ART PROBLEMS: HOW DO I GET A PUBLIC ART COMMISSION?

(Image by Michael Sparendeo of Open Arcana Studio)

I’d love to be working on public and private art commissions, but I have no idea how to enter this world. Can you offer any advice? — lost but hopeful

The simple answer to the question of how you can secure art commissions is to apply for them. Or meet a rich person or interior designer. Or meet an artist who might let you apprentice. Or screw the system altogether and take over the side of an abandoned building or bus stop. 

There are so many ways to get commissions, yet so few shared resources about how to secure them, that many artists never venture into the field. Moreover, many artists assume that the work they make will not translate well in a different medium, thus cutting themselves off from opportunities that might otherwise be available to them. 

To answer your question, I decided to get advice from the horse’s mouth — the facilitators, commissioners, and artists making public art. 

To read the full piece click here.