40 COPYCAT THIEVES that have been seen

Until awareness gains traction in every "craft corner", workshop, retail fair, wholesale show, online forum, manufacturer, retailer, designer, internet site, and becomes a public discussion, the copycat thieves will continue as pirates of our work, our ideas, and our content.

In the "Age of the Internet" and digital technologies we can no longer go back to the studio and come up with the next idea fast enough. Ideas and images are stolen at the speed of light.  

• Are you prepared to protect your work? 
• Do you understand the concepts of Fair Use under Copyright Law?
• Do you understand DMCA

I will be discussing copycats and artistic piracy on Metalsmith Bench Talk with Jay Whaley. You can listen to the archived discussion. Perhaps you have recommendations or stories that you would like to share. How can the arts and crafts community learn from your experience?

40 COPYCAT THIEVES

1. Manufacturers that copy images off maker web sites.
2. Manufactures that copy images off online markets like Etsy.
3. Manufactures that offer to copy craft work for mass manufacturing even though they do not own the copyright to the image or design.
4. Manufactures that make and sell items based on craft work by makers without permission.
5. Manufactures that go to wholesale/retail craft shows to copy ideas to manufacture.
6. Retailers that copy images off maker web sites for ideas.
7. Retailers that look to the craft community for ideas to manufacture.
8. Retails that distribute merchandise based on a crafts persons ideas.
9. Retailers that do not require designers (by contract) to offer original ideas. 
10. Designers that surf the web for ideas. Quoting Suzanne Beaubrun,"Designers should not be surfing Pinterest or the web for ideas. Products “inspired” by original artists and makers are derivative copies and unethical." She is not the only person to say this. 
11. Anyone that loves a makers work and decides  "I love your work and want to make one for myself." For personal use this is unethical, but not illegal. Regardless, it is a copy.
12. Someone who purchases craft work, and takes it apart to copy the components.
13. Anyone who posts/publishes instructions based on another person's workshop or book without permission. To represent the work as your own idea is piracy. 
14. Craft shows that allow copycat merchandise to be included in the show. 
15. Craft shows without a mandate that all merchandise must be original ideas not copied from books, instructional materials, or workshops. This applies to the smallest show to 100's of exhibitors.
16. Workshop teachers that teach workshop based on published instruction they did not create. 
17. Workshop instructors that teach techniques based on a workshop taught by another person. They are a "workshop imposter".
18. Workshop organizers that do not verify their instructors are teaching original content.
19. Workshop participants that copy ideas/designs from the workshop and sell these ideas/designs as their own work.
20. Businesses that copy images of art work without permission to teach how-to "paint parties" of enthusiasts.
21. Authors of instructional materials based on another person's workshop. Do not publish another person's workshop instructions.
22. Magazines that publish tutorials or instructions without requiring that the ideas and instructions are original to the author.
23. Wholesale shows that lack enforcement for no photography including cell phones.
24. Anyone that sells art or craft based on instructional materials. Selling should be the realm for original ideas, style or technique.  
25. Artists or makers that accept commissions to copy ideas, style, technique based on another persons signature work, or photographic image.
26. Anyone that thinks a image posted on line is theirs to take, borrow or steal.
27. Anyone that takes an image from another person's web presence and represents this as their own work.  
28. Anyone that copies books to sell digital copies online.
29. Anyone that copies books or instructional materials to "share" content if the do not own the copyright.
30. Anyone that copies a workshop to "share" the information with their friends in "The Guild of Unauthorized Sharing."
31. Student work that is derivative should not be shown or sold. By its very nature, student work is about learning and possibly copying the masters. But this work should not be shown or sold as original work. In this example, citation of the source, just as in writing should be a standard policy.
32. Anyone that uploads images or artwork they do not own for the purpose of printing merchandise with the image. 
33. The copycats cloaked in naivety or inexperience.
34. Enthusiasts with the express objective to copy another maker's technique and share it with others. (from the comments.)
35. Businesses that grab an online photo or art and make an ad out of it without compensation, or permission from the original artist. (from the comments.)
36. Anyone that steal/copies graphic design images, icon or components for their own T-shirt, graphic designs, advertising and more without permission or compensation to the original artist. This is just one of many sites with examples of stolen graphic design. http://justcreative.com/2008/02/20/graphic-design-plagiarism-rip-offs/
37. Copying a magazine article without permission with the intent of distributing the magazine. (Facebook suggestion)
38. "Enthusiasts/wanna be information mavens who act as compilers, in hopes of generating traffic to their online sites- by posting free pictorial tutorials using screen shots without links to the original source or citation." (Facebook suggestion)
39. Your thief goes here?
40. What have you seen?

Harriete Estel Berman

Resources and articles about DMCA & Copyright Law:

Some Thoughts on DMCA Safe Harbor

CafePress, Self-Publishing and the DMCA 

Why Are Google DMCA Notices Skyrocketing?

