Working Artists and the Greater Economy (W.A.G.E.) is a New York-based activist group and non-profit organization whose stated advocacy mission is "to establish sustainable economic relationships between artists and the institutions that contract our labor, and to introduce mechanisms for self-regulation into the art field that collectively bring about a more equitable distribution of its economy".[1]
W.A.G.E. was founded in 2008 with the writing of the wo/manifesto[2] by a group of artists, performers, and independent curators in New York City. The group, which has included A.K. Burns, K8 Hardy, Lise Soskolne, and A.L. Steiner, grew out of a series of informal gatherings that evolved into a series of public meetings centering on issues of art and labor.
Early activity focused on education and consciousness raising about economic inequity in the form of videos, open teach-ins, workshops, panel discussions and symposia at museums, galleries, conferences, festivals, schools, summits, and art fairs.
In 2010, W.A.G.E. narrowed its platform to focus on the regulated payment of artist fees by nonprofit arts organizations and museums. They also initiated the 2010 W.A.G.E. Artist Survey to gather data about the payment practices of New York City nonprofits.
In Fall 2010, New Museum curator, Lauren Cornell, invited W.A.G.E. to participate in the 2010-2011 group exhibition, 'Free'.[3] W.A.G.E., identifying not as an art-making collective, but rather as an activist group, opted to participate by negotiating artist fees on behalf of everyone in the exhibition, marking the event as "the first experimental platform for W.A.G.E. Certification".[4]
In 2011, W.A.G.E. received its 501c3 non-profit status and narrowed its focus to W.A.G.E. Certification, a voluntary certification program that publicly recognizes nonprofit institutions paying artist fees meeting a minimum payment standard.
In March 2011, W.A.G.E. formed a temporary research partnership with Artists Space. This partnership served as a cooperative platform for hosting series of public programs and developing W.A.G.E. Certification. The first in the series, "Feeling the Shape of the Arts Economy", took place at Artists Space on January 9, 2012, and was led by sociologist and economist Hans Abbing, author of Why Are Artists Poor: The Exceptional Economy of the Arts.[5][6] Other symposia included, "Marion von Osten: Be Creative! With responses from Andrew Ross" on November 8, 2012.[7] Artists Space also granted W.A.G.E. access to their financial history, thus facilitating the organization's first case study of artist fee payment practices.
In 2012, the results of the W.A.G.E. Artist Survey were released.[8]
W.A.G.E. Certification was developed into a policy and regulatory tool in January 2014 at the 2014 W.A.G.E. Summit and was launched in October. Summit participants included: A.K. Burns, Howie Chen, Andrea Fraser, Alison Gerber, Stephanie Luce, Andrew Ross (sociologist), Lise Soskolne, Marina Vishmidt, and staff members of Artists Space.[9] The Summit also marked the conclusion of W.A.G.E.'s Research Partnership with Artists Space.
W.A.G.E. Artist Survey
The purpose of the W.A.G.E. Survey was to gather data about the economic experiences of artists exhibiting in non-profit exhibition spaces in New York City between 2005 and 2010. Launched on September 22, 2010, the survey remained open until May 1, 2011. It collected responses anonymously about forms of payment, compensation or reimbursement received by an artist for their participation in an exhibition, including information about installation expenses, shipping/transportation costs for works, material expenses, and travel expenses, among other things. The results of the survey, released in 2012, found that 58 percent of the 577 survey respondents who exhibited with small, medium, and large non-profit arts institutions in New York’s five boroughs between 2005 and 2010 did not receive any form of payment, compensation, or reimbursement––including the coverage of any expenses.[10][11][12]
W.A.G.E. Certification
W.A.G.E. Certification is a voluntary program that publicly recognizes non-profit arts organizations demonstrating a commitment to ethical payment practices with the artists they contract. W.A.G.E. Certification mandates that artists be compensated for the content they provide for the programs of arts institutions, and that this compensation must meet a minimum payment standards, as defined by the W.A.G.E. Fee Calculator.[5][13]
The initiative is closely modeled after the Canadian Artists' Representation/Le Front des artistes Canadiens (CARFAC) Minimum Fee Schedule, and advocates for many of the same bottom-up tactics for shifting the relations between artists and institutions. However, unlike CARFAC, which has support from the Canadian government through the provision of the Exhibition Right in the Copyright Act, W.A.G.E.'s model has no state supported mandate, and currently relies on organizations opting in or on large groups of artists opting out of working with arts organizations that aren't W.A.G.E. certified.[14]
Definitions & Requirements
W.A.G.E. Certification advocates for hyper definition and clarity, and has set definitions and requirements for the following: artist, non-profit arts organization, artist fee, basic programming costs and services, production costs, fee categories, and fee calculation.
