The Artist Statement

What is an Artist Statement?

An artist statement is a written description of your work that gives your audience deeper insight into it. It may include your personal history, the symbolism you give your materials, or the issues you address; Your statement should include whatever is most important to you and your work.

Calvin & Hobbes on artist statements. Cartoon by Bill Watterson, July 15, 1995

 

Why Write an Artist Statement?

Artist Statements give the viewer some background on the work, you as the artist, and why you created the piece. Providing an artist’s statement for your work grounds the piece in the context you provide. If you are submitting your work to a museum or gallery show, for a grant or other opportunity, a written artist’s statement will likely be required. A good piece of artwork raises many questions – the viewers will inevitably want to know more about the work and you as the artist. A quality artist statement will help do just that.

 

 Artist Statement Do’s & Don’ts

Do’s:

• Keep it short, coherent and clear. It is an introduction and a supplement to the visual information, not your life story.
• Write in simple sentences using simple words. Write a strong, compelling statement without art jargon.
• Develop a strong first sentence. Explain clearly and precisely why you make art, what it means to you and what materials you used. Draw the reader into your world.
• Focus on topics not apparent from viewing your work, such as symbols or metaphors, themes and issues underlying your work, materials, scale, etc.
• Proofread your statement for misspelled words, bad grammar, or confusing content.

 

Don'ts:

• Imitate the theoretical or intellectualized style of writing used in critical art magazines.
• Try to impress the reader by your extensive knowledge of art criticism or art history. You want to impress them with your art.
• Never use weak phrases that reflect insecurities like "I am hoping to," "I am trying to," or "I would like to."; DON'T announce what you are attempting to do, just clearly express what you have accomplished.

 

Getting Started Writing an Artist Statement

Describe Your Work

Describe one completed work of yours. Do it quickly. Don't worry about grammar, jargon, or finding the right word. There is no format to this, no structure. Just get down on paper everything that comes to mind about the piece.

Some questions to get you started:

• What does it look like? (size, colors, shapes, textures, light, objects, relationships, etc.) Make your description visual.
• What inspired the piece? Where does the work come from in you?
• Talk about the work from a conceptual, thematic, and/or emotional point of view.
• Is there a central or guiding image or idea?
• What are its different elements and how to they affect each other or interact?
• What kind of materials did you use/are you using to create the work? Why?
• What was the process of development for the work?
• How does the work use space and relate to the surrounding space? What would be the ideal space in which to exhibit or present this work? 

• How does this work fit into the overall flow of your development as an artist?
• Where does it fit into or relate to your awareness of other contemporary work?

 

Identify Yourself

Use these questions to articulate who you are as an artist, what is special about you, and where you fit into the big picture.

• What words would you use to describe your work as an artist?
• What sources guide or influence your work? Physical, intellectual, emotional, conceptual?
• What materials do you enjoy working with? Hate? Why? What would you be interested in exploring that you haven't tried yet?
• Whose work or what work do you admire? Why?
• What work/styles/modes do you dislike? Hate? Wish to challenge? Why?
• Who do you compare yourself to? What kind of comparisons do you draw?
• Who do you think your work is for? Who you would like to reach with it or who you would most want to see it?
• How would you describe your background, and how has it influenced you? Where do you come from? Community, geography, ethnicity, family, peers, mentors?

 

Describe Your Progress

Get down on paper every single thing you can remember about how your work is created. Think in concrete terms: influences; physical qualities; and emotion.

• What materials, elements, surfaces, processes, methods, equipment do you use? Why?
• Where does your inspiration come from?
• Where does the impetus for a piece come from in you, personally speaking?
• What concerns guide you in the execution? Are they visual? physical/ sensory/sensual? thematic? emotional?
• What is your favorite part of the process?

 

Putting It All Together

DON'T PANIC! If writing is torture, GET SOME HELP!

• Tongue tied? Discuss your work with a friend. Make a note of what kind of questions come up during these sessions. Is there a pattern? If there is, use it in your statement.
• Have several friends who know your work -- especially non-artists -- read your artist statement and respond. They may have good points to add. They may catch phrases that don't seem to make sense. Your non-artist friends will be best at helping you catch the jargon and 'artspeak' which you may want to rewrite.
• Ask a professional writer to proofread your written materials to check for errors. Ask someone merciless to help you delete repetitive or extraneous phrases and straighten out long sentences.

You can also schedule a session with the University Writing Center: http://uwc.cah.ucf.edu/