FRANK Fair Artist Pay is excited to announce the launch of FRANK Tools, which are developed to support the UK arts ecology, including but not limited to artists, public art institutions, commercial galleries, funding bodies and creative practitioners.
FRANK Fair Artist Pay is a not-for-profit community interest company that is set to change the mindset and conversation on fair practice in the arts, by providing applicable tools to build fair, transparent, and equitable collaborations within the arts sector. With a strong commitment and dedication to building better futures, FRANK focuses on fair practice in the arts, specifically in the UK. With the necessity to expand the domain of inclusivity, diversity, accessibility and equity, FRANK underlines the specific role that economic parity plays in ensuring these principles unite all public and private art institutions and funding bodies today.
Fair Practice is composed of fair remuneration, fair working conditions, fair contracts, and fair representation. To comply with a strong level of fairness in the arts FRANK recommends a set of seven principles: Fair Pay, Professional Recognition, Transparency, Accountability and Responsibility, Inclusiveness, Equity and Conscientiousness. FRANK Principles are outlined with guidance and are accessible to all via the FRANK website.
Other FRANK Tools, including FRANK Fair Pay Calculator and FRANK X Canvas Art Law Pre-Contractual Review, are available for the use of all FRANK Members. FRANK Fair Pay Calculator does not recommend rates, it is designed to bring clarity to the stages an artist engages with a commissioner by enabling artists and commissioners to estimate the number of days they will require to engage with a specific collaboration. The total number of days is calculated based on unique answers provided to the online form, then placed in a ratio of total working days on an annual basis. FRANK Fair Pay Calculator is a tool to assess the level of fair pay in any collaboration and brings big-picture thinking to the way artist fees are set. The Pre-Contractual Review is developed as a set of live documents, in collaboration with one of FRANK’s founding members Canvas Art Law, which is aimed to inform the basis of contracts between two parties, provides fill-in, yes or no, and multiple-choice questions that aim to clarify the needs and expectations of both the artist and the commissioning body.
FRANK Tools are treated as live documents and support open, honest negotiations to take place between artists and commissioning bodies. FRANK will be updating FRANK Tools twice a year, following the feedback collated from all members through online forums, and members-only workshops.
FRANK Fair Artist Pay does not take sides, on the contrary, FRANK sides with everyone who is part of the arts ecology in the UK to better the current practices of fairness. FRANK’s Tools are hence developed in keeping all parties in mind with an overarching goal of advocating for fair, transparent, and equitable working relationships in the sector.
FRANK Fair Artist Pay is set up as a membership organisation, which enables the FRANK team to work in a trusted environment, gather thorough feedback and provide brave spaces for continued discussion among the FRANK Community. FRANK members can access FRANK Tools, attend member-only Workshops, contribute to FRANK Forums, and use the FRANK Community site to post any related content.
Biography
FRANK Fair Artist Pay is set up in June 2021 by artists Anne Hardy, Lindsay Seers and curator and writer Fatos Ustek, joined by Celina Loh in March 2022 who acts as project manager and Aisath Umama in March 2024 working as project assistant. Mollie Barnes supported FRANK As Digital Communications Coordinator between March 2023 and March 2024. From September 2023, Fatos Ustek assumed the Managing Director role, whereas Anne Hardy and Lindsay Seers acted as part of the Advisory Committee. Since April 2024, Anne Hardy has continued her role and Lindsay Seers supports FRANK as an Honorary Member.
FRANK Fair Artist Pay has five founding members, who have been crucial in providing support and insights from early on, namely Camden Arts Centre, Contemporary Art Society, The Tetley, Canvas Art Law and Contemporary Visual Arts Network (CVAN). FRANK’s visual identity and assets are designed by Federation, a creative hub that lives with a 360-degree perspective on effective communication. Brand creation, advertising, branded space design and stationery design
To date, FRANK is supported by annual memberships of artists, art institutions, commercial galleries, and funding bodies as well as receives philanthropic support from the Visual Art Design Agency (VADA). All fees are set on affordable scales and all FRANK Community members are listed on the website.
FRANK Fair Artist Pay publishes annual reports that outline the set of activities and use of its resources.
Contact
Celina Loh, Project Manager
FRANK Fair Artist Pay
Letsbefrankartistpay@gmail.com
frankfairartistpay.com