Last night I went to the Public Arts Contracts Workshop hosted by the Washington Lawyers for the Arts at Seattle City Hall. Focusing on what goes into negotiating for a contract with a public agency, it was quite well done. Moderated by Katy Stone, an artist who has done public and private art commissions, the three panelists were:  Ruri Yampolsky, Director of the Public Art Program with the Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs; Robert Kaplan, a Seattle-based attorney who has advised and represented numerous public artists on contract issues; and Cath Brunner, Director of Public Art 4Culture, a King County organization.

Much of the discussion was common sense, but with a level of detail that many artists don’t consider when submitting a bid for something that might take five years to build and be around for thirty. What happens if the price of steel goes up while you’re waiting for the construction phase to get to the point where you can add your artwork? Did you remember to build a buffer for your own fee? What about making sure your fabricators are also bound by the same terms you agreed to? Does the bid include the cost of insurance or legal advice? Who pays the taxes?

Next month there will be a follow-up, on Proprietary Rights, or what control does the artist have after the installation is complete? What IP rights do you have? What about moral rights? Find out the answers to these questions and more, on November 17th at noon!