Copyright 2009 The New MexicanThe Santa Fe New Mexican (New Mexico)
April 17, 2009 Friday
PASATIEMPO; Pg. PA-17

IN OTHER WORDS
DOUGLAS FAIRFIELD
ART/WORK: Everything You Need to Know (and Do) as You Pursue Your Art Career by Heather Darcy Bhandari and Jonathan Melber, Free Press, 291 pages

If you're a budding artist or a recent graduate whose master's of fine arts program lacked a seminar in survival skills, this book is a godsend. In fact, it may become your Bible for an indefinite time or until you make that first million. For the experienced artist, flipping through a pertinent chapter or two in ART/WORK may suffice. That way, you can spend the cover price of $16.95 on a scone and a cup of coffee or that next tube of ultramarine blue.
Authors Heather Darcy Bhandari, director/curator at Mixed Greens Gallery in New York, and Jonathan Melber, an art-law attorney, have packed a lot of no-nonsense information into a readable and sometimes funny how-to guide that may, indeed, help those needing to know the scope of the art world in which they hope to be a player. The book covers such basics as the difference between a curriculum vitae and a résumé and complicated fare like drafting consignment agreements and protecting the copyright for your work.

Humor and sobering straight talk come from myriad sidebar quotes by curators, gallerists, critics, and artists from major metropolitan areas such as New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Art adviser and former Houston gallerist Eleanor Williams states, "I will not entertain an actual portfolio from a walk-in. Leave your stuff in the car and let's go through a website. I keep it under ten minutes. If you don't have a website, build one." And a nugget of advice from Clint Willour, curator for the Galveston Art Center, bears repeating: "Don't show me a photo of your naked crotch and ask me what I think of it."

ART/WORK progresses logically, beginning with definitions of the many roles people play in the art world -- dealers, curators, consultants, agents, framers, archivists, etc. -- and concludes with samples of legal documents, but you can skip to whatever topic suits your needs. Learn how and what to submit to galleries in Chapter 3; grants and residencies are in Chapter 6; and come to grips with rejection in Chapter 8.

Bhandari and Melber's book is decidedly for practicing artists, and it should be required reading in fine arts curricula. But perhaps the most telling thing in the book is the disclaimer: "The authors and publisher specifically disclaim all responsibility for any liability, loss or risk, personal or otherwise, which is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents of this book."

In short, in a world filled with exorbitant dreams, egomaniacs, and dashed hopes, it's best to cover your ass. You'll learn that too.

-- Douglas Fairfield