Artist Survival Kit Recap: Making a Statement

On Saturday, September 11, a group of artists gathered for the “Making a Statement” workshop, created to help artists write and refine their artist statements.

Janice McCormick, writer and philosophy teacher, began the workshop with an explanation of why artist statements are important. Janice has read many artist statements. She receives them from artists when she writes her regular stories for Art Focus Oklahoma. She is also a volunteer with the Tulsa Artists’ Coalition, where she is in charge of organizing artist submissions for the selection committee. Janice pointed out three key reasons for writing an artist statement:

1. To help audiences approach looking at your art, especially for those unfamiliar with art.

2. For public relations, such as when a gallery is writing a press release about your upcoming show.

3. It may help you to clarify what you are doing, even to yourself.

So, what should you include in your statement? Consider these elements:

1. A clear, concise paragraph conveying the theme of your work.

2. An explanation of your technique, especially if it is unusual, and how it relates to your theme.

3. Life experiences you draw upon in your creative process that are relevant to your work.

Slips of paper with descriptive words helped artists to get their statements started. An exercise had them choosing 3 words that did describe their work, as well as 3 words that did not describe their work, and explain why.

Beth Downing, an artist and writer, led artists through some exercises to get started with the actual writing of the statement. Beth suggested having 3 lengths of your statement:

1. About 25 words. Also known as the “elevator pitch” – explaining your work in the amount of time you would have riding in an elevator with someone.

2. 2 paragraphs. Hit the highlights, used for short publications, online, etc.

3. 1 page. For exhibitions, portfolios, grant applications, press.

In explaining what an artist statement should be, Beth found it helpful to also explain what it is NOT. For example, your artist statement is not: easy, constant, preachy, negative, defensive, pretentious, jargon, or your life story.

For examples of exercises you can do to help with the writing process, see this past blog post.

The next Artist Survival Kit Workshop is “Expanding Your Horizons: Finding New Markets For Your Art.” It will be held Saturday, October 23, 1-4 pm at Mainsite Contemporary Art Gallery, 122 E Main St, Norman. Visit www.ArtistSurvivalKit.org for details.

Artist Statements: Grant Recipient Samples

Curious about what other artists say about their work?  In preparation for the September 11 Artist Survival Kit workshops "Making a Statement," the following few posts will include actual artist statements from recent OVAC award recipients.  Through seeing these groups of statements, I hope you will see the variety of approaches you can take to writing about your work.  Also, you’ll see the distinctiveness of their descriptions, as distinctive as their artwork.

These artists received grants offered quarterly by OVAC.  They submitted project descriptions, budgets, timelines, artwork images and resumes along with the artist statements.  You’ll notice that their statements connect to a specific project, for which they are proposing.

Eyakem Guiliat, untitled, Archival pigment ink print, 11x14

Eyakem Gulilat (Creative Projects Grant)

“My project is about how identity is formed in the in-between spaces of cross cultural encounter. I gravitate towards communities which are underrepresented and who often do not have a place in main stream media. I treat my camera as a tool that captures one moment of a larger dialogue that occurs between me and my subjects. Using a photojournalistic approach, my art thrives on my interaction with people.

I am driven by curiosity in others. I am interested in knowing people’s stories, and I am especially interested in how these stories play out in the midst of cross-cultural dialogue. As a result, my work often centers around a sort of dichotomy that appears between two distinct groups of people. I wish to understand people’s differences and how they adapt to one another.

I am also influenced by studies of Third Culture and the “inbetweenness” that occurs when people spend a significant amount of time outside of their country of origin. I use my camera as a channel to connect with individuals who find themselves caught between two cultures. My work is most driven by the shifting realities of individuals in an ever globalized world.”

Holly Wilson, Boy's View, Bronze, geode, 4.25x4x4"

Holly Wilson (Creative Project)

“The interaction of people, both real and imagined, inspire my work.  Stories from past to present, dreams and nature are realized through the use of the figure. My Delaware and Cherokee American Indian Heritage is a direct link to the conception of the figures.  My use of line, texture, and color is extracted from nature that relates to my cultural experiences.

