Today history is in the making. Call me overzealous if you must, but I do believe that today marks a point in history that artists and creators will remember.

Over 7,000 artists (and counting) have signed a letter to President Obama and Vice President Biden that calls on the Administration to recognize the important social, cultural, and economic contributions that artists have made to our society. It says that if these contributions are recognized and respected, then the Administration must remember to pursue policies supportive of creators’ rights.

Think about it: artists make significant contributions to our everyday lives. Often we are not even aware that so many of the places where we interact and the things we consume have been crafted by artists.

Our experiences, then, are often shaped by a creative person’s understanding and perception of how the world should and could be.

I think of graphic artists alone. This morning, even before I arrived at work, graphic artists’ contributions were seen everywhere: on my cereal box; in my newspaper; on the cover (and probably the interior) of the book that I read on the metro; on the design of my metro card; within the advertisements posted in the metro station; on street signs that are used by both cars and pedestrians; and in store front windows, signs, and posters. Even the hot dog stand that I pass on 13th Street is laden with multiple images and signs. And, the flyer that was shoved in my hand at the metro was likely designed by a graphic artist.

On a daily basis, however, most of us take for granted that these signs, images, and layouts – and all the other creative works that we regularly use and access – have been created by someone who, hopefully, got paid for his work. There are others, too, who want to take these things for granted, and want to copy or distribute the works without the artist’s consent.

Artists get this. They know that they should get respect and support for what they do, because they are an integral part of society. But they know that others don’t get this. They know that their work is taken for granted.

They also know that the exclusive rights that were given to them in the U.S. Constitution are imperative to their survival. And, if policies were developed that could minimize these rights, then so many of the pieces of our everyday lives would cease to be as we know them. Because eventually artists could cease to exist as we know them.

That, quite frankly, is why so many creators are standing up for their rights, signing the letter, and speaking up collectively about an issue that is important to them.

It’s not that artists are afraid of technology, or that they insist on using old business models. In fact, many artists embrace the freedoms that new business models and technology offer them. So many artists today are bypassing traditional market gatekeepers because of technology and thus living off their creative work. And, in the end, this is the most important thing for artists.

Living off one’s creative work might be a pipe dream for some artists. But it is a very real reality for many artists. Either way, artists want to know that if society finds what they have created significant and meaningful, then our policies will respect their contributions.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 29th, 2009 at 1:40 pm by Lucinda M. Dugger and is filed under Obama, copyright law, creators, culture, market forces. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.