I know it’s not Sunday (that’s usually when I post) but it is quiet here at the gallery now, and I had a great conversation with Jennifer Cavan which compells me to write. She wrote a great post on “how long does it take?” (to create a piece). And as she says, there is so much “not art” that goes into the business of being a professional artist that the casual viewer doesn’t see. So, whether you spend an hour, a day, a week or a year, that process is not the whole piece. I’m starting there, because our “great conversation” was about donating work (or not) to the many organizations who ask. She might post about too, but I thought I’d get the conversation going here.
Over the years, I would hazard a guess that I’ve donated, somewhere in the range of $25,000 in my art. So, why do I severely limit what I donate and to what organization now? Let’s see what those donations did for me, for the organization, for the art community, for the galleries.
If I donate a piece with a retail value of $500, what is that for me? lost revenue of $500. It is basically “advertising expense” and based on tracking, very poor at that. Worthwhile advertising nets revenue. Not so a donated piece.
How about the organization that gets it? Once in a while at the Music From Angel Fire Art Auction, a piece will go for at or near it’s value. But way more often, most work gets “sold” for about 20 cents on the dollar. So, they have to sell ALOT of art to generate reasonable revenue…and if you’ve ever been to one, you know that they do.
Now, examine the impact of that. If, at the auction my $500 piece was lucky, and sold for $200, the lucky winner got a “bargain”, and I’ll hear about it for the next few years. Will they come buy a piece from me? Not likely. Will the person that was bidding against them? Not likely. Why? because they’ll go to another auction and try again. I have actually had people tell me that they love my work, but will wait for the MFAF auction. Those same people say, “I love this gallery, I hope you are successful!” and walk out the door without spending a dime. So, I wonder, how does that work?
A few years ago I donated a $300 piece to a local group and they sold it in a “Live” auction, for $35. While one person jumps up and down about how they “stole”it, several hundred others watched it. What is the impact of that?
That said, yes, I will donate to the MFAF auction. Maybe a handful of others. But I sincerely hope those of us who buy at similar auctions will consider supporting the artists, as well as the organizations. And I would encourage the non-profits that auction art, consider more than their own bottom line, look for ways to support the artists that make their fundraisers possible.
I have lots of ideas on that……
3469 Mountain View Blvd, Suites B2-4 Angel Fire NM
When I first donated to the MFAF auction I received a nice set of tickets to the events. I believe it was four. Now it is only one or two depending upon value. I stopped totally after a while when a volunteer askig for an art piece for the auction said, “well, it isn’t as if it is real money.” Well, it is to me.
Then there is the treatment of my work. I never seem to make it into the live auction but am religated to the silent part. One of the leading art magazines said that silent auctions where everyone gets to see how low your piece went for lowers the overall value of your art.
And as you mentioned I know people that would like to own my work but they wait for the next auction to see if they can get it cheap. I have begun telling them they will wait forever because I am not donating. I donate one piece of art a year to Artsfest for support of art in the schools. And since I have stopped giving away my work I have seen my sales go up.
I also am very opposed to this paint on everything from birdhouses to rain buckets. I really don’t want to walk up to a friend’s house and see my “artistic pail” used to collect dog poop in their yard as happened with one another artist did. How very demeaning is that?
And it is just a matter of time before Hobby Lobby starts selling a crafts kit with paints and a fake violin so you too can “create” a work of art. They wouldn’t want us painters to stomp and heehaw at one of their concerts so they should not treat us like lessor artists and demean our contributions.
So I am opposed to the donation of art and see no upside to doing it. And professional publications I have read see only downside to donations. So why do we keep doing it?