Arts Territory Exchange – Fair pay for Artists Statement.

The Arts Territory Exchange began as a largescale curatorial project run by the artist Gudrun Filipska. It is not an organisation with core public funding. For certain projects/exhibitions/publications the Arts Territory Exchange may receive public funding (Ie from the UK Arts Council). When this is the case artists will be made aware of the funding parameters for each project. The aTE is commited to providing fair pay to artists following the guidelines set by the Paying Artists Campaign and the Paying Artists Manifesto.

When bids for public funding are made, calculation for artists’ payment (for artists taking part in a particuar project or exhibition that funding is sought for) will always be included.

For the times when the Arts Territory Exchange has no project funding, artists will be offered non cash benefits in Lieu of payment (ie for catalogue reproductions or lending of work for exhibitions) benefits such as promotion, proffesional development opportunities or mentoring will be offered in discussion with the artist.

Following discussion with artists, the Arts Territory Exchange follows the mantra 'If the organisers and curators are being paid for a specific project using public funding then the artists must be too'.

In the current climate we feel it important to be flexible and not rely too heavily on public funding sources, with this in mind, Gudrun Filipska will sometimes work unpaid and will ask venues/curators and publishers to work with her and provide their services for free, often using a reciprocal system of barter and exchange. The membership fee paid by artists selected for the programme contributes to the daily running of the aTE enabling Gudrun Filipska to maintain the basic administrative structure of the aTE, liase with artists and develop social media/promotional strategies for their work.

(Dec 2020).