In 2018/19 as part of the Structures That Cooperate programme Cubitt began a conversation with W.A.G.E. around how Cubitt as an artist run cooperative can establish sustainable economic relationships with artists invited into the public programme.

A discussion around Cubitt’s position on paying artists’ fees was raised at the AGM held November 26th 2019. Members were asked to vote on a declaration and process going forward in relation to Cubitt’s commitment to transparency and democratic control and accountability for the fees paid to artists invited into the Public Programme.

Cubitt artists voted at the 2019 AGM agreeing to make a public statement visible on www.cubittartists.org.uk committing that going forward Cubitt’s AGM will be used as an annual moment to declare and assess the fees paid to artists for all forms of labour in the Public Programme. This is a commitment to an active conversation of remuneration for cultural work.

From October 2018 Cubitt’s Public Programme committed to paying a minimum artist fee for exhibitions at £750, defining an artist’s fee from the work of W.A.G.E. as follows:

An Artist Fee is the expected remuneration for an artist’s temporary transactional relationship with an institution to provide content. An artist fee is not compensation for the labour or materials of making art and it is not intended as compensation for the content itself. Rather, it is for its provision.*

Time for research, the production of new work, workshop delivery, talks, events, screenings should be considered as separate transactional relationships.

Cubitt Artists voted to continue this commitment.

*https://wageforwork.com/certification