An artist
statement is most often the front line of communication between an artist and
the public. It will be used when you submit your portfolio to competitions,
galleries, and museums. It may sometimes be displayed when people are viewing
your works in person or on your website. If it’s online, your artist statement
will be read by people from all over the world.
There are
many paths to becoming an artist, through school or an apprenticeship, or
through inspiration and self-teaching but no matter how you got there, being a
professional artist means that you have to have an artist statement. If you
have never written a statement before, or aren’t sure that your current
statement is up to art world standards, it can be a quite daunting task to
compose one.
KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE
Remember,
as an artist you are not only writing to an art gallery, but also to visitors,
students, and potential buyers. You want all of these different groups to be able
to understand what you’re saying about yourself and your art. You aren’t always
going to be standing next to a patron to explain everything to them, so you
have to make sure that your statement communicates all your ideas to any
viewer.
CONTENT FOR YOUR ARTIST STATEMENT
Between
150-200 words (two paragraphs) is the best length for a statement that is going
to be published. It is long enough to let a viewer learn more about you
and your work, but not too long that they can’t follow your story and get
distracted.
What
information does an artist’s statement need to include? There are three
elements to consider: the “how,” the “what,” and the “why.” There should be
enough information in your artist statement that someone can begin to imagine
the art that you make without having it in front of them.
The
“How”:
The ‘How’
refers to how you created your works. Many visitors are interested in knowing
about your artistic process. Describe your works; what colors do you use, do
you make large marks or small marks, or do you use blending so there are no
visible marks at all? If you’re a photographer, what kind of tools are integral
to your process?
The
“What”:
Are your
paintings abstract? Portraits? Do you take photos of landscapes? What is your
imagery? When people describe what you make, what do they say? Describe the
content of your works in a general way to flow from how you work to what you
make.
And last,
The “Why”:
Why do
you make what you make? What does your life say about your work and your work
say about your life? What symbols do you use and why? Explain the influences
behind the meanings of your works.
You don’t
have to have the same amount of each type of information, but it is a good idea
to have part of your statement devoted to each of these categories. However, if
one category seems far more relevant to your work than the others, feel free to
emphasize it in your statement. You can put as much or as little of each
category as you like; if your works are about the medium then you can focus
more on how you make your works and if it is more about the “why” and your
inspiration, focus on that. Balance your content in any way you need to.
Write
down the answers to these questions on your own and then cut them down do the
absolute essentials.
THE THREE C’S OF STYLE
Every
artist statement must follow the three C’s of style: they should be clear,
concise, and consistent.
Be clear: Use accessible vocabulary; keep
in mind that your readers may not be scholars, artists, or art historians.
Write like you’re speaking to a person on the street, somebody who goes to
museums “every now and then,” as many of your viewers will fall into that
category. Make sure the content in your artist statement is not too
complex or technical. This will intimidate your audience.
Be
concise: Don’t
go on for pages and pages about your work. Even the most interested person will
get lost in too much information. You want your statement to pull the viewer
in, but you don’t want to bore them.
The
average museum and gallery visitor spends 5 to 15 seconds looking at each
artwork, according to numerous museum surveys. You want your statement to be
brief enough that they can get the essential information in that time, and that
their flow isn’t too disrupted when they stop to read the statement in full.
Be
consistent: Make
sure that what you say in your artist’s statement matches the works that are
going to be on display. If you also have a press release or biography
available, make sure that your statement doesn’t contradict these texts at all.
Keep updating your artist statement as you grow and evolve as an artist.
REMINDER: An artist statement MUST be in
the first person, everything is “I” not “he/she/they.” Imagine your statement
is having a conversation with a viewer, it is speaking for you, and you would
always say “I did this.”
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
Write out
your statement a few different ways and think about which one best describes
you and your work. Read your statement out loud to make sure it flows properly.
Read it to people familiar with you and your work and listen to their comments.
If you
are represented by a gallery, or if you have an agent, see if they are
available to help you with your statements. Agora Gallery, for example, often
helps artists edit their statements. If you don’t feel like you’re the best
writer, have someone help you correct your grammar and make sure the artist
statement says what you want it to say.
REMINDER: If you are sending your statement
somewhere with a word requirement (usually between 150-200 words) take their advice
and write at least that much. Whatever word count they give you is likely the
minimum for certain publications, and you don’t want to be left out because you
didn’t provide enough text. Many organizations have similar requirements, so
you don’t want to have to re-work your statement every time you send it
somewhere new.
TIPS FOR NON-ENGLISH SPEAKERS:
Write
your statement in your native language first, and then translate it. You can
use a professional translator, or you can try to translate it with an application
online. Just be sure that you have it double checked by a native speaker of
whatever language your statement will be published in before you submit. Don’t
try to limit yourself to your foreign language vocabulary. Do your very best to
compose something for yourself.
REMINDER: Do not submit a statement with
too little information or no statement at all. If a gallery or competition asks
for a statement, be sure to provide one. If there is a suggested word count,
meet it. You don’t want someone to misunderstand your process or your
work by writing more into your statement just to reach a word requirement
for publication. Your statement should be personal to you and your work and not
according to someone else’s thoughts, especially since a statement is something
that will usually be seen by anyone who looks at your artwork. You want to be
able to communicate with viewers in your own words.
FONT, PAPER, DESIGN
Once you
have your statement ready to go, you need to prepare it for submission. You may
submit to a gallery, a contest, a local collective; it doesn’t matter, they all
will need your statement, and you want your statement to do its job. Whether
it’s a paper submission, or online, here are some tips for making sure your
statement makes it to the correct people.
Most
submissions to galleries these days are online, like ours, which makes worrying
about how your statement looks a no-brainer. The online forms will take care of
that for you. If you have the information there, then that’s all you’ll need.
If you
are submitting a printed statement, here are some tips for making it up to the
art world standards:
KEEP YOUR ARTIST STATEMENT CLEAN
Make sure
your paper is clean, crisp, and classic. You want to look and have your
materials look as professional as possible. You are essentially engaging in a
business when you submit your work to a gallery and you want to present
yourself the same way.
Plain
printer paper or basic letterhead is the best way to make a professional
impression. You don’t need fancy paper, paper you made by hand, or special
design paper to submit your statement. It may seem eye-catching at first, but
in reality most fancy paper designs are distracting from any important content.
If it looks like a party invitation, chances are no gallery will take it
seriously. If you want to go the extra mile and use nice stationery, do not go
for something with an elaborate design. A thick card stock can be nice, but
keep the paper white or off-white so that it is not too distracting from the
content.
KEEP YOUR ARTIST STATEMENT READABLE
The same
rule applies to fonts. Make sure your font is clear and able to be read easily.
You can never go wrong with basic fonts like Arial or Times New Roman.
Fancy fonts can take away from your content. It doesn’t matter if the font
matches what you think your art feels like: if a gallery owner or buyer can’t
read it, then it hurts more than it helps. You want the communication to be as
easy as possible between you and your audience, so make sure that your
statement is readable.
Along the
same lines, do NOT handwrite your statement. Very few galleries will even read
a handwritten statement as it is unprofessional. It’s also a lot of work to
handwrite an artist statement, and if you’re submitting to multiple galleries,
writing out all those statements is a waste of your time. It’s easiest to type
it out.
If you
don’t have regular access to a computer or a word processing program, you can
always work on your statement online and pay a few cents to have it printed at
your local copy center.
Info: www.agora-gallery.com
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