Following Up on Past Editorials
Websites: In response to the June 07 editorial on artist websites, Darren Perkins generously wrote to share some information: "I've had several sales through my site and many times interested parties have viewed my site which eventually led to sales. I developed my site through a webmaster initially, and that was good, but recently fellow artist Perry Haddock led me to ArtSites.ca I have no connection to ArtSites.ca other than as a satisfied customer.
"The primary advantage of ArtSites.ca is that the artist can change and add or delete galleries, images and text him or her self at any time. And it is very easy and idiot proof. The artist can choose from several formats or, as in my case, customize the format to look exactly like my old site and I kept my domain name www.darrenperkins.ca. For only $100 per year Artsites.ca looks after everything. No additional expenses for a year. And Geoff at ArtSites.ca answered any questions and solved minor glitches by both phone and email within minutes or at least within an hour. There are also video clips to show you how to build and use the site.
"For artists without website building skills, looking to start a site, I couldn't imagine a better deal. ArtSites.ca by the way is locally based. I hope you can print some of this, a plug would be well deserved. I believe Geoff is just a 'one-man operation.'" (A similar service of which Opus is aware and in whom we have utmost confidence is MyArtClub.com If you are interested in creating your own web presence, be sure to check them out too! - Ed.)
Community: In past editorials, I have discussed the importance of peer assembly for visual artists who so often work alone. By actively being part of a visual arts community of some kind (online or in the real world) an artist can gain so much – from the practical to the spiritual. One resource for visual artists that I have always admired is the community of artists who run, use and develop the "Basic Inquiry" studio.
Basic Inquiry is, basically, a drop-in centre for artists that "encourages the appreciation and production of figurative art by providing a friendly and positive place to practice figure drawing and painting at reasonable rates." They offer artists – from students to experienced professionals – a unique space for artists to work in a supportive, non-critical environment.
Artist Gerry Kelly founded Basic Inquiry in 1983. It was established to provide artists with a space in which to draw and paint from nude models. Maurice Spira gave Basic Inquiry its name. He said, "Life drawing is a basic inquiry into the human form." Basic Inquiry currently offers nine different sessions a week, special drawing events throughout the year, and gallery space for members.
Basic Inquiry drawing sessions include a Portraiture Workshop running two Mondays, Gesture Drawing Wednesday evenings, a Friday evening session with a sustained pose for four consecutive Fridays with the same model; regular sessions have short poses lasting up to 30 min. For more information about Basic Inquiry, visit their website www.lifedrawing.org or their new studio at 1011 Main Street, just two blocks off the Science World Skytrain station towards Chinatown.
Copyrights: As governments cut back on grants and as the demand for financial support for the arts from government grows, Canada is increasingly moving toward an American model of arts support and away from the British model. The American model places a heavy emphasis on earned income, gaming revenue and private philanthropy – and the marketplace plays a huge role in shaping product, be it a play, a concert or an exhibition. It is disconcerting, therefore, to read about planned changes to the US Copyright Act announced in a "Report on Orphan Works." Although an initial draft of the bill was withdrawn before being passed by the US Congress, its intent is likely to be advanced in a re-written bill sometime this year.
"Orphan" works are intellectual property – creative products including all visual art made – that are protected by copyright but whose copyright owner cannot be identified or contacted. Those in favour of the bill say that it will solve serious problems for publishers, museums, scholars and other users who wish to reproduce the work. Artists are outraged by the bill's intent. Victor S. Perlman, General Counsel and Managing Director, American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP), wrote on the ASMP website that the bill would have been "the worst thing that has happened to independent photographers and other independent visual artists since "Work Made for Hire" contracts.
Perlman again: "The reality is that for independent photographers and illustrators, the majority of your published photographs may well become orphan works. The reason for that is that, unlike just about every other category of copyrighted works, photographs and illustrations are typically published without any copyright notice or credit to the photographer or illustrator." Add to this change in acknowledgement policy the role the internet is playing in the illegitimate and unacknowledged use of imagery and you can see the threat this move is to artists.
What the withdrawn bill proposed was that anyone wanting to use a copyrighted work only has to make a "good faith, reasonably diligent search" to find a copyright holder, and if the owner is not located, the user can, for a very small fee, use the work. Then, if there is no claim made against their unlicensed use of the work, the user can then use the work in perpetuity for free. Worse: if the copyright holder discovers the unlicensed use of his/her work, all they are entitled to is "reasonable compensation." And get this: "where the infringement is performed without any purpose of direct or indirect commercial advantage, such as through the sale of copies or phonorecords of the infringed work, and the infringer ceases the infringement expeditiously after receiving notice of the claim for infringement, no award of monetary relief shall be made." This is mean legislation. This is theft disguised as law. It's immoral to propose this.
What if I proposed a law that would allow me, when I see a car parked on the side of the road with no license plates, to take that car and use it for a few cents a day. And if, after a few days, no one finds me using the car and no one claims it as their own, I get to keep it. And if the owner does turn up, and I haven't used it as a taxi or rented it out or somehow otherwise made money from using it, I don't have to pay the owner a cent for its use. Good idea? Now, I am thinking about a bill for houses that sit empty for a while.
Let's hope this American initiative never becomes part of Canadian copyright policy.
Women in Art: I confess, I am a computer addict. My computer is my work tool and my primary source of entertainment. I have embraced the digital world and perhaps one of my most joyful experiences happened on YouTube. YouTube is full of junk videos, but there are some absolute gems. I am not a web surfer. When I go onto the web I always have a destination, usually provided by a friend or seen in an advertisement or print article. I have enjoyed seeing remarkable images and films thanks to the recommendations I have received. And one of them, I am sure you will enjoy. This little film, beautifully scored, is a stunning compendium of morphed images of women created by artists throughout the ages. I hope you enjoy it. www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUDIoN-_Hxs
ctyrell@shaw.ca
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