An artist's insurance question is usually asked by somebody else. A gallery, a fair, an open studio scheme or a commissioning body asks for a certificate, and the artist discovers that the practice has been running without one.
Who asks, and what they ask for
Galleries, art fairs, open studio trails, craft markets, festivals and local authorities almost all require public liability at a stated limit before an artist can exhibit or install. The limit is set by the venue rather than by the work, which is why a painter showing three canvases is often asked for the same figure as a contractor. Public liability here covers a visitor injured by a work falling, a plinth tipping, a trailing cable or a sculpture being climbed on.
Teaching, workshops and studio visitors
Many artists teach, and a workshop is a different exposure from an exhibition: participants using tools, kilns, solvents, printing presses or sharp implements under the artist's direction. Declaring the teaching is necessary, and insurers ask about age groups, group sizes and materials. An artist whose studio receives visitors, whether for sales or open days, has premises liability at an address that is frequently also their home, which raises the household policy question as well.
The work itself, in transit and on the wall
Public liability does not insure the art. Damage to or loss of the artist's own work in the studio, in transit to a show, and while on display is a separate property cover, and it is the one artists most often need and least often have. Consignment complicates it, because a gallery holding work on consignment may or may not insure it and the answer should be in the agreement rather than assumed. Insuring your own work also raises the valuation question, which is answered by a stated value schedule rather than by hope.
Commissions, installations and public art
A commissioned installation in a public place is construction work as far as liability is concerned: fixing, working at height, structural fixings, and a permanent object the public will interact with for years. Commissioning bodies set their own insurance requirements and often require professional indemnity as well, because a design that fails is a claim about the artist's advice rather than about an accident.
Questions people ask about public liability insurance for artists
Do artists need public liability insurance?
Not by law, but galleries, fairs, open studio schemes and commissioning bodies almost always require it at a stated limit before you can exhibit.
Does it cover damage to my artwork?
No. Public liability answers for injury and damage to other people. Your own work in the studio, in transit and on display needs separate property cover.
Is a workshop covered by the same policy?
Only if teaching is declared. Insurers ask about age groups, group sizes and the materials and equipment participants use.