“Your cause is worthy and I believe in it”… this is how San Antonio artists feel when asked to donate a piece of their art to a fundraising event.

The New York Times published a lengthy article on the front page of the Arts and Leisure section titled “It’s Time For Artists to Give Till It Hurts” (Sunday, May 28, 2006). So we are not alone in this calamity for artists. Unfortunately, artists are some of the poorest people in our community and are expected to give the most. Meanwhile, they already make an invaluable contribution to society just by making their art.

It might take an artist three weeks to make an artwork or perhaps just three days - how many people are asked to give three weeks of their income, or even 3 days? Professionals like doctors, lawyers, engineers, and CEOs are never asked to give this much. Why are artists always asked to give so much? Many fundraisers benefit entities that do not provide services to artists and are organized by people who do not invest in art. To make things worse some fundraisers only accept a 100% donation.

Adding insult to injury, fundraisers sell the art at a price that undermines the market value that the artist has established with hard work and a career trajectory that can span a generation. If the work sells for less than it is valued, its market price is diminished. Nobody will buy the work from a gallery or the artist when they can get it for less at a benefit auction. This is the reason why we don’t have an art market and why there are so few serious commercial galleries in San Antonio. It is very hard for an artist to make a living in San Antonio because most people think that art is cheap or free! The prevailing attitude is: “that’s nice, give it to me, you can always make another one.” Artists are hard-working professionals and should not be taken for granted. San Antonio has an astounding creative community of artists that is solely supported by grass roots efforts and not by the backing of an art market.

For the most part the nature of the art business and artist representation is misunderstood in our city. In the commerce of art, the art dealer is constantly seeking prospective buyers for the artwork they represent. When an art dealer has a client but no gallery, they can charge the artist up to 30% on that sale. Commercial galleries take 40% to 50% because they need to cover overhead expenses that include rent, electricity, printing and mailing invitations, an opening artist reception, sometimes a closing reception and staff salaries. Fundraisers by non-art related institutions and even non-profit art institutions that do not engage in this kind of public relations work should not get 50% of the value of an art piece. This is a call for action to artists: Stop donating to fundraisers that undermine the value of your artwork.

We are campaigning to help artists become professionals that make a good living from their talent and hard work.  San Antonio will not become a truly great city until we recognize the contributions that the individual artist makes to its culture and economy.


Rolando Briseño & Ángel Rodríguez-Díaz

Posted 11/2/06