Flickr and Facebook STILL Strip EXIF Data

More COPYCAT EXAMPLES:  

Jewelers Jury Images Used by Another jeweler

The $23,000 T-shirt: Teaching Copyright in Today's Social Media Culture

The White Tent - Mainstream, Eddies, and Backwaters of Craft.

I've quietly talked to a lot of people about this topic, genuinely trying to understand . . . Why has the White Tent lost credibility?  I've long wondered why craft has not attained the stature of "fine art", but actually lost ground. 

I'm beginning to conclude that the White Tent of craft fairs and the lack of stature of craft are related.   Our marketing of craft is stuck in a 1960's model and we haven't changed our marketing methods to a 21st-century model.

The 1960s earthy, hand-made mystique of the independent artist outside of the corporate world is dated. The craft movement rode a wave of popularity that may well have become a "sinking ship" as described by Garth Clark.  I think we rode our "well-crafted boat"* with the mainstream current of American prosperity....but now we are stuck in an eddy.

The mainstream current, the eddies, and the backwater of craft.
Have you ever gone rafting down a river?   There's plenty of current in the middle and you hardly need to paddle, but closer to shore along the edge, the eddy currents actually slow down or even go backward, albeit very slowly.

The craft movement rode the easy downstream current for years. We floated along, hit some gentle rapids on occasion, but never built any sustained momentum of our own.  As a whole, we craft makers rarely become good at marketing ourselves. For example, the artists participating in craft fairs and art festivals typically depend on the show sponsor for bringing in the crowds. The booth arrangements, displays, and merchandising under the white tent too often are poorly arranged, not engaging, or innovative.  I know that the artists and makers are not marketing and display experts, but these are exactly the skills that small business people need to develop in a competitive economy. 

My heart is broken. The craft fair format has evolved, but with no direction.  The white tent and craft merchandising look the same as they did 30 years ago. The white tent format has floated into an eddy and may be drifting round and round with the appearance of moving but not getting anywhere.

Meanwhile, the D.I.Y. movement jumped onto the craft current and steered itself to catch the emerging currents of the Internet and social networking. Their long-tail marketing absorbed the "authenticity" that craft had 4-5 decades ago. The online buzz and fun names like Bazaar Bizarre captured the mood of a new generation. Their inventory and merchandise weren't so much better, but they leveraged the trendier and lower-cost sales channels like Etsy.

I apologize for all the negativity in this and the previous post.  Future posts will discuss the economic principles of supply and demand, the economics of handmade, demographics, and possible solutions or improvements, but I thought it was necessary to lay a foundation for background. Where can we go from here?
More soon.

Harriete
*"well crafted" boat was a term used by Garth Clark in his keynote lecture during the 2012 SNAG Conference.

Worry Upon Worry Beads Coming Undone
Artist: Harriete Estel Berman   (4 of 12 beads)
Post-consumer recycled tin cans.
Promised gift to the Philadelphia Museum of Art

This post was updated on June 20, 2022, to provide current links.

Talent and White Noise. Testing Your Core

I just finished reading the book Seven Days in the Art World. It is a real eye-opener! Both depressing and shocking, I would recommend reading this book if you can stand being confronted with the inequity and inequality of the art world vs. the craft world.

I think it is important to view another perspective, but it is very challenging to your core. It's like standing on one leg while lifting weights. If you can survive the set, your balance will be stronger, but it takes practice. (I have more to say, but it will be another post.)

Here are two of my favorite quotes from this book that apply to everyone.

Paul Schimmel, chief curator of the Musuem of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA (or MOCA), discusses the concept of talent and what makes a good artist:

"Talent is a double-edged sword. What you are given is not really yours. What you work at, what you struggle for, what you have to take command of -- that often makes for very good art.” Seven Days in the Art World, Chapter title: The CRIT, page 72

The next quote was about writing art criticism but I think it applies to any creative endeavor. It is from the New York Times critic Roberta Smith:

“When you are writing, you have a lot of white noise. Doubt is a central part of intelligence, and doubt is hard to control. What I do is write first and question myself later. After my deadline, I have a little whimper session: I feel bad about something; it could have been better; certain people are going to hate me the next day.” Seven Days in the Art World, Chapter The Magazine, page 172

As a maker it is so hard to shut down the "white noise" and doubt, and yet, it is absolutely necessary to put your blinders on and go forward.

More discussion follows soon.
Harriete

Below is a short video from the author Sarah Thorton talking about the seven chapters of her book.

Full disclosure: Images and links for this book are affiliate links. I love my local library and did not buy the book, but instead paid for an inter-library loan.

This post was updated on June 17, 2022, to provide current links.

It is surprising how many artists do not know how to pack their work for safety and security

Why does Leila Hamdan, artist and museum registrar say: "It is surprising how many artists do not know how to pack their work for safety and security." At the Museum, "it was always heartbreaking to open a package and see that their work had been damaged."

LISTEN to French Thompson & Harriete Estel Berman as we talk about shipping disasters, recommendations, and solutions on Jay Whaley Blog Talk Radio.

