STARA - 14.11.2015, Blaðsíða 39

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When I started to write an article
about why artists do not always get
paid for their work, I kept in mind
the situation we all know. Some-
times museums and exhibition
spaces will pay everyone involved
in an art exhibition except the artist
themselves, the general consensus
being that the pleasure is the artist’s
true reward.
But the question can also be turned
on its head; why do artists work
without pay? Then I remembered
I felt like a stuck up and a bore not
long ago:
I received a message on Facebook:
Greetings, I am a curator for ( ). I am
looking for a person to host a talk.
This educational panel is scheduled
for the next three days. I envision
an hour’s talk at the most, hosted
outside unless the weather is bad,
then staying inside is an option. The
same person needn’t take on all three
days. Unfortunately I don’t have the
funds to pay for this, so I’m looking
for a volunteer who might enjoy the
experience. If this is something you
could see yourself doing I would love
to hear from you. Best regards.
I have no grudge against this person
and am only publishing the mes-
sage as an example, it is irrelevant
from whom it is. However, the
person in question was working
within a larger field which normally
pays artists, so the request seemed
strange, although I did not know
the circumstances. It was an un-
comfortable request, plus I already
had plans for the days in question
which happened upon weekends. So
I hummed and hawed about answer-
ing.
After a few days, I received a phone
call. I refused and said I would
rather not do work like this without
getting paid. I was asked if I did not
think the subject matter important.
I agreed it was but did not cave.
In the end, I pointed to a museum
employee who could possibly know
younger people more likely to take
on volunteer work. Even so, I do not
think young people should work
without pay any more than older
people. This was just a desperate at-
tempt on my part to end the conver-
sation.
Afterwards, I tried to quieten the
guilt and self-reproach which
haunted me. Everyone else would
undoubtedly have done it just for
the enjoyment of it. Was I being
tedious and tiresome? And should
I have just said yes? I have not had
many projects lately.
I wonder if many people recognize
thoughts like this. Is this an example
of why artists tend to do volunteer
work? Nobody wants to be a stuck
up and a bore, rejecting exhibition
offers, not participating in collabo-
ration exhibitions and everything
else on offer, rejecting work on the
premise that it is natural wanting to
get paid for the work involved. Es-
pecially since projects and opportu-
nities are scarce in a small society.
One of the artist’s biggest problems
is drawing this distinction: When is
it all right to demand payment and
when is it all right to work for free?
Because sometimes it is all right.
Maybe we could open some sort of
ethical discourse about just that, for
artists from various walks of life.
Which payments are being offered?
Would it be advantageous for visual
artists, authors, musicians, scholars
and others to open up about this
issue? E.g. I get paid ISK 20.000 for
writing this article.
Rag na Sig urðardót t ir i s a working author and translator. She has an MA in v i sual ar t f rom JVE Akademie in The Nether-
lands and for a whi le worked concur rent ly as a v i sual ar t i s t and an author. Rag na was an ar t c r i t i c for a decade and has
w r it ten about v i sual ar t for museums , exhibit ion spaces and ar t i s t s . She has been involved in var ious endeavors w ithin
the v i sual ar t f i e ld .
“Nobody wants to be a stuck up and a
bore, rejecting exhibition offers, not par-
ticipating in collaboration exhibitions and
everything else on offer, rejecting work on
the premise that it is natural wanting to
get paid for the work involved.”