Meredith Bergmann is an American Sculptor who both creates public monuments & sculpts on a private scale. She lives in NYC, and has created the Boston Women’s Memorial (2003), is currently working on the FDR Hope Memorial for Roosevelt Island, and has also created the 9/11 Memorial at Cathedral of St John the Divine. In this episode of the Thriving Artist Podcast, Meredith helps us understand what goes into managing large scale art projects. Topics include:
The trials and tribulations of doing commissions, especially large public art ones
Managing project scope, objectives, and expectations
Dependency on 3rd parties (e.g. foundries)
Contracts and payment by project milestones (not time)
The financial side – getting paid in chunks without knowing how long each check is supposed to last
Why do your best work even when the money isn’t there?
“The biggest skill is not to panic.”
Special issues sculptors face vs. other visual artist.
Not being limited by genre biases
The influence of motherhood
Marketing strategy – then and now

Meredith Bergmann is an insightful guest, and anyone doing large, commissioned projects can’t afford to miss this 30-minute episode. Listen now, or download and take it with you on your phone or mobile device. Meredith Bergmann may be reached at http://meredithbergmann.com/ (meredithbergmann.com)
If you’re a working artist, feel free to visit our https://clarkhulingsfund.org/grants/ (Grants page). If you’re an arts industry professional, collector, or business specialist, or a working artist who would like to be interviewed, visit our https://clarkhulingsfund.org/teach-learn/ (Teach and Learn) page. As always, even a modest donation is meaningful; and that page is https://clarkhulingsfund.org/donate/ (here).