Bob Kiss (bobkiss@caribsurf.com)
Thu, 22 Jul 1999 08:21:45 -0700
The dialogue on pricing has been very informative...My advanced workshop
students and I read the 39 or 40 e-mails last night and discussed the ideas
expressed. It was good for them to see how universal the problems are.
We discussed that, correctly viewed, every problem is a challenge.
The concerns expressed by Richard Sullivan and others about limited
editions are valid but, rather than throwing baby with bath water, how about
ammending procedures and making the practice more ethical and honest. I have
been under the impression for a few decades that limited editions needed to
be accompanied by a "Disclosure" statement. Could not this include phrases
like, "The photographer will make limited editions of 50 11X14s, 50 16X20s
in silver gealtin but reserves the right to produce editions of no more that
10 each in PT/PD (or whatever other alternative process). It is simply
knowing what your options are, disclosing them clearly and honestly, AND
THEM STICKING TO THEM.
The problem isn't the concept or procedures of limiting editions...it is
the foreknowledge, planning and ethics of the photographer/gallery.
Also we seem to feel that we invented naughtiness in art sales
practices. Please don't forget the following which I will quote very loosely
(I don't remember the author). "Rembrandt only painted 137
paintings in his entire life, more than 300 of which are in the United
States alone." It is no excuse for us to be unethical. Avarice and ignorance
usually cause those practices sited of which we may disapprove. Sometimes it
is simply inexperience. The sharing of info on this net will go a long way
to helping. But we must never believe that sales and marketing procedures,
which are so accepted in so many other endeavors, are"evil" when associated
with art and photography. As was stated so well in a previous posting, when
we take off our artist hat we must blithly, even proudly sell our work to
eat!
If we do not sell our work with love, respect, and pride, why should any one
respect it or buy it? We must never forget that Michaelangelo did FINALLY
collect the gold from Pope Julius II for his "doodling" on the ceiling of
the Cistine and I don't think he was TOO ashamed to ask for it!
The phrases, "Art market" and "Print market" have been used
repeatedly...dare I assume that the phrase, "Marketing", would not incur too
much wrath? My friend Alan Klotz of PHOTOCOLLECT GALLERY, NYC,
(www.photocollect.com) has stated that, when it comes to selling work by
contemporaries, it is the vision of the photographer that collectors buy.
But he stresses that being known by the collectors makes selling at better
prices much easier. So we might conclude that we work for love but market
ourselves and sell our work shamelessly to keep body and soul together, as
well as to allow us to afford those lovely goodies that Richard sells with
which we make our Alt Photos. Has anyone ever noticed any shame or
hesitation on the part of landlords, banks, professionals, manufacturers, or
retailors to make their presence know to us through marketing? Why should
we? We just do it differently, by publishing books of our work, by having
shows, by links to our websites...maybe not SO differently.
Thanks again for the source of inspiration and information on Alt Photo.
CHEERS FROM BARBADOS!
BOB
KISS
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