Originally recorded on THURSDAY, August 9th, 2012 the archived recording is online.

ASK Harriete posts about shipping 

DOCUMENTATION for Shipping: An Easy Step by Step Guide

 

International Shipping Issues by Andy Cooperman

Shipping Large Sculpture by Kim Cridler

Great Crate Tips

 

Tips for Safe Shipping of Jewelry by Tina Pint of Jeweler's Mutual

 

PLAN PACKING for SHIPPING Art & Craft

 

Shipping Planning vs. Sh*t Happening

 

Shipping Boxes for Art or Craft Should Include Instructions

PACKING YOUR WORK FOR EXHIBITIONS
(tip sheet)

Shipping Comparisons: Shipping Cost & Insurance with Common Carriers by Loring Taoka

Compare USPS to Fed Ex; Outrageous Difference

Conditions Report from the Professional Guidelines

Claims for Damaged Work  from the Professional Guidelines

DAMN! Damaged boxes! Claims for Damaged Work.

Preservation, Conservation - Design for Repair

 

This post was updated on June 13, 2022, to provide current links.

 

 

 

DOCUMENTATION for Shipping: An Easy Step by Step Guide

Documentation for shipping art and craft is essential and professional. I've talked myself blue in the face about this topic but others certainly echo the advice.

Several presentations about shipping from the SNAG Professional Development Seminar mentioned documentation as the key to successful shipping and to be taken seriously as a professional.

Combining all of the advice the below presentation offers an easy, straightforward  step-by-step guide for:
Documentation for SHIPPING Art and Craft

Information mentioned in Documentation for SHIPPING Art and Craft:

 

Condition Report PDF

Packing Tips Sheet from ASK Harriete  

Harriete

The archived recording of a conversation about shipping with French Thompson and Greg Berg can be found on  Jay Whaley Bench talk on BlogTalkRadio. We will be talking about how to prevent common shipping problems with practical tips and recommendations for artists and makers.

This post was updated on June 13, 2022, to provide current links.

If SHIPPING GOES WRONG!!!!!!

Brigitte Martin tells tales of shipping woe. Work shipped to her gallery in Pittsburgh turned into a shipping disaster described in this presentation:

If Shipping Goes Wrong, It Really Goes Wrong 

At first, this seemed like a sad story with all the blame placed on the shipper. Is that what you thought?

After listening to this audio presentation several times it occurs to me that most of the problems with this crate could have been avoided with better shipping preparation. How? Read the post Great Crate Tips on ASK Harriete.

Harriete

 

Other ASK Harriete posts about shipping:

International Shipping Issues by Andy Cooperman

Shipping Large Sculpture by Kim Cridler

Great Crate Tips

 

Tips for Safe Shipping of Jewelry by Tina Pint of Jeweler's Mutual

 

PLAN PACKING for SHIPPING Art & Craft

 

Shipping Planning vs. Sh*t Happening

 

Shipping Boxes for Art or Craft Should Include Instructions

PACKING YOUR WORK FOR EXHIBITIONS
(tip sheet)

Shipping Comparisons: Shipping Cost & Insurance with Common Carriers by Loring Taoka

Compare USPS to Fed Ex; Outrageous Difference

Conditions Report from the Professional Guidelines

Claims for Damaged Work  from the Professional Guidelines

DAMN! Damaged boxes! Claims for Damaged Work.

Preservation, Conservation - Design for Repair

Many of these presentations were offered at the SNAG 2012 Professional Development Seminar about shipping. 

This post was updated on June 17, 2022, to provide current links.

International Shipping Issues

Shipping internationally can be a "bucket of eels", says Andy Cooperman as he shares information on the difficulties of international shipping.

Don't let your boxes get lost in the confusion of customs, forms, VAT, and other taxes. Shipping across international borders can be expensive with consequences. Plan ahead with all the proper forms (in quadruplicate). Dot your "I"s and cross your "T's" at every step of the way, or your packages may be lost at sea in a bureaucracy of paperwork and unexpected expenses.

At the end of the presentation listen to more information from the audience about shipping to Canada and returning to the U.S.  offering additional international shipping tips and explanations.

 

International Shipping Issues by Andy Cooperman

 

Helpful Glossary

The International Shipping Handout offers a glossary of international shipping terms that may confront you before your work crosses borders. Download PDS2012InternationalShippingCooperman

Harriete 

 

Other ASK Harriete posts about shipping:

Shipping Large Sculpture by Kim Cridler

Great Crate Tips

 

Tips for Safe Shipping of Jewelry

 

PLAN PACKING for SHIPPING Art & Craft

 

Shipping Planning vs. Sh*t Happening

 

Shipping Boxes for Art or Craft Should Include Instructions

PACKING YOUR WORK FOR EXHIBITIONS
(tip sheet)

Shipping Comparisons: Shipping Cost & Insurance with Common Carriers

Compare USPS to Fed Ex; Outrageous Difference

Conditions Report from the Professional Guidelines

Claims for Damaged Work  from the Professional Guidelines

DAMN! Damaged boxes! Claims for Damaged Work.

