In the digital age, everyone is a publisher or a maker or a creator. Whether you work in a studio or a classroom, understanding copyright is a foundational skill. VCU Libraries Copyright for Creators series presents a workshop on copyright and other key legal issues that creators must navigate.

Legal issues increasingly affect every facet of our lives. Unfortunately, art is no exception: appropriation artists sense a chilling effect to their creative practices; collaborations may give rise to disputes; artists hire studio assistants, “intern,” and outside fabricators; museums present artists with commission agreements; artists increasingly work in different international locales; artists see their work copied by large corporations or other artists. These are just some scenarios all artists face at some point in their careers, and all of these scenarios encompass legal issues. This talk will introduce the artists to the “must-know” legal and business issues that arise when making art, and encourage agreements that enable more effective working relationships, now and into the future.

The workshop will be led by Sergio Muñoz Sarmiento, an artist who also practices art law. Sarmiento is interested in the relationship between contemporary art and law, with a primary focus on copyright, moral rights, free speech, deaccessioning, and nonprofit arts organizations. He has extensive experience with teaching and speaking artists rights and art law at dozens of academic and art institutions. He currently has his own private practice, the Law Office of Sergio Muñoz Sarmiento and his art projects have been shown in international exhibitions.