Watershed is a working residency first and a gallery second. This page explains how the gallery is funded, and what every artist agrees to when they list work with us.
Why 15%
Running a residency is not free. Studio maintenance, subsidised accommodation, the cost of curating and operating this platform, payment processing, and the day-to-day running of a working coastal studio are all funded from a mix of small grants, private support and, increasingly, this gallery.
A 15% commission is well below the 40–50% typical of physical galleries, and it lets us keep the residency affordable for the artists we host. It also means every purchase here directly supports the next residents on the coast.
What artists agree to
- Watershed deducts a 15% platform commission from the artwork price of each sale. The artist receives the remaining 85% of the artwork price plus 100% of any shipping fee they set.
- Payments are processed through Stripe Connect. Each artist connects their own Stripe account from the Payouts tab in the portal. Stripe handles identity verification, tax forms, and bank details directly. Watershed never sees or stores this information.
- On every sale, Stripe automatically splits the payment: 85% + shipping to the artist's connected bank account, 15% to Watershed. Standard Stripe processing fees apply on top and are deducted before payout.
- The artist sets their own prices, writes their own bio and artwork descriptions (with optional AI-assist), and controls which works are listed.
- Artists are responsible for shipping the sold work securely and on time. Watershed passes the buyer's address to the artist after payment clears.
- All work listed must have been made by a Watershed artist, either during their stay or afterwards. Watershed reserves the right to remove listings that do not fit the programme's curatorial direction.
What buyers can expect
- Each artwork is original, made by the named artist, and shipped directly from their studio.
- Prices shown are in Euro and inclusive of the platform commission. Shipping is calculated at checkout.
- Should a work arrive damaged, contact us within 14 days for a repair, replacement, or refund.
Approval
Not everyone who applies can be listed. Watershed reviews each artist personally, and works with alumni to prepare a small, considered selection of works before publishing. This keeps the gallery a genuine reflection of the residency, not a marketplace.