Preservation, Conservation - Design for Repair

Many of these presentations were offered at the SNAG 2012 Professional Development Seminar about shipping. 

This post was updated on June 11, 2022, to provide current links.

GREAT CRATE Tips

During the SNAG Professional Development Seminar about shipping several of the speakers gave excellent tips for making and using a crate to ship their art or craft. In this post, I am digesting these great crate tips into one post.

CRATE TIP #1 Screws holding on the lid need to be long enough to screw into the solid wood of the body of the crate. I'd say at least 1/2" to 1" deep. Keep in mind that the lid may be used as a handle, or pushed one way or another as a crate is moved around. The crate may be shipped sideways or upside down. Will the lid stay on?

CRATE TIP #2 Leila Hamdan recommended marking the screws on the crate to indicate which screws should be unscrewed in order to remove the lid.  Pure genius, maybe even obvious, but I never thought about it before. You don't want the exhibition sponsor to disassemble the entire crate when they only need to remove the lid.

CRATE TIP #3 Leila Hamdan recommended ADDING HANDLES to your crate to facilitate handling. Great idea! Even a small crate can be heavy or hard to carry. Handles could definitely help the shippers and handlers if the crate is in that middle ground where the crate is heavy but not so large that a forklift is needed.

CRATE TIP #4  Secure work inside the crate so it can't move. This was mentioned by Kim Cridler, Leila Hamdan, and Brigitte Martin. Movement inside a crate (or a box) is a recipe for disaster. Give the box or crate a shake. There should be no rattle sounds.  Assume that the box will be turned on its side or upside down regardless of the UP arrows. Securing the work one way or another is a shipping necessity.

CRATE TIP #5  Do not enclose oil, liquids, or non-essential items in a crate with the artwork.  In Leila Hamdan's lecture HORROR STORIES: Packing and Shipping Recommendations for Artists she showed a crate where a container of oil was shipped inside the crate with the artwork. This is a recipe for disaster if the oil container leaked or broke free and rolled around inside the crate hitting the artwork. Either ship the oil separately or perhaps it could be purchased locally by the exhibition sponsor. This approach also saves on shipping weight and shipping dollars.

CRATE TIP #6 Small items or individual parts should be self-contained in their own interior shipping box inside the crate. This prevents damage or possible loss. Examples of contained small parts within the box can be seen in Kim Cridler's lecture Shipping Large Sculpture. An example of a shipping disaster as a result of loose items within a crate is discussed in Brigitte Martin's lecture If Shipping Goes Wrong.  

All of these shipping presentations are from the SNAG 2012 Professional Development Seminar. Future presentations to be discussed include International Shipping and Documentation for Shipping.

Throughout the summer the PDS Committee (Andy Cooperman, Brigitte Martin, and myself, Harriete Estel Berman) discuss, debate, stew, and brew about the PDS topics for the next year. I am wondering...do the readers of ASK Harriete have issues that they think would make a good program topic? What are the pressing issues for artists and makers? What kind of professional information is needed, wanted, or desired? I am waiting to hear from you privately or publicly in the comments.

Harriete

This post was updated on June 11, 2022, to provide current links.

SHIPPING Options for LARGE SCULPTURE - "thinking outside the box"

Shipping is expensive and it seems to cost more all the time. The cost of shipping large-scale work can be prohibitive.  More problems arise when the size of your box or crate exceeds the limitations of standard shipping options like USPS, UPS, and FedEx. It can be very stressful, and the shipping solutions aren't all that easy to find on your own.

That is why Kim Cridler's lecture "Shipping Large Sculpture" is so great. Kridler offers multiple options for shipping large-scale work outside of the white glove, professional art shippers that are impossible for most of us to afford.

 Are you prepared for success? Do you think ahead about shipping when you design the work? Kim Cridler shows how she disassembles her work for safe shipping.

Are you planning for shipping in your schedule three months in advance? See how Kim Cridler plans ahead.

Are you planning for the shipping expenses? What are the options?

What shipping documentation would exhibition locations expect to see? Cridler reveals her recommendations.  

This fabulous lecture Shipping Large Sculpture by Kim Cridler includes less familiar shipping options such as:

• Blanket Wrapped Shipping
• Less Than Truckload Shipping
• Greyhound Shipping
• Amtrak Shipping
• Navis Pack & Ship
• Plus...of course, the ultimate in do it yourself with U-Haul.

Shipping Large Sculpture by Kim Cridler

Kim Cridler also prepared a great handout offering practical advice about shipping options for large sculpture. Download the PDF HANDOUT Shipping Large Scale Work Kim Cridler

Kim Cridler working on large sculpture in the studio.



Kim Cridler with finished work in the studio (above).

Blanket wrapped shipping. Suspended inside the truck. 

Sculpture by Kim Cridler installed.

