Artist Statement

Writing An Artist Statement

Artist Statement Examples
Pam Sutherland
Sally Bowring
Jeffery Deane Hall
Mike Guyer
Mary Scurlock

I want to thank my good friend Jeff Hall, lead art teacher at Maggie Walker Governor's School,  for this organized approach to teaching students to craft well-written and thoughtful artists statements. 

Objectives: 
The students will:

• Examine various examples and styles of artist statements for best practice
• Reflect on the process, personal meaning, and projected message of his or her work
• Establish an online Google doc to  share with instructor and peers
• Write and continually edit the artist statement in preparation for his or her senior show.

Step One:  What Is An Artist Statement?

• An artist’s written description of their work and process.
• The brief written representation supports his or her own work to give the viewer understanding.
• It should inform and  provide context for the work.
• It should be short, didactic, descriptive, and reflective in tone.

Step Two:  Looking At Examples

• Look at the examples of artist statements provided on the left portion of this blog entry.
• Make a list of the components covered in those documents.  How are they similar and different?

Step Three:  Reflecting On Your Own Work

• In your visual journal, answer the following questions.  These can be short phrases or ideas.  We’re just brainstorming here.
• In one sentence explain what your work is about.
• What is your favorite material? Why?
• How did you get into this work?
• What are your favorite things about your work?
• Are there any patterns that emerge in your work?  Subjects? Process? Formal elements?
• If you’ve been making work for awhile (Art 5) How does your recent work fit into the broad body of work?
• What do you do differently from the way you were taught? Why?
• Create a list of words and phrases that describe your chosen themes, your artistic values, creation process, and influences.

Step Four:  Writing The First Draft (of many)

• In your Critique Log, begin by writing in first person.   This is just the first draft, so don’t stress out too much.  Label this entry with:  Artist Statement September 2017, and be sure it is at the very top of your critique log. 
• First paragraph. Begin with a simple statement of why you do the work you do.  Support that statement, telling the reader more about your goals and aspirations.
• Second paragraph. Tell the reader about your process and how you make decisions in the course of your work. How and why do you select materials, techniques,  and how do they support the ideas in your work? Keep it simple.
• Third paragraph. Tell the reader a little more about the context of your work. How it grew out of prior art work or life experiences or culture. What are you exploring, attempting, challenging by doing this work.  Bring it to a nice closure.
• Some sentence examples are:
• In my work, I am exploring _______________.I begin a piece by______________.I know a piece is done when__________________.When my work is going well, I am filled with a sense of _____________.When people see my work, I hope they will ________________.

Grading Rubric

• Addresses your idea – 25 points
• Discusses your process -25 points
• Addresses the context of your work – 25 point
• Correct grammar and spelling in essay – 25 points

Resources:

• http://hyperallergic.com/63686/the-best-artist-statement-generator-ive-seen-yet/