Happy New Year everyone.
With fresh starts and a big shake up of things in mind – I wanted to flag up this link:
http://gigaom.com/2011/12/29/why-2012-will-be-year-of-the-artist-entrepreneur/
posted by @Anamariacida on twitter last week. It looks at ways in which (non-visual) artists are reclaiming their autonomy and control over their work, sales and income. This ranges from self-published ebooks, videos of concerts available to download for $5 and musicians using soundcloud to share music and topspin to sell tickets for concerts.
“No doubt, the vast majority of economic wealth is still distributed through large corporate media, but as new technologies enable artists to reach consumers directly through push-button creation and distribution, there is a movement afoot. Expect this movement to expand in 2012 as more artists take control of their own economic destinies and become part of the artist-entrepreneur generation.“
No examples from the visual arts, so why not? I think there’s some crossover with crowdfunding here and why visual arts doesn’t have to most success compared to other art forms.
Warning – simplified arguments coming up….
Firstly, the visual arts has historically been predicated on unique works and largely still is. Some people do sell multiples and large editions, but I know that some would class this as selling out. Because of this unique touch of the artist thing being desirable, contemporary art doesn’t have such a populist audience and the majority of people would not expect to be able to afford original art.
Secondly, the value of art is set by the ‘art world’ – complex system of galleries, dealers, art fairs etc etc. People seem to need this validation to know whether art is ‘good (read – likely to be worth lots in the future) or not. Hiring galleries is still looked upon as being a bit of a naff; something that an artist who is unable to get shown elsewhere might do. Artist-led shows that are successful and receive press are often organised by well-known names, or they might operate in a way that apes a commercial gallery, or they look for art world people to come and see it and validate that way. It’s all still measured by the same art world-shaped stick in the end.
So, what are some ways in which artists can take more control over their income and sales? I’m thinking about it…. suggestions welcome.