This presentation Shipping Large Sculpture and the handout by Kim Cridler were originally given at the SNAG 2012 Professional Development Seminar.

The PDS occurs each year during the SNAG Conference. Organized by Brigitte Martin, Andy Cooperman, and myself, Harriete Estel Berman. The PDS provides professional development information for the arts and craft community.

Please feel welcome to share this information with your fellow artists, makers, and arts organizations. 

You can leave a comment or find me on Facebook.

Harriete

 

Other ASK Harriete posts about shipping:

Tips for Safe Shipping of Jewelry

PLAN PACKING for SHIPPING Art & Craft

Shipping Planning vs. Shit* Happening

Shipping Boxes for Art of Craft Should Include Instructions

PACKING YOUR WORK FOR EXHIBITIONS
(tip sheet)

Shipping Comparisons: Shipping Cost & Insurance with Common Carriers 

Compare USPS to Fed Ex: Outrageous Difference

Condition Report from the Professional Guidelines

Claims for Damaged Work  from the Professional Guidelines

DAMN! Damaged boxes! Claims for Damaged Work.

Preservation, Conservation - Design for Repair

This post was updated on April 11, 2022, to provide current links.

Tips for Safe Shipping of Jewelry

Shipping jewelry, gemstones, or high-value items is a specialized shipping scenario. Considerations include insurance limitations by shipping companies and theft.

Do you know how best to protect your jewelry during shipping?

Tina Pint of Jeweler's Mutual Insurance Company offers great information about shipping jewelry in her presentation below. This presentation was originally given during the SNAG Professional Development Seminar 2012. Presentations and more information about shipping are also available on my website.

TIPS for SHIPPING JEWELRY:

1) Double or triple box your work.
     This prevents "slitting" the box to steal the contents.

 

2 ) Never label your box "jewelry" even if this is part of the name of your company or the shipping destination.

• Using the words jewelry, gemstones, and diamonds just makes your box a target for thieves.

 

3) Don't ship a tiny box.

• Tiny boxes scream "jewelry inside, steal me".

4) Check the shipping & insurance policies of the shipper.

• Many shipping companies limit insurance for shipping jewelry.

 

5) USPS Registered Mail was the preferred shipper in most cases.

• Insurance should cover the amount of money you would receive in payment.    
• If selling wholesale, insure for wholesale.
• If selling retail, insure for retail.

 

6) Declare full value to avoid fraud.

• Fraud is a Federal offense if using USPS. (Listen to the Q & A at the end of Tina Pint's lecture for an explanation of this issue.)

7) Always include an Inventory Record or Invoice.

• Document the contents of your box (e.g with photos).

 

 

 

 

This is an informative presentation by Tina Pint of Jeweler's Mutual Insurance Company:

 

Other ASK Harriete posts about shipping:

PLAN PACKING for SHIPPING Art & Craft

Shipping Planning vs. Shit* Happening

Shipping Boxes for Art of Craft Should Include Instructions

PACKING YOUR WORK FOR EXHIBITIONS
(tip sheet)

Shipping Comparisons: Shipping Cost & Insurance with Common Carriers 

Compare USPS to Fed Ex: Outrageous Difference

Condition Report from the Professional Guidelines

Claims for Damaged Work  from the Professional Guidelines

DAMN! Damaged boxes! Claims for Damaged Work.

Preservation, Conservation - Design for Repair

Prestige, Value and Identity Bracelets by Harriete Estel Berman
Photo Credit: Philip Cohen

This post was updated on April 9, 2022, to provide current links.

Shipping Comparisons: Shipping Cost & Insurance with Common Carriers

Have you ever wondered which shipping company is best for shipping your work to an exhibition?

 
For the SNAG Professional Development Seminar, Loring Taoka prepared a short presentation and an essential handout for comparing shipping costs. Download PDSShippingCostComparisonsLoring

For a shipping price comparison:

There are three different boxes.

Three different insurance values.

All boxes were estimated for shipping from Seattle, WA to Pittsburgh, PA.



Download the Shipping Comparisons handout.











Watch the presentation below.

Shipping Comparisons: Shipping cost and insurance with common carriers

Note: Shipping cost is not the only issue. Careful handling and availability of shipping insurance are also important considerations.  

Not all carriers offer insurance to the full value of the item (which is really misleading and irritating).  

Careful handling during shipping is important.  It is my professional opinion that UPS should only be used for production work where the objects shipped are replaceable. I do NOT recommend using UPS for shipping one-of-a-kind exhibition work.

USPS "Registered Insured" offers the best handling and full insurance.  This is my recommendation for all shipping.  Registered Insured is the least expensive option if the insurance value is over $1,000. It has the added protection of being a federal offense to tamper with USPS mail.