The small-scale figurative bronzes, encaustic and drawings are entities that embody the stories and dreams I have shared with my family and heritage.  With this intimacy, the materials and the process involved are a manipulated in a way that both honors the real and the imagined aspecs of my life. The fragments of nature, culture, and family hold the hope, sadness fear and joy that are intertwined into my work.”

MJ Alexander, The Oklahomans: Stonewall, Metallic silver halide prints, 20x30

MJ Alexander (Creative Projects Grant)

“For the past decade, I have photographed the American West with a focus on Oklahoma and Oklahomans. Over the years, I have found that our kids have in common with our oldest citizens, whom I interviewed and photographed for the state’s centennial. Both groups are open, curious, and excited about the future. Like the centenarians, the insights and beauty of the youngest Oklahomans can be overlooked and underappreciated.

The project title – TENTH GENERATION – is inspired by the realization that this year marks 180 years since with the establishment of Indian Territories by the U.S. Congress, creating Oklahoma’s first wave of major settlement. These 21st century children are our Tenth Generation.

Along the way, this project has taken me to meet children, aged 18 to newborn, at noodling holes on the Washita River, a family cemetery with tombstones written in Cherokee syllabary, the fields of the Tallgrass Prairie, the rattlesnake derby in Mangum, the top of Black Mesa, and a wheat farm in Okeene.

I am excited about doing justice to this kaleidoscope of kids and telling of their commitment to tradition – or their determination to break with it. My goal is for this exhibit to serve as both window to and mirror on Oklahoma’s Tenth Generation.”

OVAC’s Artist Survival Kit workshop "Making a Statement" on September 11, noon-3 pm, will guide artists through the dreaded process of writing an artist statement. Wondering why write one, see Alyson Stanfield’s article on Art Biz Blog. Through a series of interactive exercises, artists will leave this workshop with a new or refreshed artist statement.

Artists Statements: Art 365 Artists' Samples

Curious about what other artists say about their work?  In preparation for the September 11 Artist Survival Kit workshops "Making a Statement," the following few posts will include actual artist statements from recent OVAC award recipients.  Through seeing these groups of statements, I hope you will see the variety of approaches you can take to writing about your work.  Also, you’ll see the distinctiveness of their descriptions, as distinctive as their artwork.

ART 365 Artists: These five artists were chosen out of 104 proposals submitted for the Art 365 exhibition that opens in March 2011.  Guest curator Shannon Fitzgerald reviewed a larger application packet that included their image samples, project proposals, artist statements and resumes. 

Aaron Hauck, The Strong & Silent Type, Sound proof sheathing, 11x36x14

Aaron Hauck

“My work represents my fascination and annoyance with consumerism and how the resulting energy waste, consumption, and litter effect our culture and the environment. The visual elements present are closely related to industrial and commercial objects and iconography.  The use of found objects and construction materials is very prominent.  My interest in found objects originates from seeing litter in the city and countryside alike and the dialog that is created between the refuse and the environment.”

Grace Grothaus, City of Light; Distopia Looming, Mylar, Duralar, leaves, acrylic, 12x18x4"

Grace Grothaus

“I am interested in the landscape and how it has been redefined & literally sculpted by mankind.  My artwork reflects the new landscape: a mesh of organic systems and industrial modification.  Though abstract, I consider these paintings a more true representation of the world we live in today than the nostalgic idealism that has often characterized landscape art in the past.  I want to make apparent the complex relationships between natural and industrial systems in the world today.”

See Art Focus Oklahoma article about Grothaus here.

Liz Rodda, Portraits of Strangers, Video stills

Liz Rodda

“As an artist, I am interested in assuming the role of soothsayer, failure and magic maker. This artistic practice establishes a balance between structure and chance. I often work with others (such as taxidermists, spiritual guides and strangers) giving creative responsibility to my collaborators; it the intersection between what is expected and delivered that I seek.

