Synopses & Reviews
andlt;bandgt; Find Out What They Didn't Teach You in Art School andlt;/bandgt; andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; The most comprehensive guide of its kind, Art/Work gives artists of every level the tools they need to make it in an art world so competitive one dealer likens it to "The Sopranos, except nobody gets killed." Whether you're an art school grad looking for a gallery, a mid-career artist managing a busy studio, or someone just thinking about becoming a professional artist, this indispensable resource will help you build your career and protect yourself along the way. andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; Unlike other creative professionals, visual artists don't have agents or managers. You have to do it all yourself, at least until you find gallery representation -- and even then, there are important business and legal issues you need to understand to stay in control of your career and ensure you're being treated fairly. Heather Darcy Bhandari, a gallery director, and Jonathan Melber, an arts lawyer, walk you through these issues so that you can essentially act as your own manager and agent. They show you, for example, how to tackle business basics such as tracking inventory and preparing invoices; how to take legal precautions like registering a copyright and drafting consignment forms; how to use promotional tools like websites and business cards; and how to approach career decisions such as choosing the right venue to show your work. andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; In addition to drawing on their own experiences, Bhandari and Melber interviewed nearly one hundred curators, dealers, and other arts professionals, in cities across the country, about what they expect from and look for in artists. The authors also talked to a host of artists about their careers and the lessons they've learned navigating the art world. The book is full of their entertaining anecdotes and candid advice. andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; No matter what kind of artist you are -- or want to be -- this book will help you. Art/Work covers everything you need to know to succeed, saving you from having to learn it all the hard way -- and letting you spend more time making art.
Review
"This book is a godsend...it should be required reading in fine arts curricula." -- andlt;iandgt;Santa Fe New Mexicanandlt;/iandgt;
Review
"I'll bet this powerful little paperback finds a permanent home on the list of best business books for artists.... The contract, invoice and inventory templates alone are worth the cover price." -- andlt;iandgt;The Artist's Magazine andlt;/iandgt;
Review
"Together [the authors] make for a powerful combo, offering both extensive knowledge of the gallery system and the ins and outs of art law, for some well-founded tips on how to succeed in the art world...it's the perfect gift for anyone working in a creative field." -- CoolHunting.com
Review
"This book is filled with the kind of nuts-and-bolts business advice every artist needs to read." -- ArtBistro.com
Review
"Bhandari and Melber, both Brown University graduates, have drawn on their own experiences and interviews with 100 curators, dealers, and other arts professionals to offer advice on everything from preparing artwork for shipping to coping with rejection." -- andlt;iandgt;Boston Globeandlt;/iandgt;
Review
"Emerging curators, along with established curators who work with living artists, would do well to read it, as would art dealers and workers at nonprofit spaces or organizations.... One unique aspect of the book is the quotes in the margin -- from high-profile artists and well-known professionals who've been around the block. Shamim Momin from the Whitney Museum and Peter Eleey of the Walker Art Center talk about how they meet new artists and visit their studios, and Seattle gallerist James Harris underscores the importance artists' websites have when he looks for new work to show." -- andlt;iandgt;College Art Association Newsandlt;/iandgt;
Review
"...even those who have no interest in the art world may find andlt;iandgt;Art/Workandlt;/iandgt; of use. Their instructions on how to pack objects for example, are so thorough, only the most dexterously challenged will find difficulty executing them. What's more, should this book reach the majority of working artists today, the quality of gallery staff life would improve by a level of magnitude..." -- Paddy Johnson for andlt;iandgt;The L Magazineandlt;/iandgt;
Review
and#8220;A strikingly frank book that removes the veil of mysticism surrounding the artistic life.and#8221;
Review
"Consisting of 40 essays, this book presents the realities of the creative life over time, as reported by practicing artists.and#160;The stories take the form of interviews, narratives, and statements, and convey in frank, authentic form the joys andand#160;challenges of being an artist....Aspiringand#160;artists and students will be inspired by these essays, and professionals will see themselves in many of the stories beingand#160;told. Anyone considering a career in art can profit from reading this book. It also provides insight into the world ofand#160;art as a commodity, and the challenges of balancing business, relationships, and the creative life....Highly recommended."