Artist
Artist refers to "all those who supply content and services in a non-profit visual arts presenting context."[15] No distinction is made between individual and collective/collaborative providers. W.A.G.E. does distinguish between the "contracted artist" and a "sub-contracted artist".[16]
Non-Profit Arts Organization
Non-profit arts organization refers to a "501(c)3 tax exempt arts organization or institution that produces programs and exhibitions for a viewing public in a visual arts presenting context".[15] Participating institutions could include 501(c)3 museums, advocacy organizations, professional societies, mid-size institutions, private foundations, artist-run initiatives, project spaces, independent websites, and publications.
Artist Fee
W.A.G.E. defines artistic labor as no different from other forms of subcontracted labor, and designates artist fees as compensation for content and services that are "distinct and separate from basic programming costs and services, production expenses, or the purchase of art works".[15] In addition, the payment of artist fees does not imply the transfer of rights; must meet the minimum standard as determined by the W.A.G.E. fee calculator; and must be listed as its own distinct visible line item in an organization's exhibition and operating budgets.[16]
Fee Categories
W.A.G.E. has identified fourteen categories of commonly supplied content or services: 1) Solo Exhibition, 2) Solo Project, 3) Two-Person Exhibition, 4) Group Exhibition, 3-5 Artists, 5) Group Exhibition, 6+ Artists, 6) Performance of Existing Work, 7) Performance, Commission of New Work, 8) Solo Screening with In-Person Appearance, 9) Event with 2 or More Participants, 10) Artist Talk or Reading, 11) Lecture, 12) Existing Text for Publication, 13) Commissioned Text for Publication, 14) Day Rate for Performers.[15][16]
Fee Calculation
W.A.G.E. Certification's fee calculator is a model used to determine fair compensation for the fourteen fee categories. Fees are based on an organization’s total annual operating expenses (TAOE) and are broken down into three tiers:[17][18]
Floor W.A.G.E. - used to determine a minimum wage for organizations with TAOE below $500,000.
Minimum W.A.G.E. - used to determine a rate for organizations with TAOE above $500,000.
Maximum W.A.G.E. - used to determine a specified maximum rate, or cap, for organizations with TAOE over $15,000,000.
A not-for-profit arts organization, also known as a nonprofit arts organization, usually takes the form of a not-for-profit organization, association, or foundation. Such organizations are formed for the purpose of developing and promoting the work of artists in various visual and performing art forms such as film, sculpture, dance, painting, multimedia, poetry, and performance art.
A wage is payment made by an employer to an employee for work done in a specific period of time. Some examples of wage payments include compensatory payments such as minimum wage, prevailing wage, and yearly bonuses, and remunerative payments such as prizes and tip payouts. Wages are part of the expenses that are involved in running a business. It is an obligation to the employee regardless of the profitability of the company.
Art in General was a non-profit contemporary art exhibition space known for its vibrant and ground-breaking projects as a formidable and longstanding New York City alternative space, focused on giving meaningful resources and opportunities to artists early on in their careers. Founded in 1981 by artists Martin Weinstein and Teresa Liszka and originally located in the General Hardware building in New York City — hence the organization's name, Art in General — the institution produced and presented distinctive programs and exhibitions featuring new work by local and international artists.
ABC No Rio is a collectively-run non-profit arts organization on New York City's Lower East Side. It was founded in 1980 in a squat at 156 Rivington Street, following the eviction of the 1979-80 Real Estate Show. The centre featured an art gallery space, a zine library, a darkroom, a silkscreening studio, and public computer lab. In addition, it played host to a number of radical projects including weekly hardcore punk matinees and the city Food Not Bombs collective.
The Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA), formerly known as the Madison Art Center, is an independent, non-profit art museum located in downtown Madison, Wisconsin.
Victoria College of Art (VCA) is a private, non-profit art college located in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Founded in 1974 as the Northwest Coast Institute of Arts, the college offers Diploma programs in Fine Arts, Applied Arts Illustration, and Applied Arts Animation. It has no connection whatsoever with Visual College of Art and Design (VCAD) in Vancouver which is owned by the for-profit education company Eminata.
