Greetings I have an interesting story about artist’s vendor licenses
in n.y.c. Today I went down to 42 broadway, where you can apply for
any type of vendor license in nyc. I brought some of my jewelry with
me to show that I carve it from wood or acrylic, to show that it
isn’t a buy and sell deal, or mass produced. It is very unique. Been
carving for 23 years. Previous to this, for the last few weeks I have
been trying to sell it on the street(Madison Ave in the 60’s, the
women there go wild for it), because since the 11th I have not been
able to find any work in the machinist industry,my present
vocation(just finished a 4 year toolmaker’s apprenticeship and got
laid off right after). Anyway the patrol usually throws me out after
about an hour or two, and tell me that I need a vendor’s license. So
I inquire about an artist’s vendor’s license, to sell this stuff and
the clerk tells me that you cannot get an artist’s vendor’s license
unless you sell art, and these things that you make are not art. She
says that art is “a painting or a drawing,something that you frame
and put on the wall. These things are not art. Unless you take them
and glue them to a canvas or something like that” So it turns out that
if you have a n.y.c. tax i.d., easily obtainable, you can set up
anywhere in the 5 boros of nyc and sell paintings,etc,regardless of
whether you create them or not, under the auspices of selling
“art”(literature also). To sell anything else, there is a 1000 person
waiting list,unless you are a vet(they go first). I mean isn’t that
totally unfounded in the truth of what art really is? That’s legally
incorrect,no? By the way there are some insane facts about it on the
internet, under “artist license,n.y.c”.! My family is really learning
the meaning of food shortage!
I do have some pictures of my stuff at garmall.com/soulwood,just in
case anyone’s interested. and thankyou david,soulwood jewelry
@David_Piccoli(feel free)