I'm a promoter in the Chicago area, Debbie@D & W Events. I'd like to educate both myself and upcoming jurists/judges so we can all be on the same page.
We have another jury coming up for our inaugural ARTumn Harvest at Deer Park Town Center, September 15 & 16, and I'd love to hear from anyone who has hints, tricks and information about buy/sell artists. There are obvious buy/sells, like earrings in palm tree shapes that say "Made in China" and massive quantities of embroidery selling for $45/piece.
What about the subtleties?
How about inlaid wood that the artist designs but has a small shop that builds product? He supervises and it's original designed work. Two pieces would never be the same due to nuances in the wood, cutting etc.
Where can we draw the line?
Any and all help/comments are appreciated as this will only improve the quality of an over saturated Chicago market.
Thanks!
Debbie
dwevents@comcast.net
Comments
Thanks for the great suggestions and responses.
This is extremely helpful going forward...if you can think of anything else, please post or contact me.
Thanks again and have a great summer,
Debbie Netter
D & W Events, Inc.
If in doubt - on top of the photos of the artist at work...you may need to ask for sample pieces and have someone local who does similar work take a look to see if there is that "subtle" hand to a piece of work that tells you it was made by someone who loves what they create versus someone who is buy/sell. It is there but sometimes if you can't actually have someone who is skilled touch it...you won't be able to tell. Myself - being a lover of anything made by wood can just tell by running my hands over it. There is a certain life to a piece commercial can't produce, whether it's the curvature, the finish, but it's there. And the creator is never afraid to tell you what type of finishes were used....I have never yet run into a woodworker not willing to tell me the basics, and I can tell just be feeling it if it is the truth or not as each type of product has a certain type of "hand" to it. Ditto any type of earthenware - pottery/ceramics, etc.
If in doubt - on top of the photos of the artist at work...you may need to ask for sample pieces and have someone local who does similar work take a look to see if there is that "subtle" hand to a piece of work that tells you it was made by someone who loves what they create versus someone who is buy/sell. It is there but sometimes if you can't actually have someone who is skilled touch it...you won't be able to tell. Myself - being a lover of anything made by wood can just tell by running my hands over it. There is a certain life to a piece commercial can't produce, whether it's the curvature, the finish, but it's there. And the creator is never afraid to tell you what type of finishes were used....I have never yet run into a woodworker not willing to tell me the basics, and I can tell just be feeling it if it is the truth or not as each type of product has a certain type of "hand" to it. Ditto any type of earthenware - pottery/ceramics, etc.
Every one of us knows why our work is "original" and not buy/sell merchandise. However, in most cases it could easily be used by someone else in a buy/sell situation. Using my work as an example, in most cases I paint the frames my paintings are displayed in. If I simply took my painted frames and the paintings and "sold" them to someone else to finish, they would then be buy/sell pieces for that person. The only thing they created is a finished product. So the key is not the finished product, but how it got there.
Another example using my own art is that I often paint on used cabinet doors. I don't create the doors, I simply purchase them when they are discarded during remodels. Once I have the doors, I work them to the point that I can paint on them, then I paint on them. I have not simply taken the door and tried to sell it, I have "changed" it artistically to be identified as mine.
The creative process must involve more than simply assembly or display. The product being sold as an original must have some creative element of the person selling the item, and that creative element must be more than simply assembly and display. The man who installed my new AC unit last week does not get to claim that it is his AC simply because he did the final few steps, it is still a Rheem.
6. Was show listed with Zapplication or similar site, or did you just get an email or hand out.
7. Does promoter use terms "fine art and fine craft"?
Thanks, Robin. We have never been denied in a Jury (we probably don't apply to enough shows!), and we do wire work, so the components are a small part of the COST, but a large part of the Mass. We consider what we do Fine Craft, not Art - your stuff looks gorgeous and anyone would consider it art, for sure.
Alan, different shows have different criteria to determine whether jewelry is "hand made" or "assembled". They often require that jewelry components of each piece be 90% hand made or no more than 10% purchased. I make all my own findings (clasps, ear wires, etc) and focal elements (pendants, most of the metal beads, some of the chain). However, I don't cut stones for cabochons or beads. I don't tan the leather I sometimes use. Those things I purchase. If a show doesn't have some sort of criteria for the jewelry category, I take that to mean they don't care and probably allow assembly work (all purchased components strung into a design). I don't apply to those shows because I know my price point will be too high to compete.
So, what about Jewelry that incorporates components that are made by others (Gems, Cabachons, etc) or mass Produced (Swaravski Components)? Does anyone NOT consider that hand made??
"Two pieces would never be the same due to nuances in the wood"
I'm laughing out loud (I'm too old to LOL). The nuances of wood is not an indicator of handmade unless it is God who is jurying for the show. I which case, I would let Him in. There might be hell to pay if I didn't.
I don't think there is a grey area at all. Artists who produce work in a studio, in the US, with helpers/employees doing various tasks by hand, are fine. All glass blowers need a team to make pieces, for instance. If someone is buying the work from some another country, or even this country and claiming that they made the work themselves THAT is buy/sell. I have started to call it what it is, which is fraud. Fortunately, one of the great things about the internet, is that if you suspect someone is committing this kind of fraud, you can find import lists and purchase orders if you look hard enough. At a show I did recently, two exhibitors had the same pieces that were purchased from the German jewelry maker, Brueling right from their catalog. Proof is not as hard as you think.
Of course, it would help if we could get some advice from a trade lawyer or an FTC lawyer who handles complaints. While your recommendations and opinions are welcome and may be valid, it's only speculation unless you are truly an expert in the field.
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