Arts administration is a field in the arts sector that facilitates programming within cultural organizations. Arts administrators are responsible for facilitating the day-to-day operations of the organization as well as the long term goals by and fulfilling its vision, mission and mandate. Arts management became present in the arts and culture sector in the 1960s. Organizations include professional non-profit entities. For examples theaters, museums, symphonies, jazz organizations, opera houses, ballet companies and many smaller professional and non-professional for-profit arts-related organizations. The duties of an arts administrator can include staff management, marketing, budget management, public relations, fundraising, program development evaluation, and board relations.
Canadian artist-run centres are galleries and art spaces developed by artists in Canada since the 1960s. Artist-run centre is the common term of use for artist-initiated and managed organizations in Canada. Most centres follow the not-for-profit arts organization model, do not charge admission fees, pay artists for their contributions are non-commercial and de-emphasize the selling of artwork.
Canadian Artists' Representation/Le Front des artistes canadiens (CARFAC) is a non-profit corporation that serves as the national voice of Canada's professional visual artists.
New Langton Arts (1975–2009) was a not-for-profit arts organization focusing on contemporary art founded in 1975 in San Francisco, California. Part of the first wave of alternative art spaces in the US, New Langton Arts was a leader in exhibiting new media forms in art and involving artists in the decision-making process. Its first directors were Judy Moran and Renny Pritikin, who have been a central figures in the San Francisco Bay Area art scene for 30 years. Subsequent directors of New Langton Arts include Nancy Gonchar, Christiane Robbins, Susan Miller, and Sandra Percival.
The New Gallery (TNG) is a non-commercial artist-run centre that presents and promotes contemporary art in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
The Vera List Center for Art and Politics is an American nonprofit research organization and public forum for art, culture, and politics, established in 1992. Vera List was an American art collector and philanthropist.
The Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia is a contemporary art museum located in Atlanta, Georgia. The museum collects and archives contemporary works by Georgia artists. MOCA GA uses its exhibition schedule to increase its permanent collection. The Education/Resource Center houses the museum's historical archive collection.
Atlanta Contemporary is a non-profit, non-collecting institution located in the West Midtown district of Atlanta. It is dedicated to the creation, presentation, and advancement of contemporary art by emerging and established artists.
The Vancouver Island School of Art (VISA) is a private, non-profit post-secondary art school founded in 2004 and located in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. It is accredited by the Private Training Institutions Branch (PTIB) of the British Columbia Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills & Training and offers a PTIB-approved Certificate program in Visual Arts as well as individual courses and workshops.
Artists Space is a non-profit art gallery and arts organization first established at 155 Wooster Street in Soho, New York City. Founded in 1972 by Irving Sandler and Trudie Grace and funded by the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), Artists Space provided an alternative support structure for young, emerging artists, separate from the museum and commercial gallery system. Artists Space has historically been engaged in critical dialogues surrounding institutional critique, racism, the AIDS crisis, and Occupy Wall Street.
BRIC, formerly known as BRIC Arts Media or Brooklyn Information & Culture, is a non-profit arts organization based in Brooklyn, New York founded in 1979 as the "Fund for the Borough of Brooklyn". A presenter of free cultural programming in Brooklyn, it incubates and showcases work by artists and media-makers with programs reaching hundreds of thousands of people each year.
Clocktower Productions is a non-profit art institution working in the visual arts, performance, music, and radio. It was founded in 1972 as The Clocktower Gallery by Alanna Heiss, the Founder and former Director of MoMA PS1 under the aegis of the Institute for Art and Urban Resources. From 1972 until 2013, the institution operated out of a building at 346 Broadway, between Catherine Lane and Leonard Street, owned by the New York City government in Tribeca, Manhattan.
The Feminist Art Coalition (FAC) is a collaboration of over 100 art museums and nonprofit institutions from across the United States. The organizations are collectively creating a series of programming and exhibitions centered around feminist thought to be held beginning in the fall of 2020, during the run-up of the presidential election. The project was initially planned to occur from September through November 2020, but has been extended through the end of 2021 due to changes in exhibition schedules resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
An art gallery is a room or a building in which visual art is displayed. In Western cultures from the mid-15th century, a gallery was any long, narrow covered passage along a wall, first used in the sense of a place for art in the 1590s. The long gallery in Elizabethan and Jacobean houses served many purposes including the display of art. Historically, art is displayed as evidence of status and wealth, and for religious art as objects of ritual or the depiction of narratives. The first galleries were in the palaces of the aristocracy, or in churches. As art collections grew, buildings became dedicated to art, becoming the first art museums.
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