Visual Artists Ireland
Visual Artists Ireland announce the creation of the Valerie Earley Residency Award for Visual Artists. Visual Artists Ireland wished to put in place a commemoration of our late friend and colleague Valerie Earley who worked with us as Membership Manager for over 17 years. We wanted to provide a lasting memory of Valerie and hope that this award is one way that Valerie’s care for our artist members will continue into the future.
The award is open to all Visual Artists Ireland members and will be in the form of a two week residency in the Tyrone Guthrie Centre. The residency will be self-catering based, and will provide accommodation and a studio facility. Further details on dates and the application process will be announced in the next few weeks.
Cecily Brennan. Man with Eczema. Egg tempera on gesso. Image courtesy of the artist. Recently shown at ‘Living Loss’, Lewis Glucksman Gallery, Cork (23 Nov 2012 – 10 March 2013).
5. Roundup. Recent exhibitions and projects of note.
5. Regional Column: Northern Ireland. Feargal O’Malley. Artist Residencies.
6. Column. Jonathan Carroll. The Life of Ryan.
8. News. The latest developments in the visual arts sector.
9. Regional Profile. Visual arts resources and activity in Mayo.
12. Tribute. Valerie Earley. On these pages, with friends and colleagues, we celebrate Valerie Earley, Visual Artists Ireland’s Membership Manager, who sadly passed away 9 January 2013, after a two-year fight with cancer.
14. Art writing award. Commemoration – A Forward-Looking Act. Joanne Laws, winner of the Visual Artists Ireland / Dublin City Council Arts Office critical writing award (2013), addresses the subject of the visual arts responses to the ‘decade of centenaries’ (Archived)
16. How is it made. Time, Liberty And Atonement. Remco De Fouw details the conception, fabrication and installation of his commissioned work ‘A Voice’ for the Irish Prison Services headquarters in Longford.(Archived)
17. Art and philosophy. Art & Philosophy – Why Now? In the first of three articles prompted by a growing interest in certain strands of philosophy by artists and curators, Sinead Hogan considers the nature of the relationship between art and philosophy.
18. International. O’Doherty Un-Freezes A Beating Heart. Mary-Ruth Walsh reflects on Brian O’Doherty’s keynote address ‘Strolling With The Zeitgeist: Five Decades’ at last year’s Frieze Art Fair (11 Oct 2012).
19. Critique. Reviews of recent exhibitions, events, publications and projects. (Archived)
23. Advocacy. Moving Beyond Token Fees. Noel Kelly, CEO Of Visual Artists Ireland reports on how the findings of VAI’s ‘Survey On Payments For Visual Artists’ show the direct results of the cutting of public funding for the arts. (Archived)
24. Residency. Language That Tells. Bridget O’Gorman profiles ‘Dig Where You Stand’, a year-long residency-based project in South Tipperary.
25. Career Development. Creating Work & Context. Peter Richards tracks the development of his career as an artist, highlighting how he has combined this with his work as a curator.
26. How is it Made? Doctor in the House. Ciara McMahon discusses the concepetion and delivery of her project The Aesthetic Screening Clinic.
27. Project Profile. Productive Perambulators. Michelle Browne discusses some of the initial outcomes of ‘Walking (with a buggy) in the City: A Research Project in the Public Realm’.
28. Opportunities. All the latest grants, awards, exhibition calls and commissions.
30. International. Breaking Bread. Sheena Barrett, Arts Officer And Gallery Curator For The Lab, Dublin profiles Break Bread Open, an event held at the 2012 Liverpool Biennale as part of Liverpool and Dublin’s Cultural Corridor.
31. Art in the Public Realm. The Mercurial Challenge Of Collaborative Arts. Annette Moloney reports on ‘AIC10’, an event held at IMMA (27 Nov 2012) marking a decade of collaborative art projects funded through the Arts Council Of Ireland’s Artist In The Community Scheme and managed by Create.
33. Art in the Public Realm: Roundup. Public art commissions, site-specific works, socially-engaged practices and other forms of art outside the gallery.
34. Career Development. Alphaville to Anti-Tour. Dennis McNulty retraces some formative projects and experiences that have contributed to the evolution of his working methods.
