Working Artists and the Greater Economy (W.A.G.E.)
| Abbreviation | W.A.G.E. |
|---|---|
| Formation | 2008 |
| Type | Nonprofit Organization |
| Legal status | 501(c)(3) |
| Focus | (art, activism) |
| Location | |
| Website | wageforwork.com |
Working Artists and the Greater Economy (W.A.G.E.) is a New York-based activist group and non-profit organization whose stated advocacy mission is "currently focused on regulating the payment of artist fees by nonprofit art institutions and establishing a sustainable model for best practices between artists and the institutions that contract their labor."
W.A.G.E. was founded in 2008 with the writing of the wo/manifesto by a group of artists, performers, and independent curators in New York City. The group, which has included A.K. Burns, K8 Hardy, Lise Soskolne, and A.L. Steiner, grew out of a series of informal gatherings that evolved into a series of public meetings centering on issues of art and labor.
Early activity focused on education and consciousness raising about economic inequity in the form of videos, open teach-ins, workshops, panel discussions and symposia at museums, galleries, conferences, festivals, schools, summits, and art fairs.
In 2010, W.A.G.E. narrowed its platform to focus on the regulated payment of artist fees by nonprofit arts organizations and museums. They also initiated the 2010 W.A.G.E. Artist Survey to gather data about the payment practices of New York City nonprofits.
In Fall 2010, New Museum curator, Lauren Cornell, invited W.A.G.E. to participate in the 2010-2011 group exhibition, 'Free'. W.A.G.E., identifying not as an art-making collective, but rather as an activist group, opted to participate by negotiating artist fees on behalf of everyone in the exhibition, marking the event as "the first experimental platform for W.A.G.E. Certification".
In 2011, W.A.G.E. received its 501c3 non-profit status and narrowed its focus to W.A.G.E. Certification, a voluntary certification program that publicly recognizes nonprofit institutions paying artist fees meeting a minimum payment standard.
In March 2011, W.A.G.E. formed a temporary research partnership with Artists Space. This partnership served as a cooperative platform for hosting series of public programs and developing W.A.G.E. Certification. The first in the series, "Feeling the Shape of the Arts Economy", took place at Artists Space on January 9, 2012, and was led by sociologist and economist Hans Abbing, author of Why Are Artists Poor: The Exceptional Economy of the Arts. Other symposia included, "Marion von Osten: Be Creative! With responses from Andrew Ross" on November 8, 2012. Artists Space also granted W.A.G.E. access to their financial history, thus facilitating the organization's first case study of artist fee payment practices.
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