Artist Steven Hardock received
purchase and merit awards
at the 2007 IMAGES Festival.

If you've ever perused the show reviews in Sunshine Artist or looked at ads for art festivals, you've probably seen the words "purchase awards" or "patron-purchase program." But unless you've actually exhibited at a show that has them, you probably are as clueless as a carnival promoter trying to tell buy/sell from original art.

You're not alone. As a recent conversation with an artist illustrated, not many show exhibitors - especially new ones - understand purchase awards. "I don't know what their point is," the artist told me. "Why do artists get awards for selling? I mean, if they have already made a lot of money from selling their work, why do they need award money?"

Well, that's not exactly how purchase awards work. In most cases, shows - usually those sponsored by art leagues, as opposed to for-profit promoters - ask patrons to donate money in advance, which usually allows patrons to claim a tax exemption. Many shows then keep a small percentage of the money and issue the patrons a coupon or certificate that can be used, same as cash, to buy art at the show. And patrons are often given ribbons that they present to the artists after making a purchase. It allows the patrons to feel important, and it gives the artists something nice to hang in their booths. Although, ultimately, a purchase "award" is the same as a regular cash purchase, it often makes everyone involved feel a bit more special.