The Visual Artists Ireland ‘Introducing’ series provides artists with a great opportunity to meet gallery directors, art centre managers and curators in an informal stress free setting. The Series begins in Northern Ireland where you can join Feargal O’Malley, Visual Artists Ireland’s Northern Ireland Manager, for a unique insight into the galleries exhibition policies and to put a face to some of the key cultural providers in Northern Ireland.
We are inviting artists to attend the last of this terms free unique art series of introductions, which will be held at:
- F.E McWilliams Gallery & Studio (Banbridge) Wednesday 20th of March at 11:00am
If you are interested in securing a place at this unique networking event, please register here.
Each visit will have maximum number of 15 places; priority will be giving to members of Visual Artists Ireland. Book now to avoid disappointment.
For any other information e-mail:
Feargal O’Malley
Northern Ireland Manager
Visual Artists Ireland
Email: feargal@visualartists-ni.org
www.visualartists-ni.org
www.visualartists.ie
We are delighted to announce that Visual Artists Ireland has been accepted on to the Cultural & Educational Panel of Nominating Bodies for Seanad Éireann elections. The Cultural and Educational Panel is one of five vocational panels that together put forward candidates for 43 of the seats in the Seanad. VAI was encouraged to apply following a meeting of civil society and arts organisations hosted by independent Senators Katherine Zappone, Fiach Mac Conghail and Jillian Van Turnhout. As part of our programme of advocacy and representation, this presents another opportunity to have the voice of the visual artist heard at the highest levels of the political process.
We would like to invite interested parties to a preliminary meeting on Wednesday, 20th March 2013 at 2pm to discuss the creation of Visual Artists’ Payments Guidelines.
The meeting will take place in our offices: Visual Artists Ireland, Central Hotel Chambers, 7/9 Dame Court, Dublin 2.
The purpose of the meeting will be to hear the ideas and suggestions from interested parties, and will go to formulate structured planning for the delivery of a set of guidelines for artists payments that can be used for the delivery of visual arts programmes across the variety of galleries and other venues in the sector.
If you or your organisation are actively exhibiting or working with visual artists then we would value both your attendance and your input to this process.
The agenda for the day is simple:
- Brief background to the current situation;
- To hear ideas and presentations around existing or potential models;
- Agree actions based on items 1 & 2 and to potentially set up a sector wide working group.
If you wish to put forward your suggestions, or present on the current practices of your organisations, then please contact us beforehand so that we can plan the day. We wish this day to be both collegiate and open in terms of discussion, and appreciate the time that you can give to making it happen.
RSVP: alex@visualartists.ie before March 15th 2013 for attendance.
RSVP: alex@visualartists.ie by return for presentations.
We are also planning a meeting of individual artists and local area groups in early April to further discuss the details of the ASK! HAS THE ARTIST BEEN PAID? We will be reporting on developments of the project in Northern Ireland later in March.
The March/April Issue of our Visual Artists News Sheet out now.
One of the key articles in this edition is ‘Moving Beyond Token Fees’, in which Noel Kelly, CEO Of Visual Artists Ireland, reports on the findings of VAI’s Survey On Payments For Visual Artists, undertaken in December 2012.
In this issue along with friends and colleagues we celebrate Valerie Earley, Visual Artists Ireland’s Membership Manager ,who sadly passed away on the 9th of January 2013, after a two-year fight with cancer. The words of love and appreciation printed on these pages represent only a small fraction of the tributes to Valerie that we have received.
This edition also features two ‘Career Development’ case studies, by Peter Richards and Dennis McNulty. The public art sector, an important source of work for artists is addressed in Remco De Fouw’s detailed account of conception, fabrication and installation of a major commission. Elsewhere, Ciara McMahon discusses in a ‘How is Made’ feature, her project The Aesthetic Screening Clinic and Bridget O’Gorman profiles ‘Dig Where You Stand’, a year-long residency-based project in South Tipperary.
