Newsday:
Greg and Bob Giordano knew that pursuing art careers didn’t have to mirror the stereotypical artist’s life of financial struggle. They had their father as a role model.
Decades before artists of every stripe began establishing their own businesses to license their artwork, Joseph Giordano, father of Greg and Bob and an illustrator, created the Huntington Bay-based Giordano Studios. For the past 27 years, he has licensed traditional and nostalgic illustrations on everything from greeting cards to fleece blankets.
In the past several years, the Giordanos have seen this licensing niche explode, and more than 200 artists joined them at the Jacob Javits Center for this year’s Licensing International Expo.
‘When my father started, there were probably only a half a dozen companies licensing art at the time,’ Bob Giordano said. ‘27 years later, here we are and the art design area has grown exponentially.’
Many artists exhibiting had been struggling to sell individual pieces of art or had worked for larger companies before deciding there was a market to license their work, said Charles M. Riotto, president of the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association.
Stationery and greeting cards fueled the initial growth of art licensing, which eventually expanded to bedding, wall coverings, tableware and other home decor items, he said. Licensing royalties in the United States continue to increase, rising 4% from 2005 to 2006 to $175 million, according to a Harvard-Yale study.
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