Hiring Artists, Instructors, Performers, etc.
When planning the arts event or activity you hope to fund, you will probably need to hire artists, culture bearers, performers, presenters, instructors, videographers, sound engineers, graphic designers, theater directors, accompanists, etc. to help you accomplish your goals. This is often a significant cost. You will need to make decisions about what you can afford.
There may be travel costs. Perhaps the guest artist you want to hire lives out of state. There might be airfare or mileage to pay, plus lodging or a per diem for meals, parking, etc. You will also have to decide how much you are paying each person or group. Are you paying a set fee or honorarium or are you paying a per hour amount? If you are paying per hour, will you be paying for only a set number of hours? Will there be other expenses the artist, group, or contractor will cover such as materials and supplies or rental of equipment or will you as the event organizer be shouldering these costs? Are they invoicing you for their service or will you be supplying a contract?
Often the best way to spell out all the details is through a contractual agreement. This protects both your organization and the group or individual you are hiring. You can include all the pertinent details such as who (contact information), where (location or locations), when (dates and times), how much (e.g. a flat fee and what it covers such as mileage, lodging, etc. or a per hour rate and the number of hours), a description of the service the person or group is providing, etc. Here a a couple of sample contracts (as MS Word documents - contact us if you need a different format) you could use:
You also need to keep in mind the letter of the law when hiring contracted individuals. Any independent contractor you pay $600 or more, you need to collect a W-9 tax form from them and furnish them with a 1099 tax form at the end of the tax year so they can report the income. Make sure to keep this in mind when planning your payments and end of the year bookkeeping!
At R2Arts we are committed to making sure artists get paid what they are worth. We suggest payment for artists-in-residence at $300 per 4 contact hours or approximately $75/hr. Seasoned artists or groups will usually have a set amount they expect to be paid for their work but part-time or beginning artists, performers, instructors or contractors sometimes have trouble knowing what to charge for their services and having a rule of thumb can be helpful.