Buying Art Ethically

A customer buying art at Aboriginal Art Co in Meanjin (Brisbane). ©Aboriginal Art Co/Indigenous Art Code 2023.

Buying Art Ethically

Art buyers play an important role in ensuring artists get a fair go.

Indigenous Art Code encourages you to learn about the business model of any code signatory you plan to purchase from and how this informs their relationship with the artist. We do not suggest that purchasing from any single source is superior to another.

Artists should be empowered in their decision making regarding commercial agreements and be able to negotiate the market on their terms.

We encourage art buyers to look for Code Signatories. These members have made a commitment to fair, transparent and ethical trade with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and their artwork.

GUIDE TO BUYING ETHICALLY FIND A MEMBER

Ask Questions

Indigenous Art Code encourages buyers to take an active and engaged role in ensuring the artwork they purchase comes from ethical sources and that trade with artists is fair, transparent and ethical.

Three good questions to ask:

Who is the artist?

Where is the artist from?

How does the artist get paid?

Listen to IartC Chair Stephanie Parkin discuss the role art buyers can play in ensuring artists receive a fair deal.

Indigenous Art Code Chair, Stephanie Parkin, discusses the part consumers have to play in ensuring artists are treated fairly and ethically. Film by ZakPage. © Indigenous Art Code.

Fake Art Harms Culture

Learn about the campaign to address the sale of works that have the ‘look and feel’ of being Indigenous but actually have no connection to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Seven Stories About You

In 2020 we commissioned Noongar writer and arts advocate Claire G. Coleman to write an essay exploring the nuances of the Indigenous visual art market.

What does fair mean to you?

Artist Melanie Hava is a Mamu woman, from the Waribarra and Dugulbarra clans.

Mick Harding Portrait Image Alperstein Designs

Story of Impact: Mick Harding

Belonging to the Yowong-Illam-Baluk and Nattarak Baluk clans of the Taungurung people, Mick Harding is an artist specialising in wood working, printmaking and giftware.

Resources and factsheets

_{Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP):}

Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property rights FACTSHEET – Arts Law Centre of Australia

Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property rights ANIMATION – Arts Law Centre of Australia

Fake Art Harms Culture Campaign OVERVIEW – Arts Law Centre of Australia

Get involved with the Fake Art Harms Culture campaign RESOURCES – Arts Law Centre of Australia

_{Information for consumers:}

Your consumer rights: Indigenous art and craft FACTSHEET – Australian Consumer and Competition Commission

Certificates of authenticity INFORMATION SHEET – Arts Law Centre of Australia

_{Other useful resources:}

UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)

ANKA’s guide to how to buy ethically in five languages

Starting the Conversation: Ethical Trade in Indigenous Art – Full transcript of a panel discussion presented by Leichhardt Council in partnership with the Indigenous Art Code, 17 September 2015.

Terri Janke, True Tracks®: a pathway to Indigenous engagement

Australia Council for the Arts, Protocols for using First Nations Cultural and Intellectual Property in the Arts

Acknowledgement of Country

Indigenous Art Code acknowledges the Traditional Owners and custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises their continuing connection to the land, waters and skies, often expressed through art. We pay our respects to artists, Elders and community members past, present and future.