Tag Archives: uncleebeneezer

Warning about Vending outside MSG this New Years Run

We posted this each year as a heads up to Phish fans who might be selling posters, shirts, stickers, pins or other items outside of MSG. Read on for a true life story from the NYE 2010 run and avoid getting arrested this New Years Run!

Woke Up This Morning…

NYC Tax Evasion

One Way To Avoid Jail If You Plan On Vending This NYE run

by Uncle Ebeneezer 

If you enjoyed the Makisupa on 1/1/11, you’re welcome.  I got arrested before the show that day for selling artwork on the first poster I sold that day.  I was arrested with another phan who was selling pins (really awesome pins too).  Why?  Neither of us had a tax id. After selling a poster in front of the venue before doors opened, I was approached by a police officer and before I knew it, was in cuffs. I was searched and placed with a vendor who was selling pins. There was a semi-circle of 5 cops around us, as if we were active threats to public safety.  After a half hour, we were loaded into a paddy wagon and driven to a station to be booked. We were hassled and we were mocked at the station for being phans, we were threatened and insulted, we had our shoelaces, belts and strings from our hoodies removed, we were fingerprinted and photographed…all for selling posters and pins.   Luckily we made it out (with a ticket to appear in a New York City court in February) and inside the venue without missing any music, but I don’t recommend the experience to anyone.

This poster was the case

Following the steps below could have saved me from a major bummer of an experience. Be safe if you’re vending in NYC this year. Let’s face it, with all that is going on down on Wall Street, NYPD are going to be extra anxious to crack a few heads this year.  Don’t be that head. I made it out of the precinct and inside MSG without missing any music, but I don’t recommend it to anyone. The City of New York requires all vendors including artists and written matter vendors to have a sales tax ID and carry it with them while vending.

To apply for a NY State Tax ID
Go to: http://www.nystax.gov/forms/sales_cur_forms.htm
Use form # DTF-17 (Fill-in)
DTF-17-I (Instructions)
Application to Register for a Sales Tax Certificate of Authority.
Use the NAICS Code Lookup to locate the appropriate NAICS code for
your sales tax registration.
See also Publication 75
OR apply for a tax ID online at http://www.nys-opal.com/
click on Taxation and Finance, Department of
Then click Certificate of Authority to Collect Sales Tax

Some more great info courtesy of Noah Phence: http://knol.google.com/k/selling-art-on-the-street-the-basics#

Don’t be that head.

The need for a vending permit to sell anything in NYC was brought to our attention. According to this link, a vending permit is not needed for specific things:

LICENSE DESCRIPTION:

You must have a General Vendor license if you sell, lease, or offer to sell or lease goods or services in a public place. 

You do NOT need a General Vendor license if:

  • You sell newspapers, periodicals, books, pamphlets, or other written matter.
  • You sell artwork, including paintings, photographs, prints, and sculptures.
  • You sell food. Note: Food vending requires a license from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Call 311 or visit www.nyc.gov/health for information about food cart vendor licenses and permits.
  • You will only sell merchandise from a booth or stand at an authorized Street Fair (e.g., street fair, block party, or festival). Please note that you must obtain a Temporary Street Fair Vendor Permit to sell merchandise at an authorized Street Fair.
Phish fans could go so far as to argue that pins, shirts, etc… are artwork, and rightly so. PhanArt believes that anything that can be construed as taking a creative effort to design qualifies as art. This would not include food and other things that are more disposable, but this of course is up to the officer in question who approaches you. Be careful and if they ask you to stop selling, do so. It is artwork but is it worth going to jail for? More specifically, is it worth going to jail and missing Phish?

Disclaimer: While this information is a step to avoid problems from the police, it cannot prevent them from acting in their own judgment and arresting you for this or other offenses. PhanArt is offering this up as a potential to avoid arrest or harassment for vending in and around MSG. This is not iron clad and should not be treated as so. If you do take this advice, please remember to pay your taxes on the works you collect – both City of New York and State of New York taxes.

Greek Art show, Friday August 6th, 1 mile from the venue!

If you are going to the Greek Theater shows in Berkeley, then you are only a short walk from…….

Click for higher res, print and use map at the bottom!

Each piece in the show was created as a celebration of the Three day Phish run at The Greek Theatre, August 5-7, 2010 in Berkeley, California.

On tour, you see a lot of art one piece at a time as you stroll the lots. Some you walk by, others you have the chance to really check out.  Berkeley artist Ryan Kerrigan thought it would be interesting to gather everybody’s creations together, and have them hang for an extended period of time. Eleven artists total are represented in the exhibition: Ryan Kerrigan, A.J. Masthay, Isadora Bullock, Tripp, The Ebeneezers, Ian Millard, Jonathan Lamb, Michael Ortiz, Bruce Horan, Erin Cadigan, and Branden Otto

The show will hang all of August at Vintage Berkeley, a really sweet gallery/wine shop, just under one mile from The Greek Theater, in the “Gourmet Grotto“, Berkeley’s restaurant district. The opening reception will be Friday afternoon, August 7th,  from 12-2pm, and the vino will be flowin’.

Ryan Kerrigan says of Greek Art at Vintage Berkeley: “I’ve shown my work there three times in the past six years, usually solo (although Kerrigan has done an art show with his sister Kelly Anona Kerrigan at Vintage), this will be first time with a group. We have eleven artists for this one this show will focus solely on art related to the August Greek Phish run, and each artist will be showing only their piece related to this run.”

If you are going to the Greek, get yourself to Vintage Berkeley on August 7th from 12-2pm. A short walk for some great art and wine in an area known for its food, you can’t ask for a better pre-show activity!

Update 7/20: Art from Jonathan Lamb and Michael Ortiz:

The prints measure 17 x 15 and are gallery wrapped giclee prints on canvas.  Below are some photos of the finished prints.  All prints are signed and numbered by myself and Ortiz.  Edition of 20 and is $70.00+$15 shipping and can be directly purchased from me via paypal at lamb@likemindedproductions.net

Update 7/25/10 1:30pm

On sale at the GREEK ART show, from Branden Otto:

"Battle of Henrietta the Cyclops"

Update 7/26/10: New Prints from Ian Millard, Bruce Horan and Erin Cadigan!

Greek Columns by Ian K. Millard is a Gel Transfer over a stencil/spraypaint colored background on wood.It measures  11″ x 14″ x 1″ in a custom edition of 10

Ian Millard's Greek Columns

Bruce Horan’s 3-color screen print ‘Poseidon‘ is printed on Coventry Rag paper. It measures 15 x 20 inches in a signed and numbered edition of 85.

Bruce Horan

Erin Cadigan’sThe Greek” is an artist pulled screen print. Made with Gold Metallic ink on Pegasus #80 Cover, this is a 13″x20″ limited edition of 40 signed and numbered prints.

Erin Cadigan's The Greek