GETTING PAID
April 14, 2020. As I write, we
are partway through week five of the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic. It is day #33 of the ‘Quarantine’ and ‘social-distancing.’ Normally I don’t begin an essay with the date
but ‘normal’ went out the window last month.
Unless you’ve been off-planet (lucky you) for the past couple of
months you know that, right now, we’re not working or leaving our homes except
for ‘essential’ things like going to the grocery store or the pharmacy (or,
strangely, a gun shop). Restaurants are
open but only for take-out. The
restaurant business is being hit especially hard and that is what brings me to
the topic of this essay.
It’s really difficult for an artist to get an exhibition in an actual
brick-and-mortar gallery, or any other type of physical space. It’s even more difficult for relatively unknown
artists like myself. Because of this
institutional and built-in difficulty I’ve found myself doing exhibitions wherever
I can and right now I have a small exhibition at a restaurant. My artworks aren’t even in the restaurant’s
dining room; I’m in a hallway. Despite
this, one piece has been sold. I would
have been paid at the end of the exhibition but that was three weeks ago and
the restaurant is closed except for drive-up orders.
To simplify:
- · I have an exhibition in a ‘non-traditional’ space where people don’t go to see art primarily.
- · One piece was sold.
- · Coronavirus closes the restaurant and other ‘non-essential’ businesses.
- · No one is seeing the artwork.
- · The restaurant is holding my portion of the print-sale until the end of the exhibition.
- · The exhibition is over, but still on the wall. Restaurant open for take-out only.
- · No dine-in so no one can see my artwork (same as storing it in a box in my studio).
- · Zero potential for any more art sales.
Usually it’s no problem to wait for an exhibition to close to be
paid. Usually. In fact that’s
usually how it’s done, but the novel-virus has created a novel situation. It is clear that whatever the outcome of ‘Coronavirus
2020,’ many businesses will fail. Many
of the failed businesses will be small businesses and many of them will be
restaurants. I came to the harsh
realization that the restaurant that owes
me money for the sale of an artwork could easily go belly-up. I’ve been there before (although not because
of a global pandemic) and when a business that owes you money goes out of
business, you don’t get paid.
I’ve been in business for myself for decades and one thing I really,
really, hate, hate is to make a ‘money call.’
But I sucked it up and made the call and it was OK. The next day I went to the restaurant, where
I found one employee and no
customers, and picked up a check.
Whew!
My artworks remain on the wall in the hall. Right now the same number of people can see
my artworks in the restaurant as would see them stored in boxes in my studio:
zero. Eventually the restaurant will
re-open (assuming they don’t go out of business first) and then the artworks
will be seen again. There is the fear
that the restaurant will go out of business and close with my artworks inside
it. But I’m not worried about some
landlord claiming “everything in the building is my asset now.” Technically that’s theft, I know because I’ve
been down that road too. I’ve got a consignment
contract and I’d get the artwork back.
But I hope they make it and survive the pandemic.
If they don’t make it I’ve at least got my money.
And I’m going to need it.
Things are going to get worse in ways we cannot predict.
Hunkered-down (with an extra couple of hundred bucks in the bank).
April 14, 2020
Covid-19 Day #33
