BogusArtFair.Info

Last week, I received my e-invitation to the Florence Biennale. Although the event is a vanity show (i.e. you must pay to exhibit), it is legitimate and many artists have shown there happily (the Sculpture Community forum has a discussion on the 2005 event). Artists are encouraged to contact the organizers for more information if they are interested, and to evaluate the opportunity to ensure that it meets their needs.

A new scammer has been reported by a CARFAC Ontario member. The scammers are becoming more elaborate in there schemes; in this one, the "art buyer" also has the artist correspond directly with the shipping company.

I have received confirmation from Art Business News magazine that the article posted on Yajnavalka Inc.'s website "was covered in the issue of Today's Top Publishers, which was a supplement guide in the Art Business News Magazine for September '06."

I am upgrading Yajnavalka Inc. from "status: undetermined" to "legitimate", but advise artists to continue to use their best judgment when working with any out-of-town gallery.

I have been notified that "Gordon Jones" of "DTArtwork & Co" is offering people in Canada and the US the chance to "Earn $350 Weekly Direct from your home (Part-Time Job Offer)". The letter reads as an obvious, albiet creative, version of the cheque scam.

192.com, an online business directory for the UK, does not have "DTArtwork" in its database. The website for DTArtwork (www.dtartswork.4t.com) is hosted by FreeServers.com and their email address is hosted by GMail.

An online search for "DTArtwork" results in several discussions in which they have been identified as a scam:
Discussion at Google Groups rec.arts.fine
Discussion at ArtScuttlebutt
Rip Off Report log
Discussion at Groupserv.com Hobbies

Yajnavalka Inc. has been contacting artists online, and it seems like the majority of the emails are being sent through artistsspace.org (one of many online portfolio websites for artists). To date, I have been able to confirm that they are a real business entity, but not much beyond that. I have not been able to confirm their claims with any certainty, and advise artists outside of Texas to proceed with caution when dealing with them.

There is also a discussion on Yajnavalka Inc. at WetCanvas: http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=394251

I have received an email from Melissa from Benefit 5, confirming that they are now legally registered as a non-profit corporation in the State of LA under number LCO 36376921N as of Feb. 7, 2007.

Artists who are interested in donating to charities with their artwork are encouraged to do so through Benefit 5.

I have been advised of Benefit 5, "whose mission is to raise much needed funds for a variety of 501-c-3 organizations via the sale of donated and consigned works of art and design". Their premise is quite good and offers artists the option of donating artwork outright or taking a 65/35 artist/gallery split on consigned work. At the moment, I would recommend that artists who are not local to New Orleans wait until Benefit 5 receives 501-c-3 status or acquires fiscal sponsorship before donating work.

Carl at the Sculpture Community has reported another scammer. Note that her email address is hosted by MyWay.com, which is a standard search engine/portal website. Click "read more" to read her email.

Coxsoft Art has a writeup on computers being hijacked to do the dirty work for spammers, plus some links to software to remove the offending trojans and bots.

This morning, I received an e-mailled call for sculptors from the director of the Blue Dragon Art Company for the Hualien International Stone Sculpture Festival. After some quick investigation, I have come to the conclusion that this is a legitimate sculpture festival.