What Does an Ethical Code of Conduct Look Like for Artists?

Not Real Art

“First, do no harm.” Written nearly 2,500 years ago in Greece, the Hippocratic Oath and its principles hold a sacred place in the hearts and minds of doctors to this day. Traditionally sworn by graduating medical-school students, the Oath remains the gold standard for ethical practices in Western Medicine. While codes of ethical conduct are commonplace throughout medicine and science, the art world is sorely lacking a similar system to hold industry professionals accountable for their actions. What would it look like if artists had their own version of this solemn pledge?

“I think that artists need to swear an oath as well,” says NOT REAL ART founder and podcast host Scott “Sourdough” Power in today’s episode. “An oath of ethical behaviors, an oath to a certain level of performance that's based on a mutually agreed upon set of ethics and values so that artists, art buyers, and arts professionals [are] confident and comfortable that people are behaving well and not behaving badly.”

Picture a code of conduct tailored for artists, patrons, and creative professionals alike, a compass to help navigate the complexities of artistic endeavor. In these uncertain times, we at NOT REAL ART believe the need for an effective creative code is more pressing than ever. In today’s episode, Scott delves into what this oath might entail and how it could benefit artists in the long run: “If [artists] could create a culture that's rooted in a mutual set of ethics and values that we all agreed to and we had our own pledge, our own oath that we swore to that everybody knew what it was and held us accountable, we would behave better, and we would do better.”

Want to be part of a more ethical art world? Tune in to today’s episode, then submit your own version of the artist’s ethical code for a chance to be featured on NOT REAL ART.

Key Points From This Episode:

• What the Hippocratic Oath is and what it means for physicians
• Reasons that the art world needs its own Hippocratic Oath
• How a mutually agreed upon set of ethics and values could benefit artists
• Listener challenge: submit your Hippocratic Oath for artists!
• Why an artist’s reputation is so important at the end of the day

For more information, please visit http://notrealart.com/hippocratic-oath