Art Models Register

WHAT IS RAM ? And why join?

Home

Join RAM

Joblink

We had our origins in the struggle of the 1980s, when we had to drag the job of life modelling out of the depths it had sunk into. We wanted to give it back some of the status it used to have. That's why people sometimes use words like 'stern', 'formal', even 'militaristic' about us. We're not really that bad - it's just that we had a hard battle and we'd like to hang on to some of the gains we made.

Thanks largely to our efforts, nobody can deny that the job gets a rather better press these days, or that the people doing it take it more seriously and are more professional about it - especially if they are members of RAM. Nothing is perfect, but on the whole RAM models are a class act, in terms of competence, conduct and reliability. In fact, those have been our three watchwords from the start.

But we are in danger of losing the hard-won gains. Since the art world rather belatedly caught up with the Internet, it has become much easier for anyone at all to call themselves artists' models, to advertise on websites that have nothing to do with RAM and to get work. Similarly, has it never been simpler for people whose intentions may not be of the best to book models.

So now we are accused of being 'exclusive', as well as those other words used against us. But think about it ! If you're a model, consider those three watchwords again - competence, conduct, reliability. If you think you do a good job, conduct yourself professionally in the life room and ride pretty high on the reliability scale, don't you think you ought be in the exclusive company of like-minded colleagues?

And if you're a genuine employer of life models, wouldn't you like to join our hundreds of other employers that models can feel more confident about working for? Yes, RAM is exclusive - it's for models and employers who take the job seriously.

Nearly 1500 employers of life models have access to the contact details of RAM members on this site. It is true that some RAM members advertise themselves on other websites, and you may have noticed noticed how they usually mention their RAM membership in their ads.

BUT BEWARE !! There is nothing to stop people who advertise themselves elsewhere from putting a false RAM number after their names, or claiming still to be members when they may have been struck off the RAM register. You can always check with us - but then you might as well book RAM models from the RAM site in the first place!

EMPLOYERS PLEASE NOTE:

All full members of RAM in London (and some outside London) have auditioned for membership.

All full members of RAM outside London have either auditioned or provided two good references from tutors.

Provisional members (red P after number) are in the queue for auditions.

Associate members (red A before number) are beginners who cannot yet provide us with references, and live too far from anywhere where auditions take place.

You can complain about the conduct, competence or reliability of any RAM model. One complaint leads to a warning and a second complaint (from a separate source) can lead to the model losing their RAM membership. If the complaint is serious, a model can be struck off immediately, without notice.

Models DO NOT ADVERTISE on the RAM site. The profiles are carefully composed from what they have told us about themselves and often (especially in the case of London models) what we ourselves know about them. Images have to be approved before going on the site.

MODELS PLEASE NOTE:

When empoyers apply for a licence to contact models via the RAM website, we first see if we can identify the organization or individual from a combination of details they have given us. If we can't (and this usually applies to individual artists or photographers) we send a PIN to the address the applicant has given us. That person will then need the PIN to obtain a password online. No system of security is foolproof, but there have been very few problems since we introduced it.

Members of RAM can complain about the conduct of any employer and this can lead to the employer losing their RAM licence.

Members of RAM can be expelled from the register at any time, without notice, if we deem them to be working against the interests of RAM.

For a a more formal statement of our aims, click here