There was a lot of buzz this weekend about the rights of mixed media instructors. I read a post on one of the Yahoo groups and wrote a blog post for CreateMixedMedia.com, and then I read a Facebook post from another artist, and then a response from someone else, and--it just kind of all came together. This morning people are posting and linking, and I believe the discussion is really important. You can start here, with what I said. Then go here and read Quinn McDonald's excellent post. Then check out Julie Prichard, of The Land of Lost Luggage. And then Julie's movement, Artists for Respect, here.
Please link to these, comment on the posts, Tweet, post to your wall--please add your voice and support to something that really matters to lots and lots of people.
Thank you~~XO
- Ricë
- Midland, Texas, United States
- My name rhymes with "Lisa," I live in Midland, Texas, because it's warm and the mortgage is cheap, and of course this is my natural hair color. Of course! The EGE--The Ever-Gorgeous Earl--is my husband of 35 years. I have the best job in the world because I get to call up artists and ask them nosy questions and then write about them. I also stitch, podcast, blog, and then, in my spare time, do it all some more.
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15 comments:
Thanks, Rice...this is so important..not only for artists..but for mankind. Is that cheesy? I don't care.
In some workshops you may only learn a technique, let’s say soldering and then you spend class time practicing on your own project, something you create. Well I’ve seen instructors who have taken students’ designs, make something identical and it shows up in their Etsy shop or in a magazine. So doing what's right works in all directions: student to teacher and vice versa. Students should also respect their fellow students' creativity.
Yeah, I have had experience on both sides of this.
When I have objected the response I got was
"Everyone does it." and " There's no way you can stop me".
Somebody really said that, that there's no way you could stop them? I thought only 9th graders said stuff like that. Yikes.
Anonymous, I'd have to wonder about the level of the instructor. Are they just starting out, maybe a 1-trick pony kind of person, where they have just one thing they're known for and are frantically searching for something new? The top-notch artists I know who teach have their own individual style; I can't imagine any of them copying. I could be wrong, but I'm thinking not.
I regularly went to a sewing store, took some classes or asked about a problem. Somehow I ended up showing 3 pages of hand drawn line horses.( I had thought about using them for a quilt pattern.) The owner of the store asked if she could copy them on her copier and I foolishly said yes, not even realizing I was opening myself up to someone copying my work.
I don't know what happened to them but am hoping they were never used by anyone else.
I am very careful of copyright issues. My work is my own.
Sadly Rice an adult did email that response to me.
I also had a protracted tussle with someone on Ebay selling RSMs but using closeups of artwork. She cherry picked her rebuttles from copyright law to justify it. It was finally taken down, but I had to use the implied threat of a lawyer.
AND I have had an instructor reproduce something I made her her class using her techniques with a very similar stamp and post it as original to promote herself.
That one is maybe a little iffy, but I was annoyed.
I think it is wonderful that this conversation is taking place. Some aspects are very clear, some are more murky - but direct and honest communication about this is a good place to begin.
Lots of artist use "free clip art". How should they cite the use of it in their work?
It is a situation with so many gray areas — other than outright steeling of another artist design/kit/work.
I have seen a painter use fashion magazine photos of models as the base for her work, which she paints over with color. She sells these and they have been featured in magazines. Is that copyright infringement, since she didn't draw the figures herself? She does admit that she uses the photos, so maybe that's okay?
Sharon, I'm not a lawyer, so I can't give legal advice, but I'm pretty sure about this: if this person took a picture of Mickey Mouse and used it to create a painting and said, "Yeah, I used a photo of Disney's Mickey Mouse for this," I'm guessing the Disney lawyers would not be saying, "Oh, OK, you admitted you used it, so that's fine." That's what I do: think how the lawyers for Disney or Mattel would react, and go from there. (Meaning: never, ever use it.)
Yeah I would say the the offices of the Disney legal team that deal with this are "The Unhappiest Place on Earth". They are really vigorous in pursuing people.
I understand WHY it's necessary, but I sure wouldn't want to do that for a living.
I agree, Chris. A miserable job, indeed, unless you're just bitter and angry. The good thing for the rest of us, though, is that it gives us a bar, kind of a WWDD? Or, rather, What Would Disney's *Lawyers* Do?
I'm an art teacher that works for a huge district in the public school systems. If I go into the library and check out an artists' book on technique and then teach my students that technique I have done nothing wrong. It's not always about money. If my student uses a technique I've taught them, in their work and gets published or sells the work, I am ecstatic and happy for my student. I'm not getting paid anymore from the district than I did before. My student is not paying me, and I didn't pay the artist whose book I checked out at the library. My student has moved creative expression forward into the world. and that is a good thing. As a teacher I pay it forward. I came out of art school $45,000 dollars in debt to get my art teaching endorsment and licensure. As a teacher we don't try to put our livelihoods' financial pitfalls and successes on our students. We teach because we want to fill the world with knowledge and peace and because we believe in education. I have art in my life everyday and I am in the front lines trying to help young people tread through darkness by using their creative abilities. It is not about money. It is about trying to make the world a better place. Artists have always taken ideas from each other. Everybody knows about Raphael sneaking into the Sistine making Michelangelo mad. It's part of being an artist. But if you are a teacher you are working in another context. If for you the most important aspect of teaching is to satisfy your ego and making sure you get your fair share of monetary benefits maybe you shouldn't be teaching, especially online.
I think the difference is that mixed media instructors don't have a regular teaching job with a salary. If they don't make money from their workshops, they have to find another job. Sure, some may have the luxury of not needing the money, but many depend on workshops to provide their income, just as teachers rely on the salary from their school district. I talked more about this in the CMM blog post.
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