FAQ
ONE SMALL TOWN - ONLINE GALLERY - Q & A
What sort of consignment agreement will we have?
(ANSWER) The standard norm is 3 months but can be adjusted to the artist's needs; or it can be subjected to gallery auctions and exhibition calendar dates.
We suggest that you (the artist), leave your work on display at all time, once loaded online, to catch a potential buyer. If you are made an offer in a private capacity, we suggest that you refer the buyer to make the purchase on the Art Gallery website. This way you will continue to receive royalties from future re-sales of your work.
Do you take part in art fairs, and will you bring my work to them?
The OST online Art Gallery is a unique new way of selling art so that it continues to benefit the artist. We plan to develop a way in which we can display the OST artists at Art Fairs. In such instances, the sales will take place on the gallery website – so that the artists continue to receive their royalties in the future. All of this is possible.
Will I have any say in who my work is sold to?
Will I even know who is buying my work?
All buyers of art on the OST online gallery must sign-up on the website to make a bid on the art. This way the artist will always know who the buyer is. The artist will have a right to refuse a sale if there are very specific reasons for refusing the sale. Such parameters are covered in the T&Cs. The benefit with the OST gallery is that all future buyers and owners of the art will also be known to the artist. This does not include contact details. This may result in a possible relationship between the owner and artist – where the owners may invite artists to special events where their art is displayed. This will create an additional income stream from appearance fees by the artists. OST online gallery will create such a function on the website for owners to send invitations. OST gallery may also help to manage the appearance fee structure on behalf of the artist where necessary.
What are your expectations and goals here?
We expect to create a whole new way for artists to sell their work and continue to benefit from ongoing royalties, including direct engagements with owners and future buyers at special events. Our goal is to give artists the same kind of reward received by musicians and authors from the sales and ongoing future royalties of their work.
How is your reputation? OST’s Reputation.
The ONE SMALL TOWN initiative has been in the making for almost 2 decades, and it is now reaching maturity and growing rapidly in many countries. We have several million supporters around the world. We have a long track record that anyone can investigate. We are proud to be the leading humanitarian initiative, that presents real and lasting solutions to the people of the world who are seeking a better way to live, to cooperate, and collaborate for the benefit of all. We believe that a beautiful utopian world of unity, peace and harmony is possible – and we are building it.
What is the purpose of virtual gallery?
The OST online art gallery is a website that displays works of art, and gives artists from all over the world a credible platform to show their work to art lovers and collectors around the world. The gallery is promoted by the supporters of the OST initiative. Artists do not have to leave their physical work in a physical gallery, with all the potential risks associated with it. This reduces the risk to the artists dramatically. The online gallery is run as a business to benefit the artist more than any other entity. Other variations include an online art market for collectors also known as an online secondary market.
Why is online art gallery important?
An online art gallery also allows its members to display their artwork without worrying about expenses or possible loss of their work. These galleries are unlike physical art galleries, where artists are expected to pay high costs for showing their own work. The main benefit is the ongoing royalties from future sales of the art. Artists continue to receive a 10% royalty from every future sale of their art, as long as it is sold through the OST Gallery.
Am I expected to cover any costs or pay any fees?
There are no costs for you to cover for selling your art on the OST online Art Gallery. There are however strict Terms & conditions that apply to artists and buyers to protect both from exploitation.
What commission does the OST gallery take?
The OST Gallery takes 40% commission. The artist determines the minimum amount they want to receive from the sale. The Gallery then adds 40% to that amount, which becomes the displayed selling price on the website. (30% to OST Gallery and 10% to OST Office)
Do they offer genuine public relations and marketing services?
YES – The OST PR and marketing team will continue with a global campaign to reach art lovers, buyers and collectors worldwide. OST uses social media specialists to target groups and individuals and grow a global database of customers and clients. The campaign will continue 24/7 and constantly come up with new ideas and strategies, because our online gallery never closes.
Who determines the price of your work?
