When a public artist is awarded a commission, it can be thrilling and overwhelming all at the same time.  Before launching into the art opportunity, artists – and the administrators and attorneys they work with – are tasked with navigating contract clauses and intellectual property issues that are often specific to the field.

To help you – whether you are a public artist, public art administrator or an attorney who works with and for public artists – better navigate and negotiate these issues, 4Culture and Washington Lawyers for the Arts have teamed up, with additional support from the Seattle Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs, to coordinate a series of workshops on public art and the law.  You’re invited to participate in one or both of these professional development opportunities:

Public Art Contracts
Wednesday, October 27, 6.30-8pm
Seattle City Hall, Bertha Knight Landes Room, 600 4th Avenue, Seattle
Registration and tickets: Brown Paper Tickets
CLE Credit: 2.0 credits pending

An opportunity to hear about contract issues specific to the field of public art, join public artist Katy Stone as she moderates a conversation between Robert Kaplan, a Seattle-based attorney who has advised and represented numerous public artists on contract issues, Cath Brunner, Director of Public Art 4Culture, and Ruri Yampolsky, Director of the Public Art Program with the Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs.

In addition to discussing contract basics, the featured panelists will share insights on specific issues such as:

  • What contract elements are typically negotiable?  How far can and should you push before you put the opportunity at risk?
  • When should you walk away from a contract?
  • What should you look for in mediation clauses?
  • Is there a difference between public and public/private partnership contracts?
  • Who owns the proposal and what should it include?

Proprietary Issues in Public Art
Wednesday, November 17, noon – 1.30pm
4Culture, 101 Prefontaine PL S, Seattle
Registration and tickets: Brown Paper Tickets
CLE Credit: 1.5 credits pending

Attorney and educator Robert Cumbow, will provide valuable legal information on intellectual property issues specific to the field of public art. He will be joined by Amy McBride, Arts Administrator with the City of Tacoma, who will offer examples of how complex legal issues play out in the real world. Together, they will tackle topics including:

  • Fair use in public art of copyright, trademarks, names and faces.
  • Does the artist or commissioning agency/company own the copyright in the work?
  • What are works-for hire provisions?
  • What are proprietary differences between permanent and ephemeral public art?
  • Who can authorize and own derivative works?
  • What are the rights under the Visual Artist Rights Act and how do waivers work?

Have your own public art-and-the-law question? Send it in for the panelists to review via publ...@4culture.org