Annette Moloney showcases the depth of knowledge and experience amassed by artists collaborating with the public / communities, as facilitated by the Arts Council’s Artist in the Community scheme, managed by Create – which was recently celebrated at the ‘AIC10’ event at IMMA. Further exploring the public realm, Michelle Browne discusses the outcomes of her research project, prompted by her experience of being a mother and an artist – Walking (with a buggy) in the City.
International perspectives are provided by articles on Brian O’Doherty’s keynote speech at last year’s Frieze Art Fair and Dublin City Council Arts Office’s project at the 2012 Liverpool Biennale. Closer to home, our regional focus profiles visual arts activity and resources in Mayo.
We are delighted to present Commemoration – A Forward-looking Act by Joanne Laws, the winner of the Visual Artists Ireland / Dublin City Council Arts Office critical writing award, that addresses the theme of the visual arts responses and contributions to the ‘decade of centenaries’.
This issue includes the first of three thematic articles by Sinead Hogan exploring art and philosophy, prompted a recent growing mutual interest between the disciplines. This first text addresses the nature of this relationship as well as considering the question ‘why now?’
All this as well as the roundup, columnists, news and opportunities…
The best way to get your hands on a copy of the Visual Artists’ News Sheet is to become a member of Visual Artists Ireland. Membership is open to all artists and entitles you to an annual subscription to the Visual Artists’ News Sheet as well as a host of other benefits.
In order to address the recurrent issue of galleries, other organisations and private individuals not paying artists for work sold or delaying payments to artists; Visual Artists Ireland has tried to negotiate a solution that minimises costly legal proceedings.
We are have spoken to a number of debt collection agencies. For a fee (usually a percentage of the monies owed) they will take on responsibility for recovering the debt and will initiate legal proceedings and incur costs of same if necessary.
Visual Artists Ireland can now announce that we have partnered with a leading solicitor and debt collection agency as a referral service for artists.
The firm specialises in debt recovery. Initially, they will issue a formal letter of demand to the debtor following which they will proceed to issue and serve proceedings if required. During the course of the proceedings they will also contact the debtor in an attempt to resolve the matter and have the debt paid.
The Terms of Debt Recovery Services are as follows:
1: Letter Before Action – 18 Euro +VAT +55c postage.
A letter is sent to the debtor informing him/her that he/she has 7 days to respond. If there is no response proceedings are issued.
2.: Issue Proceedings – Various Costs.
Artists will be advised of the options available to them and the associated fees.
Special commission rates apply to members of Visual Artists Ireland when a file is open and when monies are recovered.
For further info contact: Niamh Looney | E: niamh@visualartists.ie | T: 01 – 6729488
Avoiding Disputes:
While it is impossible to avoid all prospect of becoming involved in a dispute over payment, it is possible to minimise the chances of a dispute occurring. It is also possible, with proper handling, to prevent a disagreement from escalating into something more serious, and to contain the damage resulting from a dispute. For more read our article by solicitor Linda Scales on Handling Disputes – http://visualartists.ie/resources/infopool-2/legaltechnical-guides/handling-disputes/
Contracts:
In their professional lives, artists enter into many contracts: they sell their works; they are commissioned to produce works; they exhibit in galleries; they give permission to reproduce their works for various purposes. All of these activities involve entering into contracts. In fact, virtually all professional dealings of the artist will involve the question of contract. And when something goes wrong in those dealings, and the artist seeks advice, the first issue that must be addressed is; “Was there a valid contract?” . It is of utmost important that artists use contracts for all aspect of their professional engagements. It may seem overly formal or a hassle but when things go wrong a written contract will carry a lot of weight should you enter into legal proceedings. For more info and sample contracts you can use see: http://visualartists.ie/resources/infopool-2/legaltechnical-guides/contracts/
The Visual Artists Ireland ‘Introducing’ series provides artists with a great opportunity to meet gallery directors, art centre managers and curators in an informal stress free setting. The Series begins in Northern Ireland where you can join Feargal O’Malley, Visual Artists Ireland’s Northern Ireland Manager, for a unique insight into the galleries exhibition policies and to put a face to some of the key cultural providers in Northern Ireland.
