Hello. My name is Gina Fafard. I am the co-owner and operator of Slate Fine Art Gallery, which is a small commercial gallery in Saskatchewan. We have been in operation since 2013, but my experience in the art industry has far preceded this.
I worked for many years as an artist and I have been privy to the inner workings of the art industry for much longer. As the daughter of well-known artist Joe Fafard, I have had the unique experience of watching an artist build his career from the very early stages of long hours in the studio to his current state in which he employs an apprentice, an operations manager and eight foundry workers who assist in the production of his artwork.
It has been a wonderful adventure to see what can be done when a creative mind has the drive and can build the means to follow through on his dreams. Joe was lucky that he had some early success that allowed him to build his industry. It's not often that this opportunity is afforded to artists.
The artist's resale right will benefit artists such as Joe Fafard, and I believe he deserves this benefit. It is his hard work and perseverance over many years that has created the increased value in his artwork. Over the last 30 years, at least 20 artworks by Joe Fafard sold at auction, which would have been eligible for royalties. The total price value of those works was $1.5 million. If he had the resale rights, he would have been paid almost $80,000 in royalties.
These totals do not include all of the online auctions of his work, nor the secondary sales through dealers. This information is not available because only auction details are public.
It is important to acknowledge that the sale of a piece of artwork is for the object itself and not for the intellectual property. This artwork is still the work of the artist. The artist always maintains ownership of the artwork. The resale right has potential to allow artists to share in profits and support the economy.
Joe Fafard's 10 employees all have families, so any monies paid to him have the potential to benefit not only him but 10 other families.
Similarly, Annie Pootoogook's brother, Cee Pootoogook, has said that he has had family and friends who didn't have much money and she would sell her artwork and take care of them. People followed her to weekly trips to the co-op and she would share her earnings when she had them. We cannot dismiss the importance of royalties when they benefit so many.
The artist's resale right compensates artists as contributors to their works' value and provides artists with a more sustainable income based on the value of their own work. If the work is donated to an institution or gifted to a friend, the artist's resale right is the only opportunity for the artist to get some compensation for that work.
The artist's resale right makes the difference to senior artists' ability to earn a living. It is often taken for granted that artists thrive once they become established. Even artists such as Mary Pratt who have won Governor General's awards may find it difficult, if not impossible, to make a living from their art. Her work sold for very little in her early career and later she struggled to continue to make work to earn a living. Research shows that senior visual artists have media earnings of $5,000 a year and that one-third of all artists are at high financial risk. Artists rarely have the luxury of retirement.
Will this affect small businesses such as my own? It will to some degree, but only a small percentage of our market is secondary. According to a study by Canadian Heritage, only 3% of the secondary market is through commercial galleries. Most galleries will not be affected because they deal primarily or exclusively with the primary market.
I feel it is a small amount to pay to our artists, and it is their due. Our gallery has already taken on this policy of paying out an artist's resale right percentage to those artists we represent.
As a gallery owner, I witness time and time again young artists selling their work for far less than its value, far less than allows them a living wage. They do this in an attempt to break into the art market and establish themselves in hopes that they will some day be compensated accordingly for the work they do. If we do not create an environment in which this is possible, we will continue to see talented young people move on to other professions in frustration with an industry that does not support them.