Harriete

 

Related topics about shipping art or craft:

 

HORROR STORIES: Packing & Shipping Recommendations for ARTISTS

PLAN PACKING for SHIPPING Art & Craft

Shipping Planning vs. Sh*t Happening

Shipping Boxes for Art or Craft Should Include Instructions

 

PACKING YOUR WORK FOR EXHIBITIONS (tip sheet)

 

 

 

Claims for Damaged Work

Condition Report from the Professional Guidelines

DAMN! Damaged boxes! Claims for Damaged Work.

Preservation, Conservation - Design for Repair

This post was updated on April 2, 2022, to provide current links.

HORROR STORIES: Packing & Shipping Recommendations for ARTISTS

As part of the SNAG 2012 Professional Development Seminar about shipping, Leila Hamdan, former Registrar for the National Ornamental Museum and artist, gave an informative lecture with lots of essential shipping information for artists and makers.

Her presentation has been posted as a YouTube presentation with audio.  You can watch the same presentation as SNAG Conference attendees.

Here are a few quotes from Leila Hamdan.

"It is surprising how many artists do not know how to pack their work for safety and security."

At the Museum, "it was always heartbreaking to open a package and see that their work had been damaged."

"The way that artists pack their work is a reflection of how they make it."

"Do not fill your box with random bits of materials so it seems as though you've emptied your recycling bin."

"Find a weighted balance [for your shipping box] to avoid having one side of the box heavier than the other."

"Always include your contact information inside the box, so you can be found should the outside label be torn off. And this does happen a lot."

Packing & Shipping Recommendations

Shipping connects your studio to the world.
Stay tuned for more shipping information from the SNAG Professional Development Seminar and ASK Harriete.

Harriete

Related topics about shipping:

PLAN PACKING for SHIPPING Art & Craft

Shipping Planning vs. Sh*t Happening

Shipping Boxes for Art or Craft Should Include Instructions

PACKING YOUR WORK FOR EXHIBITIONS (tip sheet)

Conditions Report from the Professional Guidelines

Claims for Damaged Work  from the Professional Guidelines

DAMN! Damaged boxes! Claims for Damaged Work.

Preservation, Conservation - Design for Repair

This post was updated on April 2, 2022, to provide current links.

PLAN PACKING for SHIPPING Art & Craft

When shipping your one-of-a-kind work, the packing must protect your art or craft!

There are five essential criteria:

1. Packing needs to protect your work against normal hazards. If the packing is found to be inadequate, insurance may not pay for a claim...even if you paid for insurance. A minimum standard is double boxing.
   
   
2. All packing materials should be reusable for return shipping. Never use clear plastic tape to secure bubble wrap. Removing the tape ruins the bubble wrap and makes it unsuitable for return shipping.  Cutting through the tape risks damage to your work.
   
   
3.  Movement in the box raises risk. Movement risks abrasion and breaking. Art or craft needs to be firmly held in place with no sound or movement.
    
4. Packing materials & instructions should provide a foolproof "recipe" for repacking. Assume that the staff repacking your work is merely overwhelmed and exhausted, at best... or inexperienced, at worst.
   
   
5. Packing sends a message about your work. The packing for your art or craft indicates how you want your work handled. A custom-made professional quality shipping box clearly signals quality and an expectation for care and attention.  In contrast, work wrapped in crumpled newspaper, paper scrap, diapers, rags, etc. looks too much like trash (which may be thrown away) or looks like rough handling is acceptable.
   

HERE IS A STEP BY STEP TUTORIAL on PACKING one-of-a-kind artwork for SHIPPING:

 There is a matching four-page PDF handout with pictures from the Professional Guidelines. (This handout is 26MB so give it time to download. Print it in advance so you are ready to make your own shipping box.)

 

Shipping connects your studio to the world.
Stay tuned for more shipping information from the SNAG Professional Development Seminar and ASK Harriete.

Are you shipping jewelry, precious materials, loose stones, or larger sculpture?  PowerPoint presentations from the SNAG Conference and handouts are coming soon.

Harriete

Related topics about shipping:

Shipping Planning vs. Sh*t Happening

Shipping Boxes for Art or Craft Should Include Instructions

PACKING YOUR WORK FOR EXHIBITIONS (tip sheet)

Conditions Report from the Professional Guidelines

Claims for Damaged Work from the Professional Guidelines

DAMN! Damaged boxes! Claims for Damaged Work.

Preservation, Conservation - Design for Repair

This post was updated on April 2, 2022, to provide current links.

Shipping Planning vs. Sh*t Happening

Shipping starts when you're making your work! Sound confusing? Perhaps, but this is the voice of experience. 

This is the first in a series of posts about shipping. This will include some PowerPoints with audio from the SNAG Professional Development Seminar, handouts, essential tips and tricks for shipping, and documents in the Professional Guidelines including the Condition Report & Claims for Damaged Work.

If you want your art or craft to travel across the state or across the country or around the world, start planning for safe shipping during construction. This is especially important if there are large or heavy elements combined with delicate components.

 

It isn't just my opinion. During Kim Cridler's lecture about SHIPPING LARGE SCULPTURE at the Professional Development Seminar at the SNAG Conference, she showed images of the disassembly of her sculpture prior to shipping.

