31 Oct Art Works
[Originally posted in 2012; things have changed since then, but the thrust of this post remains!]
The “Art Works” sticker was created because of its many meanings to the philosophy of this law firm. A triple entendre, if you will. We support Creative Portland, the First Friday Art Walk and all of the artists working in Maine. We still have some left, so let us know if you want one.
Art works for Maine
It is first a representation of this firm’s philosophy towards the arts as an economic development unit. The nonprofit arts and culture industry generates $49.1 million in annual economic activity in the City of Portland, Maine. And that’s just the non-profits in Portland. Not included are for-profit businesses in the entire State of Maine. Ask your local web developer, graphic designer, photographer, or freelance journalist: The creative economy is for real. This firm would never have been formed if the creative economy in Maine was not robust. There must be a critical mass of demand in order to create, much less sustain, a law firm dedicated to this sector. The term “Art” must be interpreted broadly to encapsulate the true creativity that goes into so many new and budding businesses, at least as far as we can see here at Opticliff Law. The vast majority of my clients are artists in their own right, whether under the traditional understanding of that term or not. I believe in the arts as an economic driver. Art works for Portland, and art works for Maine.
Artists are workers too
As the arts become more relevant in the larger conversation about the locally-owned, locally-focused businesses that will survive any meltdown or crash that accountability-free pundits have cursed our economy with, we MUST consider that people making a living off of their own creativity are legitimate contributors to our collective well-being. It’s not just the products they produce or services they provide, but the addition they make to culture and real world experience. They enhance our visual and auditory understanding of the endless possibilities of what humans are capable of, and we honor that. Our hope, through our business and legal support of entities and individuals pursuing artistic and creative endeavors, we can aid in the enhanced legitimacy of the creativity that makes all of our lives better.
Art “works” are protected by the Copyright Act
Everyone knows about ”artworks”: these are the fruits of an artist’s labor. However, nerdily, we must also point out that it is “works” that are protected under the Copyright Act. We deal with works everyday, be they musical scores, prints of an oil painting, a photograph, or a feature film. Whether it is leveraging a work through creative licensing, or helping a client recover unpaid royalties for an improperly used copy, works have a great deal of meaning to a firm like ours.
Thank you for supporting the arts.
Art works, indeed. I hope you like the sticker and stick it proudly showing that you too understand the impact that creativity has on our daily lives, in Maine and beyond.
