So you’re going to commission an artist - A 10-step guide
Dr. Anita McKeown
So you’re going to commission an artist A 10-step guideA guide for community groups who would like to commission an artist for a community Art project or bring in the Arts into their community
Dr. Anita McKeown
April 2016
The first question to ask yourself is why.
Really this is the first question - why do you think you want or need an artist.
1. What sort of expectations do you have of what an artist can or will do?
There may be many reasons by you might be thinking about commissioning and artist / artwork; surplus of funding, people have asked for it, it will help tourism, it will look nice…
Identifying your unique reason is very important and you may need to ask yourself and others a series of questions to really understand what or who you wish to commission or if maybe developing a sports programme
a) Are these reasons good enough?
b) What is it you are really hoping to achieve?
c) and why do you think an artist can help you achieve it
d) Who is it for?
You see for every question you have, the process opens up more and more questions. This short piece sets out some of the important questions and links to where you can find support or see how others have managed this process.
2. What sort of artwork do you imagine commissioning?
a. Do you need to talk to others about this?
b. is it a large-scale static piece
c. a series of open-ended workshops
d. a process that will result in a tangible outcome
e. or a consultation that will reveal new ideas.
It’s really worthwhile spending some time on this stage, as this will direct the rest of the process. Maybe you aren’t sure what you want and perhaps looking at a range of commissioned projects might help you.
Artists no longer work with traditional materials or make work that you may recognise as art. It is also worth considering your budget and aims would commissioning a series of temporary works be more relevant. This is exciting as there maybe many other types of artworks that you could commission that makes more of your budget, the location and what you are trying to achieve.
Here are some examples of different projects
· Web-based
· Process-orientated projects
· Performance
· Radio and Documentary
Also there maybe other artifacts that you want to commission e.g.
· Catalogues
· Artists’ books and CDs for sharing
Links to considering you objectives
a) http://www.publicartonline.org.uk/resources/practicaladvice/commissioning/guidelines.php
3. Do you need to talk to other people about this?
Is it your decision alone to make? You may need to spend time talking with others for example residents, funders, a curator or someone with arts expertise.
Taking responsibility can be easier if shared especially if you have no arts experience, are working in a public place, spending public money or have never commissioned an artwork.
Ask for help, there are many organisations that offer free advice – please use them for everyone’s sake!
For starters – if you have additional money you could hire a curator or someone with commissioning expertise or work with them as a mentor for a lesser fee. They could help with the process including drafting a brief, managing the selection process and the selected artists / project as well as advising on a maintenance plan.
If you are running an open or limited submission process you may need to put together a panel for the selection process that could include members of your organisation, arts professionals, artists.
You can also speak with your local authority - many of them have an arts officer who can advise you or even sit on a board or committee for the process and may have some other support or provision towards your project.
4. What are your organisation's regulations for employing sub-contractors?
Depending on the context there maybe particular rules or regulations your organisation has when it comes to paying people or suppliers – its important to know these and make it clear with anyone you employ – there are usually legal regulations around this.
Most organisations have policies around employing sub-contractors and you will need to align your call for artists with your organisation's policies. You will also need to consider the work involved in preparing a submission for an artist and consider if you will have a phased process.
a. Phase 1 - an open call for expressions of interest that commands no fee followed by
b. Phase 2 - a shortlisting process that will offer a development fee to work up the proposal towards a full submission.
Both approaches will require resources e.g. time, finance and possibly additional expertise e.g. arts professionals to advise on drafting a brief, selection and management processes. A review of your organisation's resources that impact on budget requirements will also be necessary.
5. Budgeting and Funding
You may already have a budget for an arts project, which will help you to address the other aspects already. Breaking the project into phases e.g. considering your needs expectations, expertise and resources, drafting call for artists, selection process and management of project, maintenance, press and administration will help you manage your budget.
If you have access to additional expertise available e.g. arts professional or local authority arts officer you may be able to get feedback on your draft budget. If you're commissioning an artist for the first time this is a useful investment, you will develop a budget template that can be adapted for future commissions as well as insuring that you have all potential cost centres covered.
Administration time, project delays, project launch, insurance all have impacts on the project’s resources and advance planning and management can alleviate much of this. Always include a percentage of the budget as a contingency for any unforeseen costs.
6. Can you afford an artwork including a maintenance programme?
If you are commissioning a tangible artwork this is a valuable asset which you are investing in and you should consider how it will be managed and by who. Consideration to weathering, wear and tear, movement to another location and decommissioning should all be considered.
a. If the work is a physical piece of work have you developed a maintenance plan, decided on the lifetime of the project and do you have the budget to insure it for its lifetime?
b. Have you considered an exit strategy or decommissioning process?
Your maintenance plan should include details of this and be agreed with the artist – In your brief or call for artists ask them to address any maintenance needs the project might have.
7. How will you pay the artist?
Costing an arts project and deciding if the proposed budget is reasonable or realistic takes time and expertise. This is worth thinking about as it can cause problems – you don’t want to be in a situation where the work is incomplete or money is wasted. Often there are guidelines for artists’ fees so you can begin to look at your budget more realistically.
It maybe that you have a set figure and are looking for the artists to cost this out in their proposal in which case they are responsible for allowing for PRSI, USC and other self-employment issues.
