Getting paid

I have just been having a conversation over email with another artist about paying to enter things.

I my head I have a very clear rule about this: I don't do it. On reflection I thought that there are some things I would pay to enter, these being competitions on the level of BSR and the Jerwood prizes.

We began by discussing Celeste, a fairly new prize that now has an online focus. It has various categories and costs 50 Euros to enter. Finalists are decided by selection commitee and finalists themselves decide how the prize money is awarded. The website does, usefully, have a pretty little pie chart showing how entry fees are spent:

http://www.celesteprize.com/prize/

25% – prizes, 10% website, 23% employment and 13% selectors fees and so on. So, to be simplistic about it – that means that as prizes total Eur40,000, therefore wages add up to Eur36,800 and the selectors will earn Eur20,800 between them with the website costing Eur16,000. That's a hell of a website!!

Rather than a competition for cutting edge contemporary art, this seems more like a game show format to me, much like Saatchi's upcoming TV show, which is a game show – right? In this model, artists, especially those who are inexperienced and might not know any better, are being used as a source of funding. Want to put on a show/festival/residency? I know; just get £35 off each person entering and it will pay for itself, plus we can employ ourselves for the duration, genius!

People – this is your money!! If you're going to spend it anyway, wouldn't it be better spent elsewhere, perhaps on some food, or even getting people together and sorting our your own project? I'm not saying the prize has no value; for the winners it has incredible value, and also for the finalists I expect. The website may generate opportunities for people adding their work to the entries too. But for the majority, those who the competition depends on for funding, it won't do much at all. Spend the entry fee on a subscription to a-n and axis instead, where you will be aligned with a much more desirable (and credible) crowd.

I also get fed-up trawling through res-artis, which a couple of years ago I used all the time. Now, although it is still an amazing resource for finding residencies, it also lists numerous places that seem like little more than posh bed and breakfasts around Europe, with studios attached. Not so much an application form as a booking form here. Much more time has to be spent weeding out opportunities that represent work rather than a nice hoiday.

We all know there is not enough funding out there and that other ways are needed to make art more self-sufficient, but to my mind, entry fees and dumbing down on quality to appeal to and use the masses are not it.

Interesting comments here about Mr Bourriard, his altermodern and the state of the art market of late. Does anyone think that Damien Hirst style production/ value markets will really collapse?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/mar/01/tate-britain-bourriaud-art-market

I just read in a-n with great sadness that the Gomperts Trust will not have enough income to award grants this year.

I have received two grants from the trust and have found it such a supportive organisation. This is probably due in part, to the very personal and genuine reasons for the family setting up the trust – in memory of their duaghter and sister. It is also because of Natasha Gomperts, an artist herself, who takes a personal interest in the artists' work and allows a relatonship to develop. The last grant I received was also thanks to Greg Daville, an artist who sadly passed away last year. A previous recipient himself, he interviewed me with Natasha and I am grateful that for a short time before his death we were able to have conversations, swap reading lists and discover common ground via email.

The Juliet Gomperts Trust for me, is a model of how funding would be given in an ideal world: without preconceptions about what will be funded, what outcomes should occur and with a real down-to-earth bent that is not impressed by hollow words. Their recent residency at the Torriano meeting house seemed like a very forward thinking turn for the Trust, who also fund artists undertaking a residency in Italy. I sincerely hope they are able to improve their income in the future and carry on the good work.

The Government have said that Arts Council need to cut admin costs by 15% by next year:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2009/feb/26/arts…

Might this be the start of a mini-revolution where artists begin to adapt, cut out the middle men and sort out their own affairs a la direct holidays and direct line car insurance? Well, perhaps not, but we could shed some brokers could we not?

I have an image in my head of a cake in need of flour and plenty is being poured in to the mix, but as it goes through numerous sieves it is gradually siphoned off and clogged up until the cake is hardly left with enough to rise.

I'm not saying the flour doesn't need sieving – it does, but you can go overboard.

A new article on knowledge bank – For those who would like to read more about volunteering to view up the pros/cons and who perhaps prefer a more objective point of view!