e-Pulsar - Aug

e-Pulsar Aug - Sep 99

A NOTE FROM THE PRES...

I had a surprise phone call -- a looooong call -- from none other then Bert Ulrich at NASA. I took the opportunity to chat to Bert and express our concerns. Now it may be that Bert is very good actor, or that I'm easily impressed (but I don't think so :-) ), but he came over as being genuinely sorry and indeed puzzled that we in the IAAA perceive some kind of conflict between the NASA Art Program and ourselves. There is absolutely NO way they they have been deliberately 'snubbing' us, he said. But he admitted that it's more a case that NASA has always sought out more 'mainstream' artists, from galleries, museums etc., and has not really been aware of the IAAA except as illustrators. I explained that while that does apply to a number of us, other artists work in a whole variety of styles and media, and I suggested he look at our website and follow up the links to individual artists, which he said he would definitely do. He added that it was only natural that NASA wanted to include as many artistic styles as possible, and get away from purely illustrative work, which is understandable. But they do not exclude us.

There was a lot more, but it boils down to the fact that we HAVE now made contact and he has promised not to ignore us in the future. Further, today I received the following e-mail, which answers my original letter asking about NASA's position on copyright. And there's no further excuse for IAAA artists (as long as they're American. . .) being excluded from the NASA Art program. (But it will be interesting to see what response they get.)

OK, it's down to you now guys! . . . . . Dave H

Dear Dave:

Regarding your inquiry, if imagery is being used as a visual reference for artistic purposes, I cannot imagine that there would be a problem with virtually any subject. One possible exception might be privacy issues involved with astronaut imagery (if they are recognizable). If an artist were to do a painting of Neil Armstrong, for example, and that image were to be sold commercially, he could technically undergo legal action against that artist selling his likeness commercially. I would veer away from recognizable people.

Otherwise, you should be fine. The copyright language on the web is geared towards protecting the works of art in the NASA Art Program (which shouldn't be reproduced without proper permission).

By the way, please tell your members that if they are American citizens and are interested in doing a commission for the art program, they should submit slides to me at Bert Ulrich, NASA Art Program, Code POS, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20009. There are fewer commissions and no art "teams" sent down to KSC these days (rarely do artists get sent down anymore and it is usually one at a time). Nonetheless, we would be excited to review the great talents in your organization.

Thanks and if you need anything else, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely, Bert