Review
andquot;Anyone serious about a career as an artist must read this book.andquot;
Review
andldquo;I applaud artist Sharon Louden for assembling this fascinating compilation of artist testimonies. It provides a refreshing, honest look at the myriad ways that artists shape and feed their lives and evolve authentic, generative practices in a society that does not always make it easy for artists to subsist and fully contribute.
Living and Sustaining a Creative Life is thus an inspiring, unexpurgated resource for artists beginning their careers as well as any individual seeking to recalibrate his or her daily life to pursue a more purpose-filled existence.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;Too often the story of how an artist makes art and a living is advertised as either a step into an abyss of debt and dementia or a glamorized Bohemia misunderstood by a general public. Yet what these artists demonstrate in this valuable book is that the common bond for us all who aspire to a well-lived life is blood, sweat, and tears. From artists living off sales of their work to those who teach and those who search for paychecks in odd jobs, the desire to create is never extinguished.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;From surprisingly frank sharings on the struggles of starting out as young artists to the challenges of making time and space for creation, the artists in
Living and Sustaining a Creative Life share with candor and heart just what it takes to be an artist today.andquot;
Review
andldquo;Sharon Louden has gathered together in this book an exceptionally diverse range of artistsandrsquo; experiences in order to illustrate, in a manner otherwise inaccessible, the inherent tensions that artists face in constantly balancing their drive to devote core time and energy to creating new work and their wish to share that work with the world with the complexities, as well as the joys, of their personal and family lives.andrdquo;
Review
and#8220;Contributions range from predictable to shocking, in-control and overwhelmed. Some artists have full-time jobs; many are parents. . . .[Louden is] telling it like it is.and#8221;
Review
"Loudenand#8217;s collection offers valuable lessons on striking a balance between the need to make money and the need to make art; for if making art is the primary concern, making money becomes a means to an endand#8212;not the end itself. . . . Though written about the unique experience of fine artists, Living and Sustaining A Creative Life is worth the read by anyone seeking to build a life of artistic intention without ignoring the need for monetary sustenance."
Review
andldquo;[The Art Rules] resembles an offspring of the tryst between an automotive userandrsquo;s manual and Rilkeandrsquo;s Letters to a Young Poet.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;Extraordinary. . . . Louden has initiated a public discussion of how an artist can persist. Itandrsquo;s an essential question in a field that no one chooses for its assurance of financial rewards. In many ways, Loudenandrsquo;s book helps us to answer the question, andlsquo;How does an artist make a living today?andrsquo; . . . Louden makes an important contribution to the discussion of how art is made now by the vast majority of artists at work. The book is a reality check prompting us to recall that invention doesnandrsquo;t happen without determination. As these artistsandrsquo; testimonies so vividly show, history, theory, and criticism are activities dependent ultimately on the hard-won production of art.andrdquo;
Synopsis
Find Out What They Didn't Teach You in Art School
The most comprehensive guide of its kind, Art/Work gives artists of every level the tools they need to make it in an art world so competitive one dealer likens it to "The Sopranos, except nobody gets killed." Whether you're an art school grad looking for a gallery, a mid-career artist managing a busy studio, or someone just thinking about becoming a professional artist, this indispensable resource will help you build your career and protect yourself along the way.
Unlike other creative professionals, visual artists don't have agents or managers. You have to do it all yourself, at least until you find gallery representation -- and even then, there are important business and legal issues you need to understand to stay in control of your career and ensure you're being treated fairly. Heather Darcy Bhandari, a gallery director, and Jonathan Melber, an arts lawyer, walk you through these issues so that you can essentially act as your own manager and agent. They show you, for example, how to tackle business basics such as tracking inventory and preparing invoices; how to take legal precautions like registering a copyright and drafting consignment forms; how to use promotional tools like websites and business cards; and how to approach career decisions such as choosing the right venue to show your work.
In addition to drawing on their own experiences, Bhandari and Melber interviewed nearly one hundred curators, dealers, and other arts professionals, in cities across the country, about what they expect from and look for in artists. The authors also talked to a host of artists about their careers and the lessons they've learned navigating the art world. The book is full of their entertaining anecdotes and candid advice.
No matter what kind of artist you are -- or want to be -- this book will help you. Art/Work covers everything you need to know to succeed, saving you from having to learn it all the hard way -- and letting you spend more time making art.
