[Jewelry making - Article 01388] - Re: [Orchid] Gallery breakage

[Beth Wicker]

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    Dealing with galleries on consignment is a study in faith - for both
    sides.  I used to own a gallery, and have been an artist for over 30
    years, so have experienced both ends.  Reputable galleries carry
    insurance, genuinely care for the work and the artists, and do their
    best both to sell the work and to see that it is taken care of
    properly.  Reputable artists make work that is quality construction,
    able to stand up to the use it is intended for. 

    Unfortunately, neither all galleries nor all artists are genuinely
    reputable, and sometimes each side gets burned.  As a gallery owner
    I never ran into a disreputable artist - my great good fortune!  I
    carried insurance on the works in my gallery, with a deductible.  I
    only had works damaged twice - once a package of gorgeous pots
    arrived damage.  It was quite obvious that some idiot at UPS had
    driven a fork-lift into the box!  I had a terrible time getting UPS
    to pay on it, but kept at them until they did.  So the artist got
    paid for the destroyed work.  The other time was a painting.  I
    arrived one morning to find the painting crashed onto the floor!  To
    this day I have no idea how it happened.  The hanging wire was still
    securely on the painting, the hanger was in the wall--- but the
    painting lay damaged on the floor.  Go figure.  My insurance did
    cover, less the deductible.  I debated internally on how to handle
    the deductible, and finally decided that although I didn't see how
    anything I had done had contributed to the damage, it certainly
    wasn't anything the artist had done either, and it HAD happened in
    my gallery.  So I ate the deductible and the artist got full
    consignment value for the destroyed piece. 

    I always checked work as it arrived, and let artists know
    immediately if something arrived damaged.  I can't imagine this
    gallery having not done so also.  They sound to me like a place you
    are better off without.  If you are really concerned about this
    happening again, you might enclose with each shipment a list of
    items for the gallery owner to check and return to you certifying
    that all of the items arrived in proper condition, with place for
    their signature and date.  Then they could not come back later and
    say it arrived damaged.  They would have to accept that it was
    damaged while in their care.  This does NOT mean that you will get
    paid for the damaged piece - if they are sleazy they will try to
    wiggle out of responsibility no matter what they have signed. 

    Good luck with future gallery relations!  Please do not brand all
    galleries as bad because a few are. 

Beth in SC

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