Sculptors Unite! Recently, I and several other sculptors I know who live and work in the State of California have been assaulted by the State Board of Equalization, the sales tax arm of the bureacracy. They are claiming that when we perform work for hire, designing commissioned products for various companies, that all income we recieve from this work is subject to sales tax. They are taking the position that what we do is inherently less artistic than the work of Authors, Musicians , and even Graphic Artists, all of whom have been granted exceptions to this law because what they do is considered "creative intellectual labor". Apparently, creating designs with clay makes our creations somehow less intellectual than these other "true" artists. A few of us are putting together the tax board equivalent of a class action suit. In this way, we can share the costs of putting on the same kind of legal defense that got Authors and Musicians exempted. If you are a sculptor or other form of artist, working in the State of California, you either will be or already have been affected by this illegal interpretation of the tax code. Please contact me at sculptor@tfb.com if you are interested in fighting the good fight and overturning this appalling injustice. The more artists we can gather together, the less expensive and more powerful a team we can assemble to take this on. With 500 artists on board, the costs will drop to under $10 per artist per month to have the best representaion that money can buy fighting for our collective interests. Joni Mitchel won from the State $800,000 in back taxes paid. There is no risk in contacting me- I just want to discuss the possibilities with as many of you as I can. Please, e-mail me if you are affected by this blood sucking horror- I am sharpening a damn big stake. Christopher Pardell sculptor@tfb.com