Information for Artists

The Society

BAMS exists to promote and encourage medallic art, including the production of contemporary work. Its members are makers, collectors and enthusiasts of medals. BAMS is a non profit making organisation, and is linked to a charity, the British Art Medal Trust (registered charity no. 288869), which publishes The Medal, a bi-annual magazine with an international reputation dealing with contemporary medals and the history of medallic art. The medals commissioned by the Society are publicised and offered for sale in The Medal and on the Society's website (www.bams.org.uk). Medals no longer for sale remain permanently in the website galleries. The medals are sometimes placed on temporary exhibition by the Society.

Subjects for medals

The choice of subject matter is left to the artist, but the Society suggests subjects if required. Medals should generally be less than 10cm. (4in.) in diameter and weigh less than 1 kg. (2 lb).

Medals cast and finished by the artist

Artists who arrange production themselves should agree the cost with the Society before proceeding. Bills for casting and finishing should be sent to the Secretary who commissioned the medal, for forwarding to the Treasurer. The Society will need an example of the medal at least three months before publication of The Medal (i.e. in June or December). Where medals are produced by the artist, the commission payment to the artist is £30 per medal sold (the Society will pay an advance of £300 against the sale of the first ten immediately prior to publication).

Medals cast by the Society

Artists wishing the Society to make their medal should contact Danuta Solowiej, 17 Tabard Street, London SE1 4LA (tel. 020 7403 2226; email danuta.solowiej@virgin.net). Models for medals to be cast by the Society should generally be less than 10 cm. (4 inches) in diameter and weigh less than 1 kg. (2 lb). The Society will need a model of the medal at least six months before publication (i.e. in March or September). Where medals are produced by BAMS, the commission payment to the artist is £15 per medal sold (the Society will pay an advance of £300 against the sale of the first twenty immediately prior to publication).

All Medals

Commission payments: Commission payments: An advance commission payment of £300 is made immediately prior to the publication of the medal. Subsequent commission payments are paid to artists annually in the Spring.
Moral rights: The moral rights to the work belong to the artist.
Copyright: Copyright of the work belongs to the Society, or otherwise by negotiation, but in all cases both the artist and the Society may reproduce the medal photographically. All sales of the medal must be directed through the Society. Two examples are retained by BAMS for exhibition. Artists are entitled to two free examples (which may be marked AP), and can acquire/retain more at cost price for their own personal use (that is, for their own archive or for use as gifts). The artist's original model shall become the property of the Society, unless negotiated otherwise.
Editions: The maximum size of an edition will be one hundred, plus the artist's two examples (which may be marked AP for Artist's Proof). The actual number will be fixed after the medal has been offered in three issues of The Medal (approximately eighteen months). Sales tend to be in the range of 20-80. It would be appreciated if artists would sign their medal and number the edition.
Publication: For deadlines, see above. Artists are asked to provide notes about themselves and the medal (including a title) for inclusion in The Medal magazine and the Society's website. The photography for reproduction is arranged by the Society. Those artists with a website should inform the Society, so that reciprocal links can be built between that site and the Society's site. Artists are requested to inform the Society if they create a website at a later stage, so that links can be created.
Pricing: Medals are priced according to the following formula: Price to members = Cost of production + artist's commission payment + BAMS overheads and postage and packing. Thus a medal costing £40 to cast and finish will be priced at about £100.