Thank you for taking the time to make contact, and apologies for the delay in responding. We are well aware of your fine site, and, in fact, were sitting one table away from your site's representatives at the GII Awards in San Francisco. Congratulations!

Q:  Do you get requests from students for digital images and information?

A:  We receive many inquiries regarding the usage of the digital pieces on display at MOWA, however we do not know what percentage of these requests are from students. Regardless, permission to use anything from the MOWA website is required.

Q: Can students write to the artists for permission to use their images?

A: Certainly, students and all people can write to the artists to request the use of their work. That's what we did at MOWA!

Q: Can children ask you for images and information for educational website?

A: All people and that includes children may request the use of images and information for any purpose, even exceeding the realm of the Web. We are always happy to provide more information to whomever requests it this is what the Web is all about, after all information!

Q: Do you have information about how artists think about the use of their art on the internet?

A: Although we don't have any "official" documentation on the subject, what we do know is that the Internet provides artists with a global audience that was previously out of reach to the struggling, undiscovered talents.
Successful artists and newcomers alike are embracing this new arena, if not as an artistic medium in itself, then at least as a potentially lucrative and inexpensive means of public relations and self promotion. This is a
phenomenal shift in the art world that is already having an electrifying effect on the most established institutions, businesses, and participants in the fine art community.

Q: We think that students go to museum web sites looking for pictures and information to put on their educational web sites but they don't know how to ask for permission. We would like to publish a few paragraphs about how you decide who should receive permission to use your information for the
internet.

A: The key to asking permission to use art or information on a website is being specific:

        1) State what it is you wish to use (provide a URL and a description of what you are requesting, to eliminate any room for misunderstanding you don't want someone to think you wish to reproduce the
entire site, for example!), and explain your reasons for the request.

        2) Be sure to clarify how you intend to present the requested materials i.e., are you going to want a copy of the materials to place on your own server, or can you simply reference the materials as they exist on
their current server? Some people specifically want to avoid an increase in traffic to their own server, while others prefer materials to remain on their server, but will let people display them on their own sites using
direct links. If you're flexible, let the person know that.

        3) People are mostly concerned about losing control of their creative assets, both in terms of integrity and financial gain. You should therefore make a point of stating that their work will not be used for promotional or commercial purposes, but strictly for educational value; and that their materials will not be altered in any way. At MOWA, part of our agreement with artists is that they can scrutinize how we display and credit their work before it goes live to the public. This way, if they have any objections, concerns, or criticisms or even find a typo we can correct it in private and keep everyone happy in the process. At the same time, when everything meets with the artist's approval, we then have the go ahead to make the work live to the public in writing (via email), which is our legal proof that we had permission to use the requested materials. So, the next point is very important:
        4) Always get approval in writing!

        5) Finally, the best advice we can offer, since the Web is, after all, a new medium, and many people don't think twice about taking materials from other people's website and displaying them on their own, is: Be
honest, be sincere, and explain your purpose as best you can. Few will turn down such requests, particularly since too few people ask permission in the first place. Genuine requests for the betterment of the Web and the
information it provides are almost always met with a "yes." Unless you are dealing with high profile entities, such as the motion picture industry, Fortune 500 companies, or national galleries, it is unlikely your requests
will be turned down.

Q: We would like permission to use a picture of your choice on our website as a link to your site.
A: Go right ahead and use anything you'd like that is part of the MOWA website. If you want something by a specific artist other than Amy Stone, just let me know what you'd want to use, so I can get permission.

We wish you all the best with your virtuous endeavor to educate and enlighten, and if we can be of further assistance, please don't hesitate to ask.

Sincerely,

Amy Stone
Founder & Project Director
Museum of Web Art
http://www.mowa.org
astone@mowa.org