To Auction Or Not To Auciton

That is the question today. A friend of mine sent me this link. It's an article by arts critic Mat Gleason entitled 'The Career Benefits of Boycotting Charity Auctions'. This promises to be an entertaining read - at least.

Before I chime in, I thought Mr. Gleason looked familiar. Oh, yes, he is the publisher of Coagula Art Journal based in L.A. He was featured on one of the Art City videos. My first impression of Gleason was that he was completely obnoxious. During the video, he talked about how he's pissed off people to the point of having drinks thrown in his face and being punched out in a bar after a review he wrote. He says this with a definite air of pride. Well, anyone who has a tattoo of Jackson Pollock on his upper arm is asking to be punched. However, once you get past all the bravado, he is only doing something that seems to be more and more of a rarity. He's publicly speaking his opinion. Whether you agree with him or don't, the man has the balls to not only say what he thinks, he's putting down on paper. David Hickey says that today, there is no real art criticism. I agree, thus making Mat a breath of fresh, obnoxious air.

Alright so, about his thoughts on boycotting art auctions. Here are some things I agree with him on:

- Yes, the artist is not financially benefiting from their work being sold at lower than what they would initially sell the work on their own for.

- Artists are placed in a subordinate role when anyone can come along a put a price on your work which is usually going to be for less than what the artist would want.

- It's messed up that an artist can only claim the cost of materials for their work come tax time, where as someone who is blessed with being liquid, can buy your work at a bargain, have it appraised for top dollar and then right that full amount off come tax time.

Now, those are some pretty great reasons to not participate in art auctions. Now, let me talk about how I disagree with him and make some suggestions as well:

If the institution is worthy, why not donate?
Throughout the years, I have been asked to donate work to several organizations and institutions. If I feel good about them and what they do, and they treat artists professionally and respectfully, I'll happily donate some work to help their cause.


Auctions can raise your profile.
No, giving to auctions are not going to turn you into an art star by any stretch, but it does help in getting your work seen. You never know, you might snag a future patron or be invited to have your work seen in an exhibition somewhere. Think of it as a form of networking (a subject for a future post).


Don't give your best work away.
Don't give your best work away. I'm sure organizations don't want you giving them crap, but really give them something that is good example of what you do, but not something you consider your finest work. Shop your best work around for other opportunities like exhibition opportunities, residencies, etc.


Get Your Party On
Most of the time, if not all the time, artist who've donated to an organization get to attend the auction event for FREE. It's great! You get to get dressed up, visit the open bar MANY times, get your eat on at the buffet, socialize with the people of your community while being surrounded by art! Of course there are some artists who would much rather hover by their piece to see how the bidding is going. That's one way to spend the night, but really with all the eats and drinks going on....enjoy the night!


So, really to give work to an auction or not is an individual's call. And really, if you don't want to make a donation because you're sick and tired of being hit up for art and never feel like you benefit from it - just say 'no'.


Mat Gleason, 'The Career Benefits of Boycotting Charity Auctions'
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mat-gleason/charity-art-auctions-_b_872953.html?ref=fb&src=sp