 

 

The small floral elements come off the sculpture and ship separately in small bags. When the sculpture arrives at an exhibition destination, the small elements are reattached. Planning during construction prevents the larger heavy sculpture from damaging the fragile elements.

Below is an example from my work. You will see how the work was designed to disassemble and how the custom-made shipping box is designed to ensure safe shipping.

This appliance from 1982 is titled Womanizer, Kitchen Queen. The base is very heavy construction from brass and copper (yes, I made it to look like a real appliance)  but the plastic container and crown are very lightweight and delicate.

 

 

The Crown would likely be dented and broken if it was shipped with the heavy base. The entire sculpture was designed to assemble on-site and ship in a custom-made shipping box.

 

In the left photo, you can see the base being removed from the box.

 

 

 

The crown ships in a separate smaller box to provide protection from the heavy base.

 

 

 

To the left,  the crown is being lifted carefully from the custom-made shipping box.

In the SlideShare presentation below, you can see how this sculpture was designed for shipping, and how the custom-made shipping box protects the artwork.

Custom Shipping Box /Design Your Work for Shipping by Harriete Estel Berman

Stay tuned for more posts in this series. Lots of valuable information for shipping your art and craft safely and securely.
Harriete

This post was updated on April 2, 2022, to provide current links.

Garth Clark RIDES A Sinking Ship as Captain

Garth Clark gave the keynote address at the 2012 SNAG Conference.

The lecture was provocative with many startling conclusions. His PowerPoint is not available, but this post includes a number of links & images he used in his lecture.  Check out Mark Del Vecchio's & Garth Clark's Facebook page and the internet for more resources.

Garth Clark starts by asking, "Who do you want to Pimp your art in the 20th Century?" He speaks extemporaneously, thoughtfully, and metaphorically in a manner that was easy to understand. I have included links for most of the names mentioned in the lecture so that you can easily find what Garth Clark is talking about if you aren't familiar with the names.

"A movement is like a cruise ship...until it springs a leak and sinks."  

Jennifer Trask

Lauren Kalman

"A whole group of artists who have made the shift from craft into art with reasonable success.....one of the only mediums that have not crossed over is metals and jewelry. It still has a fair amount of resistance in the arts."

Garth Clark is right.

Examples of artists making or using images of jewelry as art are below. This work sells at art prices. 

Isabelle de Borchgrave

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kimiko Yoshida "obsession with jewelry"

Damien Hirst

Garth Knight Jeweled Creations

Rashaad Newsome

....then Garth talks about the design world. "Craft and design are really twins. They were born from the same parents,....with the identical mission....they wanted to get away from the ghastly lack of taste... And then they parted..."

Alexander McQueen - "designer and famous artist of our time"

Myra Mimlistch Gray

Marc Newsome Chair sold for 2.1 million dollars

Work based on the domestic object below by Studio Job

Studio Job design of metal vessels entitled The Last Supper

Essentially the large, rusty, cast-iron dinner service above by Belgian designers Studio Job is the inspiration for a twelve-piece, hand-made dinner service and another industrially produced collection, manufactured by Dutch porcelain manufacturer Royal Tichelaar Makkum. The prototype is shown in the museum. Modern manufacturing and profit are generated to support more artistic adventures.

Selling the domestic design objects finances the artwork.

Below is the church created in metal.

The ten-meter-high church is constructed from 100 stacked layers of weathered steel plates. Gijs Van Vaerenbergh, a collaboration between young Belgian architects Pieterjan Gijs and Arnout Van Vaerenbergh, have built a see-through church in the Belgian region of Haspengouw. The church is a part of the Z-OUT project of Z33, a house for contemporary art based in Hasselt, Belgium. Z-OUT is an ambitious long-term art in public space project that will be realized on different locations in the Flemish region of Limburg over the next five years.

The project is called ‘Reading between the Lines’ and is a project by the duo Gijs Van Vaerenbergh, a collaboration between young Belgian architects Pieterjan Gijs (Leuven, 1983) and Arnout Van Vaerenbergh (Leuven, 1983).Since 2007, they have been realizing projects in the public space that derive from their architectural background, but clearly display an artistic intention. As such, their projects do not always originate from the customary commission and carry a large degree of autonomy. Their primary concerns are experimentation, reflection, a physical involvement with the end result, and the input of the viewer. More information and images can be found at dezeen.

Look at this use of chain by Gijs Van Vaerenbergh

Garth then talks about the money picture. It's really sad and depressing. There must be a middle ground somewhere, but this is the crux of the issue.  

"The problem is... hands....":

"Your hands can only make X number of pieces in a given day."

"Your expenses go up every day...."

"You are limited completely by what those hands can produce.."

"The only way to get around that is to charge more for the work that you do."

"As we all know raising prices is very tough."

"So you are caught in a very bad economic model where your expenses are now getting ahead of income."

