Artistic Proposal Sample: Liz Roth, exhibition

Since artists need to write about their work to apply for great opportunities, I am going to spend a few posts focused on the nuts and bolts of artistic proposals. What better way than to show some actual proposals!? Thankfully some artists were willing to share.

Below is a taste of the proposal writing Artist Survival Kit workshops that artist Liz Roth will lead for OVAC. An artist and professor, Roth is well worth listening to on this topic as she's exhibited nationally and received residencies in Japan, Vermont, Wyoming, and Alaska.

First, her sample of a "Less Convincing Proposal." I'll post this first and then her sample of a more compelling project description later. What is this artist proposing? How do you think this could be improved? What is this artist trying to say?

"I like to paint portraits. I want to paint people someplace that’s not a gallery, because it would be fun for the people and for me. Methodology is important to me. My work is based on French philosopher Derrida, who said 'Every discourse, even a poetic or oracular sentence, carries with it a system of rules for producing analogous things and thus an outline of methodology.'

Paint and canvases are expensive, and I just graduated from college, so I’m applying for this grant because I’m broke."