Why you need patron funding vs relying solely on artwork sales
Published: Mon, 06/03/19
Having patrons allows you to do important work that may not be commercially viable.
Take any of your favourite artists.
So for me that would be Joan Mitchell, Kara Walker and Louise Bourgeios.
Their lives couldn’t be any more different.
Kara Walker is an African American artist and she made cut-paper silhouettes which address the history of American slavery and racism through violent and unsettling imagery and was the youngest recipient of the “genius” grant (The Macarthur grant) while Louise Bourgeios is a French painter, sculptor and Installation artist and did not begin to get serious recognition until she was in her 70s.
You know what they had in common though?
They all created genre-defining works that left an indelible mark on the art world.
And they all had patrons who financed their studios and projects so they could actually afford to work on those masterpieces.
Okay, here is something I hesitate to admit. It’s… embarrassing.
I’m telling you, because I (want to) trust you, but please don’t go shouting it from rooftops:
When I graduated from art school in the 90s, I thought that patrons were a thing of the past... Archaic social arrangements you see in period dramas between a Renaissance artist and the Medici, or the Vatican or some French king.
But nothing could be further from the truth.
Pretty much every contemporary artist we admire - from Tracy Emin to Shirin Neshat - have patrons. Still. In the 21st century!
But wait… how could this be? Isn’t money for the arts drying up in the current political climate?
Actually, no.
Patronage has risen steadily in the U.S. and around the world in the past three years. (In fact, 1987, 2008 and 2009 were the only years that didn’t see a rise.)
In 2018 over 410 billion was given in the U.S. alone!
You know what’s even more interesting?
The majority of that giving came from individuals. NOT corporations.
Specifically, individuals gave $286 billion, which accounts for 70% of all giving.
Now do a 10-second thought experiment with me:
What do you want funded?
A series of paintings?
A book, a sculpture or an installation?
A documentary film about eating out?
A community based work or politically engaged work?
Let’s say you need $15,000 to fund the project. You know this isn’t work that’s commercially viable, so you can’t rely on artwork sales to recoup your expenses.
At that point, you have three choices:
You can give up on your dream.
You can dip into your savings - and suffer for your art.
Or you muster the gumption to reach out to patrons who have funded similar projects in the past. And... you raise $1805 towards your $15k goal in your first mailing - like one of my students, Rob Hessler, did:
Wouldn’t that be a game changer for your practice?
Of course the big question is...
Where do you find these wealthy, generous patrons if you are not well-connected?
And how do you convince them to become a patron of your work (without embarrassing yourself)?
I’m teaching a free workshop on Monday 10th June 2019 at 12.30pm that shows you the where and the how.
You will walk out of this training with a step-by-step method you can use to find the right patrons for your practice, so that you can get the funding you need for your ambitious dream project in the next 30 days.
You should come.
>>> Click here to get automatically signed up for the training session <<<
Bring a BIG notebook with you.
Best,
Brainard
PS: There will be a replay, but only for subscribers who register. So click the link above to register for the webinar even if you can’t make it to the live session.
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