Do I Need Artist Insurance?
Maybe you’ve heard a story about an artist getting sued, or you’ve thought insurance wouldn’t be something you need. Getting caught up in a bad situation with your small business might seem like a far off idea — but it can be lurking just around the canvas.
Artist insurance is a great way to keep your small creative business safe. Today ACT Insurance is going to dive into the details of their coverage created for artists like you.
What Is Artist Insurance?
Artist insurance is a type of coverage designed to cover you and your work for any accidents that may happen. If someone trips in your studio and is hurt, or a particularly heavy piece of artwork comes crashing down and causes damages, you could be held liable for those incidents. Think of it like a varnish or a glaze, but for your business. It’s an invisible protective layer that can keep your artwork safe. If something happens to it, your insurance may help you with the costs accrued. Some examples include:
● Paying for the medical bills of an injured customer
● Covering the cost to repair a damaged wall
● Getting actual cash value for stolen artwork
● Having the funds for a lawsuit with an angry customer
Insurance is also your ticket into many shows, events, galleries, and stores. Many places require, at minimum, the artist to carry general liability insurance. Some may also require you to have product liability insurance. Even if it isn’t a requirement, it still shows you plan ahead and take your work very seriously.
If you sell your work through online marketplaces, you will likely want to be insured. A lot of sites, like Etsy, don’t cover you for claims where your artwork caused injuries or damages. This is a lot of responsibility to place on the shoulders of creatives, but that weight can be relieved with insurance.
Whether you create one of a kind pieces or sell prints of your work, having artists insurance is a good idea. You never expect your work to be damaging or harmful, but in a society where lawsuits feel like commonplace, it’s a proactive step in protecting your artwork.
What Kinds Of Coverage Does Artist Insurance Offer?
Depending on the type of plan you choose, most artist insurance will offer General Liability Insurance. This can cover you for the standard slip-and-fall accident that may occur in your booth at an event, or if your artwork damages the walls in a gallery during an exhibit. This type of coverage can be found in the ACT Show policy. This is a short-term policy that can last 1–90 days and includes General Liability Insurance, Damage to Premises Rented to You, and a Medical Expense Limit.
It also offers free unlimited additional insureds, making it the number one choice for artists attending events or showcasing their work in an exhibit. You can enjoy coverage in all 50 states and 24/7 access to your policy documents.
For artists that need more coverage beyond attending shows, we have an ACT Annual policy. This includes everything found in the Show policy, as well as Product Liability Insurance. This covers you for injuries or damages your work causes customers. If they cut their hand on a sharp piece of glass or a defective bowl shatters in a dishwasher, causing repairs to be made, your insurance could help pay for these costs.
You’ll also have Personal & Advertising Injury coverage on your policy. If you were photographed at an event and use that photo in some ads you choose to run online, and the photographer tries to sue, you could be covered. In addition to these included coverages, you can add on optional coverages. These include:
● Tools, Supplies, & Inventory Coverage, a coverage that insures the items you use to create your artwork. While we can’t insure your finished pieces of art for retail value, we can insure it for actual cash value. Meaning we may cover the cost of the supplies needed to create your art. If you are shipping your artwork to a customer, and it is damaged, we can help pay for the cost to create a new piece. If someone stole your inventory, we could help you pay for the items lost.
● Professional Liability Insurance, a coverage that helps to protect you from accidents that occur while you are teaching art classes. Let’s say you’re teaching at a paint night in someone’s home, and one of the attendees accidentally knocks over your palette of paint, causing it to splatter onto an expensive rug. The owner has to get it professionally cleaned, and is wanting you to pay the bill. Your insurance could help you cover this cost.
● Cyber Liability Insurance, a coverage that can help you in the case of a cyber attack. It can help you retrieve lost or stolen customer information, digitized files of your work, stolen funds, and any other sensitive business information you keep online. While some of these scenarios don’t happen every day, they still do happen. Some of the most common claims we see at ACT are often covered under our annual policy, making it a great protection plan for artists.
How Much Does Artist Insurance Cost?
Because ACT offers two different policies, the final cost for your policy can vary. The Show policy starts at $49 for 1–3 days of coverage, and the Annual policy starts at $279. These are the base policies you can tailor to meet your individual needs. Increasing your days of coverage will increase the price on the Show policy, and adding optional coverages to the Annual policy will increase your total price.
If you ever have any questions about your coverage, you can speak with a licensed agent at 844-520-6991.
Get Artists Insurance With ACT Today!
Insuring your artwork is one of the best preventive steps you can take to running a safer small business. Get peace of mind and confidently keep creating knowing ACT has your back. It’s your job to paint and our job to protect it.
Join the thousands of artists in the ACT community and insure your work today!
Art Connective is proud to partner with ACT Insurance to bring you top-rated coverage. Friends, followers, and artists can use the code “art5” for a discount on Show policies and the code “art10” for a discount on Annual policies. You can buy a policy online today by clicking here!
Note: ACT Insurance can cover fine arts painters and craft painters, but not muralists, street artists, or art installations.