists should be doing, but that have more emphasis placed on them in a design education.
I know some will be reading this and are immediately dismissing public commissions, but you should apply and make them what you think they can be. Negotiating – as far as you can – so you can work on your own terms.
Owl Project http://www.owlproject.com/
Sans Façon http://www.sansfacon.co.uk/
Interview with Shauna Richardson:www.a-n.co.uk/p/1325304/
Artist’s Olympic Commissions in a-nwww.a-n.co.uk/p/1346879/
Those Olympic facts:
East: On Landguard Point – Pacitti Company
East Midlands – Lionheart – Shauna Richardson (individual artist)
London – Bus Tops – 2 lead artists + 4 staff + 2 interns
North east – Flow – Owl Project (3 artists) and Ed Carter (musician and arts producer)
North West – Column – Anthony McCall (individual artist working in NY with a production team)
South East – Boat Project – Lone Twin (performance company)
South West – Nowhere Island – Alex Hartlet (individual artist with expedition team)
West Midlands – Godiva Awakes – Imagineer Productions (producers of large-scale outdoor events/ carnivals/theatre.)
Yorkshire – Leeds Canvas – partnership between Opera North, Northern Ballet Theatre, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Phoenix Dance Theatre, Yorkshire Dance, Leeds Met Gallery and Studio Theatre, Situation Leeds, Leeds City Council, and Leeds Art Gallery – Quay Brothers as lead artists. This one utterly baffles me in terms of ‘Artists Taking the Lead’
Northern Ireland – Nest – Dumbworld Ltd (production company) – They’re currently advertising for a project Manager in case anyone’s interested!
Scotland – Forest Pitch – Craig Coulthard (individual artist)
Wales – Adain Avion – Marc Rees under production company R.I.P.E (Rees International Projects Enterprise)
