Artist Insurance
4th May 2018
Having investigated Artist Insurance, I decided to register to Axis Web – this provides free Public Liability Insurance as part of your membership.
Hi Michelle Wright,
Thank you for taking out Axisweb Membership with FREE Insurance.
Please retain this email for your records.
PLAN CONFIRMATION
Issued to: Michelle Wright
Product: Network Associate. FREE Public & Product Liability plus FREE Professional Indemnity (worth over £200) / Access to our empty properties / Part of a UK contemporary art network / Access to our Bursary Awards (coming soon)
14th March 2018
Investigating Artist Insurance – Axis Web provide a very simple and straightforward explanation of public liability insurance and what you need to know which is essentially protecting you in the case of risk while pursuing your artistic activities, particularly in the modern world we live in where blame culture seems to be prevalent.
What is public liability insurance?
Despite all your best efforts to eliminate risk from your public activities, accidents can still happen! If your art activities injure a member of the public, a client or contractor or if they result in any property damage, you could face a hefty legal or compensation bill. Public liability protects you from these sorts of costs if a mishap occurs.
What does this mean in simple terms?
When undertaking any Art activity, it’s your responsibility to provide a safe environment for the public.
Do I need Public Liability Insurance?
Almost every Artist and Art Professional operating on a freelance basis should have some form of Public Liability Insurance because despite all the best precautions accidents can and will happen.
Ask yourself do you work in complete isolation? Do you show work publicly, do you invite people into your studio (even at home), do you deliver workshops or events do you visit clients premises or have access to their equipment? It’s worth considering Public Liability Cover because if you damage someone else’s property you are liable.
How does Public Liability Insurance Cover Protect?
If a visitor, client or any third party person damages a possession or suffers some kind of loss or injury as a result of your Art activities, you would want to be sure that you can provide compensation to make up for that.
You have a duty of care to make sure members of the public are safe as possible, this includes risk assessments and health and safety checks. If an incident for which you were liable happens regardless, against all your precautions you risk the public’s health and your livelihood by not being adequately covered.
Is public liability insurance a legal requirement?
Choosing not to have public liability insurance will not land you with a jail sentence or a hefty fine. But having the right insurance can make you look more professional and offer you peace of mind. You don’t want to get into a spat with one of your best clients over the consequences of an accident or damage to one of their properties. Getting a public liability policy means you can let your insurer deal with any problems, while you get on with your art practice.
A-N The Artist Information Company also provide public liability insurance.
All a-n’s UK Artist + AIR members get free, specially tailored public and products liability insurance with their annual membership. Here, a-n’s Director outlines why making sure you’re properly covered is essential for every practising artist.
When a-n commissioned research into the insurance needs of artists back in 2007, it revealed that many were losing out on opportunities and commissions because of the high costs of public liability insurance. “Artists were expected to pay as much as £350 for annual cover,” confirmed Nicholas Sharp, the solicitor who advised on a-n’s artists’ membership scheme.
The outcome of the research was the introduction of a comprehensive public and products liability (PPL) insurance scheme, organised through specialist arts brokers Hencilla and included as a free benefit for all UK a-n Artist + AIR members. Simon Zimmerman, then Artists Insights Coordinator at Arts Council England, said at the time: “This is a breakthrough in insurance for visual artists in the UK.”
https://www.a-n.co.uk/news/artists-insurance-and-how-an-can-help/
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