We are inviting artists to attend this free unique art series of introductions, which will be held at:
- - Millennium Court Arts Centre (Portadown) on Wednesday 20th of February at 11:00am
- - Golden Thread Gallery (Belfast) on Wednesday 27th of February at 12:00pm
- - F.E McWilliams Gallery & Studio (Banbridge) Wednesday 20th of March at 11:00am
If you are interested in securing a place at one of these unique networking events, please register by clicking on one of the venue names above.
Each visit will have maximum number of 15 places; priority will be giving to members of Visual Artists Ireland. Book now to avoid disappointment.
For any other information e-mail:
Feargal O’Malley
Northern Ireland Manager
Visual Artists Ireland
Email: feargal@visualartists-ni.org
www.visualartists-ni.org
www.visualartists.ie
Did you know that VAI operate a help-desk. The Help-Desk is one of the central services of the organisation. Issues dealt with include – public art commissioning, sourcing artists, artists’ rights, costing proposals, insurance, legal advice, debt issues etc. Those requesting information include members, professional artists, local authorities, the public, commissioners and arts co-ordinators. You can contact us anytime for all your visual art needs: http://visualartists.ie/resources/help-desk/
DUBLIN: Tuesday, January 29, 2013: Survey results released today by Visual Artists Ireland clearly indicate the large number of artists who are required to provide exhibitions and supporting services for free.
The survey undertaken at the end of 2012 shows that out of 580 exhibition opportunities, 79.66% provided no fee to the artist for their participation. Further figures indicated that production costs were not met in many cases, and in a large percentage (43.3%) of cases, artists were asked to either pay or contribute to the administration costs of their exhibitions. 77.8% of artists received no fee for education or outreach programmes. Of these 31.9% received a contribution towards travel expenses for these events.
In his statement, Noel Kelly, CEO of Visual Artists Ireland, stated “This is a clear indication of the desperate situation that the visual arts finds itself in as a result of the draconian cuts that have been inflicted on the sector.” He continued “Clearly there is an expectation that artists are so grateful for the opportunity to have their work seen by the public that there is no need to offer them payment at a meaningful level. Our figures show that even when payments are received, they fall far below even minimum wage.”
It is obvious that this mode of practice is not only inequitable but also fails to recognise the professionalism of visual artists. It has lead to an increase in the number of artists living under the poverty line, or seeking to create new lives either outside of Ireland, or outside of the visual arts sector as a whole. There is a need for the government to step forward and to guarantee funding levels that extend to visual artists, and that increased supports for funding agencies such as the Arts Council are put in place as a matter of urgency.
Visual Artists Ireland is now in communication with the Arts Council to discuss in detail potential solutions for this problem.
Case Studies:
The full extent of the problem can be seen in case studies that are part of the survey:
Artist 1: Age group 55 – 64, with a job to subsidise their work as an artist, with studio rent, heat, and electricity costs of between 250 and 299 Euro per month had 4 solo exhibitions and 6 group exhibition in 2011/1012. Out of these, 3 of the solo exhibitions had no artist’s fee, and 1 provided 500 Euro. Out of the 6 group exhibitions (6+ artists in show) one offered a fee of 700 Euro. No production costs were paid, but the galleries covered the administration costs.
Total Exhibition Income: 1200 Euro for 2011/2012
Artist 2: Age Group 35 – 44, with a job to subsidise their work as an artist, with part time access to a studio, studio rent of between 100 and 149 Euro per month had 1 solo exhibition and 8 group exhibitions in 2011/1012. The solo exhibition had a fee of 1000 Euro Out of the 8 group exhibitions one offered a fee of 200 Euro. No production costs were paid. Some galleries covered the administration costs but some were paid for out of the artist’s own pocket.
Total Exhibition Income: 1200 Euro for 2011/2012
Artist 3: Age Group 45 – 54, full time professional artist, with part time access to a studio, studio rent of approximately 50 Euro per month had 3 group exhibitions in 2011/1012. They were not paid for any exhibition. Some production costs were paid, and in all cases administration costs were covered.
Total Exhibition Income: 0 Euro for 2011/2012
Full details of the survey can be obtained from
Visual Artists Ireland
Central Hotel Chambers
7/9 Dame Court
Dublin 2
Info@visualartists.ie
Phone (01) 672 9488
