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Artist Resource Library > Legal > Insurance & Liability

Insurance & Liability

Article By Fresh Arts Intern
Added To Legal
/ August 07, 2019

This page aims to provide links to insurance and liability guides, providers, and other factors to consider when insuring works of art and/or artists.

Don’t know where to start?

Intro to Navigating Insurance by Houston Arts Alliance

Types of insurance to consider for artists/spaces (Source):

Commercial Property – This form of coverage protects the physical property that you use for your art business from certain perils, such as fire, flood, storm damage, vandalism, and theft, for example. It covers both the physical structure of your property, as well as the contents within it. For instance, if a pipe bursts and your studio, canvases, paints, brushes, wood floors, ceiling tiles, and anything else were damaged, instead of having to pay for the damages yourself, your insurance would foot the bill.

Commercial General Liability – This type of insurance protects you against any third-party injuries or property damage that may arise on your property or as a result of the services that you offer. If you and your crew ever damaged a client’s property while installing a work of art or someone slipped on a puddle in your gallery, commercial general liability insurance would cover the cost of the associated damages and medical care. It would also assist with any legal expenses, should a third-party file a lawsuit.

Workers’ Compensation – If you employ a staff or you rely on volunteers, you’ll also need to carry workers comp insurance. Should a volunteer or employee sustain an injury or become ill as a result of conditions within the workplace, your workers’ comp policy would cover the cost of any necessary medical care. If the individual is unable to work while recovering, it would also partially reimburse missed wages. Should he or she file a lawsuit, workers’ comp could also help to pay legal expenses.