The artist will suggest the price they want. An agreement between the gallery and the artist will be made regarding the asking price of the art.
When will you be notified of sales?
Every artist will receive notifications of offers and sales of their work, as long as it is listed on the OST online Gallery. Notifications will come via email or SMS, or WhatsApp – or the OST internal messaging system which is currently in development. This will be finalised during the sign-up process by artists.
How soon do you get paid after the sale?
Artists are paid upon proof of delivery of art to the buyer. Online artist will have the responsibility to pack and ship the sold art to the customer. This is because the art is not in our gallery, it is in possession of the artist. This will be concluded between the buyer and artist. The cost of packaging and shipping will be determined by artist on a case by case basis because of location and packaging requirements for the specific work of art.
Packaging & Shipping of Art
The artist will pack the art as securely as possible – Artist will get a price/quote for the shipping from a trusted shipper. Shippers/couriers will be pre-approved by OST and artist to ensure the credibility of the shipper. Shipper will send quote to artist and customer. Customer will pay shipper. Shipper will collect art from artist and deliver to customer. Shipper sends proof of deliver to artist and OST. OST releases funds to artist upon proof of delivery.
What kind of effort do they make to sell the work?
The OST management is very proud of the OST Online Art Gallery. It is a great new innovation that helps artist around the world in ways that have not been experienced before. The OST PR and marketing team will continue with a global marketing campaign to reach art lovers, buyers and collectors worldwide. We will use all the social media tools and specialists available to target groups and individuals and grow a global database of customers and clients.
Who will pay for invitations, receptions and advertising?
All costs regarding PR, marketing, events, launches, etc, are carried by the OST Gallery.
Who will be responsible for the logistics (Shipping) after the sale of the artwork?
Online artist will have the responsibility to pack and ship the sold art to the customer. This is because the art is not in our gallery, it is in possession of the artist. This will be concluded between the buyer and artist. The cost of packaging and shipping will be determined by artist on a case by case basis because of location and packaging requirements for the specific work of art. The artist invoices the customer, the customer will pay the artist – the artist will pack and send the art. Once OST receives a proof of delivery of the art from the courier company, OST will pay artist immediately or as soon as possible.
Will the client details be shared with the artist?
Names and details of the buyer may be shared with the artist, subject to Client permission and discretion. Both artists and clients will determine if they want their contact details shared. Buyers may want to invite artists to special events, launches, parties, etc. This may increase income potential for artists when charging appearance fees, etc.
What is an NFT? (Non-fungible token)
NFT stands for non-fungible token. It is a unique digital identifier that is recorded on a blockchain and is used to certify ownership and authenticity. It cannot be copied, substituted, or subdivided. The ownership of an NFT is recorded in the blockchain and can be transferred by the owner, allowing NFTs to be sold and traded. OST art Gallery has developed a way to convert each original art piece into an NFT – so that it cannot be copied or replicated, or forged. Each art piece becomes the NFT itself. It will be sold with a Certificate of Authenticity, connected to the NFT associated with each work of art. Each work of art can be scanned to verify its authenticity within seconds.
What is a “SMART CONTRACT”?
A smart contract is generally an online, computer program or a transaction protocol that is intended to automatically execute, control or document events and actions according to the terms of a contract or an agreement between the signatories. Smart contracts are used by online crypto traders to ensure highly secure transactions and accountability.
What is a “BLIND AUCTION”?
Also known as a First-price Sealed-bid Auction, is a common type of auction. It is also known as blind auction. In this type of auction, all bidders submit sealed bids so that no bidder knows the bid of any other participant. The sale of the item on offer automatically goes to the highest bidder. All OST online art will be launched on a Blind Auction basis the first time it is offered online. There will always be a minimum asking price (reserve price) displayed with each item on OST Bilind Auctions.
Does the gallery have exclusive selling rights of the art?
Yes, exclusive selling rights will be held by the gallery. This will only be applicable to artworks that are registered to the OST online gallery platform. Terms and Conditions apply.