"And the model for the conventional craft studio is not working very well at the moment, and shows no sign of immediate recovery."

"The craft world is facing a situation.... where it is just not working on a financial level."

"If you stay where you are, you are getting very difficult competition from the design world, it is very smart, the work is very  interesting, it is extremely sophisticated in many cases, and between that and D.I.Y. it's really going to squish the [craft] market considerably."

 I agree with Garth Clark completely. The problem is that I still want to make my one-of-a-kind artworks.

A Smaller Conference Experience Lunch Discussion continued with Garth Clark and his partner Mark Del Vecchio the next day. Sponsored by the Art Jewelry Forum it was an amazing opportunity to speak with Garth Clark in a smaller group.

Garth Clark's opinions were strong and highly controversial. We need more conversations. We need more people to challenge our assumptions, but now that I am home and evaluating my future....boy, is that depressing.

One other problem... I am filled with remorse. I didn't ask the questions from Susan Cummins. She said, "I would probably like to ask him about the role of criticism. What role should criticism play in a healthy cultural community? What role does it play in the craft /jewelry world now in his opinion?"

Hey, Garth, if you read this post. Can you answer the question from Susan Cummins so I am not in the "dog house" anymore?

Thank you.

Harriete

This post was updated on March 31, 2022, to provide current links.

 

What information Does a Promotional Image Need?

When you send a promotional image, do you always include a description, size, dimensions? How about a link to your website?

Did you include the price? When it's a Trunk Show or craft fair and the event is all about selling, yes, in this situation include the price.

If asked for a promotional image of your work, are you ready to send an image in the next five minutes? A successful artist or maker is always ready. The Press always wants their images yesterday.

For the SNAG Trunk Show, a couple of people sent me images. They were prepared!

 

"Spectacular achievement is always preceded by spectacular preparation."
--Robert Schuller

 

Jennifer Butterfield sent this pendant image as a TIF at 6MB.

TIP #1  Send a JPG and offer TIFs for print as an option. 

 

This purse is by Joan Waters. It is a great idea for a Trunk Show image or standing outside the show.

TIP #2 Please include a complete description. Joan included dimensions and materials with the image. Good for her! This sculpture is 5' high x 4' wide, made of welded steel.

 

Don Friedlich sent this image of his brooch. His images have a strong graphic appeal.

 TIP #3  Photos should be dramatic and eye-catching.

 

 

Sheila Summerlin sent the image to the left.

TIP #4 Always include a link to your website along with a complete description.

 

 

 

 

I always look forward to the TRUNK SHOW at the SNAG Conference. Last year it was a huge success.

If you are in the SNAG Trunk Show write about it on your blog, website, Facebook, or Crafthaus page. Spread the word with images of your work and others. Send me your images if you are in the Trunk Show.

My Flower Pins were available for purchase at the SNAG Trunk Show and can be found on my website.  They vary in price and for one-of-a-kind work are in a very affordable price range.  

Harriete

This post was updated on March 17, 2022, to provide current links.

What Should Trunk Show Promotion Look Like?

The 2nd Annual Trunk Show is coming up at the SNAG Conference in Phoenix.  Lots of potential...

Every situation can be an opportunity and I always want to maximize the potential outcomes.   

But is a collective effort to "PUSH" an event appropriate?

I wonder what would happen if everyone in the Trunk Show promoted the event?

 What if the Trunk Show participants created their own whirlwind of visibility for the event and for each other?

What if we, everyone attending, posted an image of the Trunk Show poster on our Facebook pages or websites? Click Here for the Trunk Show Banner.

What if we were all asked for an image of new work to create a new Trunk Show poster or online catalog?

What if the local television news came to cover the event? Headline; "World renown artists and makers coming to Phoenix" could be "big news," but only if the news station finds out.

Monopoly Electric Flower Pin © 2012
recycled tin cans, sterling silver,
Artist: Harriete Estel Berman
These flowers will be available at the
SNAG Trunk Show or online.

I don't think that the metal arts community suffers from too much success, but it looks like we aren't really good at making ourselves into "big news".

 

Harriete

This post was updated on March 17, 2022, to provide current links.

Lunch Discussion with Garth Clark - Keynote Speaker at SNAG Conference 2012

The annual SNAG Conference  in past years offered many astounding opportunities unavailable for most of us anywhere else!

As part of the SNAG Conference, there was "A Smaller Conference Experience", an informal lunch discussion with keynote speaker Garth Clark. 

The theme, THE HEAT IS RISING, plays right into many hot topics and thought-provoking debates! And Garth Clark is known for provocative positions.

This lunch discussion is part of "A Smaller Conference Experience," a two-part program to facilitate more intimate and meaningful discussion at the SNAG Conferences. This is an opportunity to get to know the Keynote Speaker, Garth Clark, and engage in an in-depth conversation. 

Harriete 

A Smaller Conference Experience lunch discussion is sponsored by the Art Jewelry Forum.

This post was updated on February 19, 2022, to provide current links.