The story of emerging artist Rae Wilson, defrauded in a handshake deal, illuminates artists' risks when working without legal guidance or contracts. The painter/mosaic artist, along with attorneys and a public art collaborator, confirms the need for artists to acquire knowledge about their rights under copyright law and contract negotiation to protect their work and business.
ART COMMISSIONS
Rae Wilson
Born and raised in Central Illinois, emerging artist Rae Wilson began developing her painting practice in 2016 with commissioned portraits out of her Chicago home studio. Her early experience included partnering with the mural arts organization, Greenstar Movement, with whom she collaborated on several large-scale works located throughout the Chicago area.
The artist's practice focuses on imaginative nature-themed compositions and portraits in acrylic on canvas, and her work is included in private collections across the country. She participated in an artist-in-residence program at the WNDR Museum in 2020. A selection of Wilson's more recent work debuted in December 2020 in an exhibition organized by the Gallery Cafe, Chicago, featuring local artists. Wilson appears in the documentary film ART COMMISSIONS, which offers insight into the emerging artist's financial and creative challenges when accepting commissions.
Coco Soodek
Coco Soodek is a corporate lawyer with 22 years’ experience creating companies and doing deals. Coco works with a wide range of business people in both old economy and new economy industries. As an art lawyer, Coco represents auction houses, galleries, dealers, artists, estates and collectors when art becomes a controversy, a commodity or a calling. Coco is the current Art Law Editor for the iconic LexisNexis treatise, Entertainment Industry Contracts.
Coco is frequently called on to speak to entrepreneurs on how to start, run and prosper from business. As founder of Profit and Laws, Inc., a business advisory firm, she partners with experts in finance, law, marketing, insurance and product development to empower entrepreneurs at all levels through immersive educational experiences and consulting. In Chicago, Coco has conducted law and business workshops at 2112, 1871, the LGBT Chamber of Commerce and Chicago Public Libraries.
Coco wrote Birth to Buyout: Law for the Life Cycle of Your Business, the bestselling guide to business law for the entrepreneur. She has also written for Crain’s New York, Huffington Post, Art Calendar Magazine and Crain’s Chicago, which named her one of Forty Under 40 Business Leaders to Watch.
Coco hosted her own nationally syndicated radio show, “Coco Soodek Live,” on the Lifestyle Talk Radio Network, a terrestrial radio network reaching over 20 major markets, covering a mix of business, entrepreneurship, politics and law. She frequently appeared on the Fox News Justice with Jeanine Pirro show and other programs representing the liberal viewpoint and on a variety of shows. Coco serves on a number of civic and philanthropic boards as well as campaigns for Democratic candidates and issues.
Anthony Hirschel
Museum and Arts Consultant, AGH Arts Strategies, and Lecturer in Law, University of Chicago
Patrice Perkins
Founding Partner, Creative Genius Law
Joel Straus
Principal and Public Art Collaborator, Straus Art Group
