Scribbles (or, Odd bits of Information)
Need Artist Health Insurance?
I found a good resource on the web for insurance for the working artist through the Actors Fund of America. Many artists can receive health insurance as a benefit of membership in a larger art group or society. They list many different sources of insurance for performing artists, actors, filmmakers, and 2-D and 3-D artists. A few samples below:
NAEA: National Art Education Association, (703) 860-8000
Offers group, short term medical, hospital expense, $500,000 Cancer Plan, long Term, Medicare Supplement, and Major Medical.National Sculpture Society, (212) 764-5645
The National Sculpture Society is the oldest organization of professional sculptors in the United States. Call for health insurance information.AEA: Artists' Equity Association, National, (202) 628-9633
A nonprofit, aesthetically nonpartisan, national organization for professional visual artists. Call for health insurance information.Fractured Atlas: http://www.fracturedatlas.org/
Membership (starting at $75/year) is available to artists and arts professionals of all disciplines. They offer a relatively modest health plan.National Association for the Self-employed
Membership is at two different levels: $96/year or $420/year. Members receive a variety of health care benefits including; dental, vision, prescription and hospital coverage.Holman Insurance Brokers Ltd. offers complete property and casualty insurance that protects your studio's fixtures, equipment, supplies and furnishings, as well as visitors, if injured at the studio. In addition, our coverage can include protection for you and your employees if injured on the job.
The Managing Agency Group (MAG) The risks and liabilities of the Arts & Crafts Industry demand specialized insurance protection. We offer a cost-effective policy specifically designed for the industry, with the ability to customize to individual businesses, artists and retailers. It's comprehensive protection designed to meet the needs of the Arts & Crafts Industry.
For more possibilities, check out the site at www.actorsfund.org
Other Resources:
The Craft Emergency Relief Fund
(802) 229-2306. Emergency grants of up to $1000 to craft artists experiencing a health crisis due to a chronic illness or injury.
Pollock-Krasner Foundation, Inc.
The Pollock-Krasner Foundation‘s dual criteria for grants are recognizable artistic merit and demonstrable financial need, whether professional, personal or both. The Foundation‘s mission is to aid, internationally, those individuals who have worked as professional artists over a significant period of time.
Artists are required to submit a cover letter, an application, and slides of current work. All applications will be promptly acknowledged and considered.
Artists interested in obtaining application forms and information on the application procedure can download the forms from our Web site or must write, fax or e-mail their complete mailing address to: The Pollock-Krasner Foundation, Inc., 863 Park Avenue
New York, New York 10021, Attn: Request for Application, Fax: (212) 288-2836
E-mail: grants@pkf.org. The Pollock-Krasner Foundation is also currently accepting emergency requests for grants to professional visual artists, which will be expedited under the foundation's guidelines.
Change, Inc.
212-473-3742. One-time grants of up to $1000 to visual artists of any discipline for financial emergencies including medical bill payment. For grant application guidelines, call number above.
Artists' Fellowship, Inc.
646-230-9833. Artists' Fellowship, Inc. is a private, charitable foundation that assists professional fine artists (painters, graphic artists, sculptors) and their families in times of emergency, disability, or bereavement. Applications from performance artists, commercial artists, commercial photographers, filmmakers, crafts persons, and hobbyists are not accepted. Although the need is real and often urgent, Artists' Fellowship is not authorized to respond to such requests. Application available on-line.
Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation, Inc.
212-226-0581. Offer grants to individual visual artists through two programs: an annual Individual Support Grant and a separate program to assist visual artists in cases of catastrophic events through an Emergency Grant program.
Notes from past MAPS General Membership Meeting
A meeting program on “Copyright Law for Artists” by Joseph Tomelleri and John Mutrux provided excellent insight into copyright law. John is a professional photographer with specific training in copyright law and Joseph is an artist who has successfully won several court cases of infringements by others against his own artistic copyrights.Good source of information on copyright registration can be found at the Library of Congress federal copyright office web site located at www.loc.gov and the copyright registration forms can be downloaded by clicking on the red copyright symbol.
©
Both gentlemen suggested registering your artwork should be a regular and routine part of managing your art business. Whether you register by the piece, or monthly, quarterly or annually, whatever works best for your volume of creativity, at least registering your work may afford you the right to recover both statutory and punitive damages in cases of infringement against your work. Failing to register your work with the federal copyright office may limit the amount of damages you are entitled to recover if your case actually goes to court.
A link to a past article from a MAPS newsletter can be viewed here [past article].
Remember: If you have specific questions about copyright law and your artworks that the Library of Congress web site fails to answer for you, please consult an intellectual property or copyright attorney.
Webmaster recommendations:
Another discussion of copyright laws can be found at Brad Templeton's website. He explains copyright laws in understandable terms, though readily admits he is not a lawyer and does not answer questions. Check out his on-line article, "10 Big Myths About Copyrights Explained."
October 19, 2007