Australian sculptor, designer, and project manager, Todd Stuart recently worked with a couple of sculptors trying to consolidate their places in the world of art.
Their stories offer some fascinating insights into how two sculptors can progress—and hinder—their careers in one of art’s most difficult branches. We’ll call them Peter Wise and Adrian Young. Peter has 40 years as a full-time sculptor under his belt. Adrian has three.
Let’s first identify what these two had in common. Both displayed the exceptional talent in different niches and styles that made them attractive to Todd as candidates for his sculpture marketing and sales division. He could see they had the potential to join his stable of artists who have high-quality, readily available smaller sculptural works.
Addictive excitement
These in turn underpinned the possibility of Todd’s clients commissioning new works from the two, or up-scaling their current pieces into monumental legacy productions. They shared the addictive excitement of seeing their creative ideas form and develop to fruition, and they longed for more.
Both had conceptual ideas that shone brilliantly in the abstract. They stood by their conviction that artists must be free to express their emotional and intellectual freedom. At the same time, the two shared a belief that art extracted a forbidding toll on sculptors: low recognition and sparse financial reward in return for years of hard work.
So far so good. Both appeared to fit the traditional stereotype of the fiercely independent artist suffering for his cause. Now it was time for Todd to step in and offer them some sobering advice, but also an interesting option.
Sculptors should rely on a meeting in the middle
First he reminded them that of all artists, sculptors should rely heaviest on a meeting in the middle—or somewhere close to it—of the sculptor’s intention and the client’s desire. He pointed out that galleries and dealers were more interested in sales and commissions than the welfare of their artists.
The system of competitions and expressions of interest for new work was designed to enrich those who organised them with a bagful of free, creative ideas. They would often take those ideas, shape them to a saleable, profitable brief, and award the project to a familiar artist. The arrangement simply exhausted the time and morale of most of the sculptors caught up in it.
Then there was risk. Todd pointed out that most reasonably skilled painters, for example, have a low risk exposure. On average, a larger scale project involves seven to 10 days’ commitment in time and labour, and relatively low material costs.
Tens of thousands of dollars in costs
Sculptors, on the other hand, face a personal investment of 70 to 80 days in design time and labour spread over anything up to six or seven months. They must also take into account potentially tens of thousands of dollars in material, artisan, manufacturing, and transport costs.
Finally, they had to deal with the risks inherent in long manufacturing and supply chains that weren’t averse to cutting corners on materials and engineering standards to claw back already slim profits.
Unlike galleries, dealers, and creative project managers, Todd’s Mainartery Studio’s service remunerates artists based on a percentage of the overall project, including the initial design. With their 25 years of experience, vast contacts, and trusted international manufacturing connections, Todd and Mainartery can operate at a highly cost-competitive level. And that means charging a smaller project management and representation fee to sculptors.
Putting the cart before the horse
Peter Wise shared with Todd a brilliant design concept he had in mind for a particular client. The further Peter went into detail, the more Todd realised there had been no cogent discussions artist and patron. Peter was literally putting the cart before the horse.
Todd explained how crucial early communication, a full brief, and informed supervision could substantially de-risk any project. When Peter saw Todd’s project logic in a spread sheet, he understood the longer-term benefits immediately.
Adrian Young boasted that having visited the foundry that manufactured one of his sculptures, he had no need of external expertise and experience. Surprisingly, though, he revealed that clients for whom he had built a 4,500 kg sculpture were insisting its weight should have been just 2,000kg. Adrian’s failure to write and sign-off a comprehensive brief, and his lack of appropriate planning, created a disaster.
The net result?
Peter Wise and Mainartery Studio will work together on projects long into the future. Adrian Young won’t.
Behind every great work of art, and especially every great sculpture, lies a mountain of experience, planning, and management. Whether you’re a sculptor or a collector, find out how to maximise your opportunities and minimise your risks.
Talk to one of the few people who can do both, with a call Todd Stuart on +61 4 5151 8865, or visit mainartery.art.
