Join us in conversation with artists Virginia Broersma and Susan Schwartz, who will be presenting The Artist’s Contract, a project to draft an artist-centered sales agreement. Using the landmark 1971 Siegelaub-Projansky Artist’s Contract as a foundation, they seek to rebalance the unequal terms of exchange concerning the sale and presentation of artwork. They will present the history of this project as well as their current work to spearhead a new open source version of the contract for use in 2021, the 50th anniversary of the original agreement. Through workshop discussions and surveys, community input is currently being integrated into the draft of the new contract, which when completed, will be made widely available as part of efforts to normalize practices that elevate the rights of artists within the art world.
The Speakers
Virginia Broersma is a Los Angeles-based artist whose work focuses on patterns of representation in figurative painting. Her engagement with the art community involves curating, writing, collaborative projects, and public art along with her studio practice. In 2019, she launched The Artist's Office, through which she creates systems of support for artists' professional practices. This involves increasing professional capacity by offering needs-based tools and opportunities to share knowledge between peers and professionals. This work is done with candor and a critical eye towards art world systems that are failing artists. Broersma has exhibited extensively in Los Angeles as well as internationally and in the various other cities that she has lived, including San Diego, Savannah, Chicago, and Santa Fe.
Susan Schwartz is a graduate of UCLA Law School where she was a member of the Law Review, Moot Court Honors Program, and an editor of the Federal Communications Law Journal. She has a bachelor’s degree cum laude from the City University of New York with a major in mass communications and journalism and a minor in art. Schwartz obtained a master’s degree in Art Business with honors from the Drucker School at the Claremont Colleges’ Center for Arts Management. As both an artist and an advocate for artists, Schwartz brings an exceptional level of enthusiasm, dedication, and nuanced perspective to helping her creative clients navigate the complexities of copyright disputes and contract negotiations that clearly express their needs and desired outcomes. Her clients have included conceptual artists, graphic artists, gallerists, and choreographers. Visit www.susanschwartzlaw.com for additional links and resources.
(image caption) Sculptor Vassilakis Takis pictured in the garden of the Museum of Modern Art, New York on January 3, 1969, after he removed his artwork Tele-sculpture (1960) from where it was displayed inside the museum as part of an exhibition against his wishes. The artist’s subsequent act of withdrawal served as the catalyst that would lead to the formation of the Art Workers’ Coalition (AWC) and other actions to reassert artists’ rights, including the drafting of the Artist’s Reserved Rights Transfer and Sales Agreement of 1971. Photo originally published by the East Village Other on January 24, 1969; photographer unknown.