Artist’s Estates

For Artists: There’s a Right Way to Plan

Most artists are aware that a careful Estate plan is important to their career in the long term. But where to start, and how to find the time? And how to be sure the plan is “right sized” for your career and resources? Services I have offered to artists include:

• Individual assessments, including “to do” lists for your attorney, family members, and others. Ideally we accomplish this in 1 or 2 studio/home visits; a brief report includes strategy notes as well as a customized “to do” list for your exact situation;

• Workshops for small groups, to help friends demystify and understand estate topics and start planning;

• Creating and updating databases, including doing physical inventories;

• Designing a strategy for giving to museums and other institutions; and

• Consulting on strategy and marketing to target your current and future business.

Before you engage an attorney, let’s assess the big picture of your career, studio practice, and family situation. I’ve done dozens of plans for a great variety of artists, and it’s usually easy for me to identify what areas will be most beneficial to tend now, and which you can handle later. Send me a note and start to get it done!

For Families: Let Me Be Your Guide

If you’ve been charged with the legacy of an artist, photographer, or other creator, you have a great responsibility. Legacy managers frequently find themselves wearing many new “hats,” often at the time they feel the least like handling any change. And because the legacy manager is often family, guidance from someone who’s been there is even more valuable. Services I have offered clients include:

• Project management, including leveraging and training helpers and family members to handle marketing, outreach, pricing, gallery relationships, museum giving, and other concerns;

• New websites, including strategy, curation, and writing, because the business of a deceased artist is different from that of a living artist in several important ways, and because you will want to update the site yourself as time goes on; and

• Monthly or biweekly meetings or calls. This type of service is especially valuable if you are trying to do justice to an artist’s legacy, while also living with loss (and it’s not just for the first year).

Every situation is different — reach out to discuss the next few challenges in your complicated life, and see how I can help make it easier.