What Makes us Working Artists--Hint: not a paycheck
If
you say you are an artist, but you make little money from selling your
art, can your work be considered a profession in the eyes of the
Internal Revenue Service?
In
a ruling handed down late last week by the United States Tax Court and
seen by many as an important victory for artists, the answer is yes. The
case involved the New York painter and printmaker Susan Crile, whose
politically charged work is in the collections of the Metropolitan
Museum of Art, the Guggenheim Museum and several other major
institutions. In 2010, the I.R.S. accused Ms. Crile of underpaying her
taxes, basing the case on the contention that her work as an artist over
several decades was, for tax-deduction purposes, not a profession but
something she did as part of her job as a professor of studio art at
Hunter College.
The
heart of the case touches on a situation familiar to many thousands of
artists — from visual artists to musicians and actors — who earn a
living as teachers or studio assistants or stagehands while pursuing
creative careers that they hope will flourish and someday be able to pay
the bills.
***
Really? The IRS is going after poor artists?
How about you--are you just a hobbyist? Read the rest here.
Meanwhile, I'm running a special starting Tuesday for Freeze Frame: How rto Write Flash Memoir. If you have friends who write or family interested in memoir, please, please, please Facebook them the link to my book. Again, the special begins Tuesday and it will go for 99 cents rather than $2.99--not that that is so bad either. --Since the IRS will be getting their share later.
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