You will need to then consider their proposal and fee to see if it’s realistic and may need to engage additional help on this aspect.
a. Will you know if the artist has allowed enough time for key tasks and costed materials realistically?
Consider breaking the project into key milestones with clear deliverables that you can align phased payments to and write this into the contract – this just keeps it clear for everyone.
If you do not have a budget then seeking funding for a project brings additional matters to the fore not covered in this guide. There are a number of possibilities for funding arts projects, which will depend on where you are geographically located contact your local authority or Arts council.
There are also a number of guidelines available from Arts Councils, Local Authorities and Funders for artists’ fees.
Links to guidelines for artists’ fees.
a) 2015 A guide for artists but provides useful insights for a commissioner in costing a project. Enables artists to calculate an individual daily rate for services they supply based upon their unique circumstances and overheads and to prepare quotes when pitching for freelance work https://www.a-n.co.uk/resource/the-artists-fees-toolkit
b) 2014 A document that gathers a number of resources together for valuing and paying artists http://www.metalculture.com/wp-content/uploads/Valuing-and-paying-artists-Peterborough-file-copy.pdf
c) 2014 Paying artists campaign Launched in May 2014, the Paying artists campaign goal is: Artists should be remunerated for exhibiting in publicly-funded spaces. www.payingartists.org.uk
d) 2013 Visual Artists Ireland Artists payment guide developed from a national survey - http://visualartists.ie/the-manual-a-survival-guide-for-visual-artists/the-guidelines/payment-guidelines-for-professional-visual-artists/
8. Selection process
There are a number of ways of selecting an artist and depending on your organisation’s policy you may have some limitations as to which process you implement. You may also consider using a number of approaches as a filter or balancing the submissions between diverse artforms, artists and project needs.
a) An open call invites artists / craftspeople to submit applications in response to a circulated brief. Advertising through tried and tested channels e.g. Artquest, Visual Arts Ireland can guarantee a large responses but this also can incur more time resources within the selection process. There are also online ‘artist call’ management platforms that facilitate the process including submission, jurying and other tasks e.g. https://www.callforentry.org https://artcall.org
b) Selected competition - This process limits the number of artist’s submission. if your policies allow a selective process and you have undertaken some research into compiling a short list this can be a useful way to make the most of resources by targeting artists who work in particular media or with key groups.
c) Invitations – You maybe in a position to invite a specific artist based on their practice / skills or special requirements of your project. This can also be used widen your selection panelists or to select a lead artist as mentor or working with a team of artists.
You can also ask artists to supply references just like any other job application – if you are considering and artist you should take these up – they can
Links to selecting an artist
e. http://www.publicartonline.org.uk/resources/practicaladvice/commissioning/guidelines.php
9. After selection
You will probably have already spent quite a bit of time selecting an artist – well done. It is an exciting process and an achievement. You must now consider how the process is managed and although this phase can be complicated many of the potential pitfalls can be alleviated with good planning and management. There are different skills involved in arts project management; administration and practice and it maybe you need additional expertise to manage the project.
If you have engaged and arts professional for the process of drafting a call or brief and helping with selection you may want to consider employing them for the duration of the project, if your budget allows for it. Having a single contact for the project is worthwhile as it helps build a relationship and streamline processes that involve organisational infrastructure and processes. You may also consider selection of a lead artist if you are selecting a team of artists or commissioning a series of artworks.
Key aspects to consider:
a. Project logistics include any specific requirements e.g. venues, location, target groups, milestones etc.
b. Communication protocols – effective channels and processes
c. Health and Safety – insure organisational policies and procedures are understood
d. Contract
a. This should include clear role definitions, tasks and responsibilities, timeframe, milestones, payment schedules, copyright / ownership issues and maintenance agreement.
b. Also a developing a mechanism / process for any disputes or project delays including possible penalty clauses for all involved in the process e.g.
i. Illness or accidents
ii. Financial issues / going over budget.
iii. Delays on deliverables or payments
iv. External contractors
v. Technical challenges – issues that arise in the making of work.
vi. Censorship – sensitivity to content of work, titles or out of bounds areas where artists want to go
vii. Relationship breakdown
f. Project dissemination
g. Evaluation / Review
h. Exit strategy
10. Managing a selected artist / arts project
It is important to establish processes of working and collaborating as these involve new relationships and different working practices. Agreeing effective communication channels is an important aspect of the process.
Artist’s Induction / introductions – Introducing the artist to your organisation and if necessary those the artist will work with is important – they will begin to become a recognised presence in the organisation / work area which will help with working processes, troubleshooting and sharing what can often be employee specific tacit knowledge. This also encourages a number of related benefits
a. help the artist navigate a new working landscape
b. develop personal relationships with potential participants and other project constituents
c. contribute and possibly influence creative decisions e.g. positioning artwork, leveraging resources etc.
d. encourage ‘buy-in’ to the project from an early stage
e. help communicating project updates
f. developing an attendance list for any launch or public events related to the project.
The unexpected
There will always be the unexpected in a project; indeed these are often very useful as they can push the project in exciting directions. However, despite all your planning, expertise, management policies and procedures, events may still occur that are problematic. There are many project analysis and management tools that can assess this in advance and help develop contingencies for many eventualities and it's the minimising and management of these that make for a successful project.
Good Luck!
Other Useful Links:
Curator Space - an online project management tool for curators and artists