Intoduction and Mission Statement

Hello artists! AFTVA is here, though just barely. My name is Joel Earl, and I created AFTVA out of my utter disillusionment with the treatment of artists in the marketplace. I began to find exploitation at every turn in the marketplace. We've all seen the craigslist ads requesting free art and design in exchange for exposure. In my view that is the least of it. Currently here in Portland, Or and parts beyond restaurants, bars and coffee shops are decorating their walls with art for free by offering those walls as a consignment sales space to the artist. But seldom do the works sell, and in the mean time the artist has hung the work at his/her own expense and effort, and put it at risk of damage in the vain hope of a impulse buyer that never comes. I believe we can work to find a better deal for artists. to this end, I wrote the following mission statement:

Alliance for Fair Trade Visual Art (AFTVA)

Goals:
=====

-To Ensure artists are fairly compensated for work contributed to for-profit enterprises.

-To end "art-for-exposure" exploitation.

-To fight the theft of art by unscrupulous businesses.

-To Promote the idea that art is a profession, and artists deserve to be paid as professionals.

-To discourage artists from giving their art away to for-profit enterprises, as it diminishes the value of all artist's work.

-To Promote art-buying on all possible income levels and for all social classes.

Philosophies:
============

-Art is a profession, and artist should be paid and treated as professionals.

-The true cost of "art-for-exposure" is the diminished value of all artist's work.

-All artists are small business owner/operators.

-Artists deserve every opportunity to make a living doing what they do best.

-For-Profit enterprises owe much of their success to creative visual materials, and it is only fair that they should pay for those services.

-Art takes time, effort, materials, hard-earned knowledge, education and creative instincts. These are all things worthy of fair compensation.

-If a company likes an image enough to use it, copy it or steal it they have tacitly admitted that it has value to them, and it is only right that they should pay fairly for that value.

-Once created art belongs to the cultural zietgiest, but the use of the art rightly belongs to the artist.

-Artists should always sign their work, and demand proper credit for it.

-Artists should price their work fairly. At the very least never below minimum wage based on the time involved in creation. this is not only for the benefit of the individual artist, but for the benefit of ALL artists as it prevents prices and rates to be driven below levels sustainable for making a living creating art.

-An artist that makes money making art is an artist that gets to make more art, and with better tools, materials and resources.

Methods:
=======

-Communicating directly with businesses to negotiate fair deals for artists.

-Negatively publicizing offending businesses in online and other media.

-Organizing protests, pickets and boycotts on behalf of our cause.

-Petitioning for reform of policies.

-Spreading our message in all media.

-Distributing fliers and materials.

-Organizing and sponsoring events, shows and openings.

-Granting a seal-of-approval to businesses that deal fairly with artists.

-Always non-violent and non-destructive.