Artist Support Pledge Supports Artists through Tough Times

An online artist support pledge has been doing the rounds on social media. Aimed at helping to create a market for artists in tough times. The pledge was devised by artist Matthew Burrows prior to being picked up across the community. Follow the hashtag #artistsupportpledge to see who is taking part.

The key principle is this. First create affordable artwork priced anything up to £200. Then promise that that once you get up to a total of £1000 worth of sales, you buy something from someone else. The purchase that you make needs to be £200. In doing so you create a nice little micro economy where people are able to earn and create whilst supporting others.

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Artist Support Pledge

Many communities and professions have been hit hard by Covid-19. Artists in particular have experienced a huge downturn. Work has dried up. Festivals have been cancelled, painting gigs curtailed and buyers are making different choices on what to spend their money on. As many artists are also self employed. It’s also the case that government support is not available to the extent that it’s being offered elsewhere.

The Artists Support Pledge is a means of creating a different sort of demand. In unprecedented times, many artists are creating work especially for this. Certainly if you’re an art lover and you want a bargain then there are some amazing artworks to buy. It’s also a good time to discover new artists and maybe even build a collection.

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Some of our favourite artists are already taking part. These include people we’ve featured before on Inspiring City. The likes of Benjamin Murphy, Alexandra Gallagher and Euan Roberts line up alongside so many more. It’s a great idea and this is just the type of thing that is needed as we enter these unprecedented times.

The Artist Support Pledge is below:

Post images of your work you are willing to sell for no more than £200 each (not including shipping). Every time you reach £1000 of sales you pledge to buy another artists work for £200. This creates a small dynamic market where all can contribute whatever their level of success. This is a culture dependent on the honesty and generosity of our artistic communities at every level. So, make a pledge, post your work with the hashtag #artistsupportpledge