Synopsis
In this day and age, when art has become more of a commodity and art school graduates are convinced that they can only make a living from their work by attaining gallery representation, it is more important than ever to show the reality of how a professional, contemporary artist sustains a creative practice over time. The forty essays collected in
Living and Sustaining a Creative Life are written in the artistsandrsquo; own voices and take the form of narratives, statements, and interviews. Each story is different and unique, but the common thread is an ongoing commitment to creativity, inside and outside the studio. Both day-to-day and big picture details are revealed, showing how it is possible to sustain a creative practice that contributes to the ongoing dialogue in contemporary art. These stories will inform and inspire any student, young artist, and art enthusiast and will help redefine what andquot;successandquot; means to a professional artist.
Synopsis
The Art Rules provides a practical, operational guide for visual artists, which demystifies the art world and enables artists to find success on their terms.
While visual artists are gifted at creating their own art, they are typically ill-prepared to create and perpetuate a successful career.
Rather than simply providing the authorand#8217;s advice this book delivers wisdom and guidelines from acknowledged art world experts.and#160; Paul Klein, the author, has interviewed hundreds of major art world leaders who share their expertise and knowledge, while demonstrating their accessibility. They discuss how they achieved their success, how they stay on top of their game, how artists get on their radar and their passion for contemporary art and artists.
The book provides readers with many and#8220;Eureka!and#8221; moments as they realize success is within their reach.and#160; Success is not particularly complicated. Itand#8217;s just that the route to that success is invariably not taught, shared or demonstrated for the visual artist.and#160; This book does precisely that.and#160;
Synopsis
A well-known advocate and proponent of art in Chicago, Paul Klein is a longtime gallerist whose friendships with artists, dealers, collectors, and curators have afforded him a rare vantage point on the vagaries and victories of the art world. Since closing his gallery in 2004, he has parlayed his insider knowledge into a cottage industry that addresses the imbalance between visual artistsand#8217; gifts for creation and their frequent unfamiliarity with the work of managing successful careers. Advising artists as they navigate the commercial aspects of their work, Klein teaches courses and seminars that explore what museum curators are looking for in contemporary artists, how galleries select their artists, how to sell to corporate art consultants, how to price art, and many other subjects.
Based on his many years in both the art world as a gallery owner and educator, The Art Rules is a practical, operational guide for visual artists that demystifies the art world and empowers practitioners to find success on their own terms. Bringing together the personal experiences of hundreds of major art world leaders, Klein chronicles their success, their staying power, their interests, and their passions. Filling a major void, The Art Rules gives practitioners the tools they need to realize their potential. Ultimately, Klein shows, success is not particularly complicated, but it is rarely taught, shared, or demonstrated for the visual artist. This book does precisely that.
About the Author
Sharon Louden is a practicing, professional artist living and working in Brooklyn. Her work has been exhibited at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Birmingham Museum of Art, Neuberger Museum, and the Weisman Art Museum, among other venues, and it is held in the public collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art, Weatherspoon Art Museum, and National Gallery of Art.
Table of Contents
Foreword -
Dana Martin Davis Acknowledgements
Chapter 1: The Art Rules
Chapter 2: On Being an Artist
Chapter 3: Nourishing an Artistandrsquo;s Soul andndash; Renee Freedman
Chapter 4: Making the Art: Trusting Your Vision
Chapter 5: Great Work andndash; Michael Bungay Stanier
Chapter 6: Relationships
Chapter 7: Talking Your Talk: What Kind of Art Do You Make? andndash; Gwenda Joyce
Chapter 8: Tools for Success
Chapter 9: Education
Chapter 10: Artful Work: Making the Money You Deserve andndash; Sheryl Kosovski
Chapter 11: Making It without a Gallery
Chapter 12: How to Get a Gallery
Chapter 13: How to Turn Obstacles into Art Business Opportunities andndash; Aletta De Wal
Chapter 14: Pricing Your Art
Chapter 15: Exposure
Chapter 16: Live with Routines to Free Your Creative Mind andndash; Alyson B. Stanfield
Chapter 17: Opportunities
Chapter 18: Location
Chapter 19: Artist Websites: How to Increase Your Online Traffic (and Keep Everyone on Your Site Longer) andndash; Alan Bamberger
Chapter 20: Success Awaits
Contributor Biographies
Index