By displacing connotations of everyday events, familiar scenarios become foreign. Playing with meanings, context and imagination is central to how I approach art making. A recent piece, Connect with Carol, plunges into the world of the supernatural, faith and cultural expectation by placing two conceptually divergent videos and audio tracks in relation to one another. By transferring meanings to each other, the videos introduce unexpected contradictions and supplement our balance of perception with a disruptive counterbalance.

Whether it is the possibility of asking strangers to stand alone in public, recording a rock that appears to be moving of its own volition or collecting YouTube videos of lone performers, I enjoy asking questions about how we think, relate and experience the world.”

See Art Focus Oklahoma article about Rodda here.

Geoffrey Hicks, Voyeur, Robotic video installation

Geoffrey Hicks

"Process has always been the most important factor in my artwork.  While many artists associate themselves with a particular medium or craft, it is the process that joins all of my art together.  Often I start with a basic technology, unaware of what I want to use it for, I explore the possibilities through interaction and extensive testing.  I am constantly acquiring equipment and parts that might be used months or even years down the road when the inspiration strikes me.  Although my art is created with extensive use of technology, it is my aesthetic to deemphasize it’s complexity in the final product. I prefer the result to be playful and accessible to a wide audience."

Frank Wick, Do They Hate Us Because We're Fun? MDF and paint, 9'x4.5'x1'

Frank Wick

Artwork is, by its very nature, a by-product of our thinking. We think about each other, we consider ourselves and we think about thinking. It’s with ideas and actions we start to create a map of our expectations. This map allows a certain level of physical and emotional connection with the world around us. It allows us to see and experience things that otherwise would not exist. It gives us each a position we can hold on to. We can hold onto that position as loosely or tenaciously as we see fit, but it is ours for that time.

OVAC’s Artist Survival Kit workshop "Making a Statement" on September 11, noon-3 pm, will guide artists through the dreaded process of writing an artist statement. Wondering why write one, see Alyson Stanfield’s article on Art Biz Blog. Through a series of interactive exercises, artists will leave this workshop with a new or refreshed artist statement.

Artist Survival Kit Recap: Extreme Makeover: Portfolio Edition

On Saturday, February 27, twenty-six artists attended the “Extreme Makeover: Portfolio Edition” workshop at the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond. The workshop focused on three areas: 1. Writing an artist statement 2. Putting together a professional looking portfolio 3. Photographing your artwork.

Here are a few tips from the workshop that may help you give your portfolio a makeover.

Artist Statements with Beth Downing
An artist statement should not only answer the question of why you are making the artwork, but also why are you making it now. Answering the “why now” question in your statement will give it relevance and can help the viewer to understand the work. Of course, this means that your artist statement will always be changing, in order to keep that answer current.

Here are a few exercises you can try that might help you get started developing your statement.
-Describe three pieces of your work as if to a blind person.
-Interview a friend (particularly someone with little art knowledge) and have them describe your work.
-Describe how it is distinguishable from other similar artists (but be careful not to be defensive or negative).

Presenting Your Portfolio with David Holland
There are a multitude of options for putting your portfolio together: binders, folders, special papers, fancy printing, etc. The most important thing to remember is that it should look clean and organized without distracting from the focal point: your artwork.

Here are things you can include:
-Cover letter (as in insert, not bound into the portfolio). This should be written specifically to the recipient and explain why you are sending it.
-Artist Statement
-Images
-Image List
-Biography
-Resume
-Press Clippings
-Image List with Prices (again as an insert). Since a recipient may file your portfolio for future reference and your prices may change over time, it’s best to have this as a separate insert and not bound into the portfolio.
-CD with digital copies of all documents and images.
-Handouts (things like business cards, brochures, etc)

Photographing Your Artwork with Carl Shortt
Getting high quality images of your artwork is one of the most important components of a successful portfolio. Different types of artwork require different set-ups for getting a good image. You’ll need to experiment a little to see what looks best for your work. Getting a good image doesn’t require you spend a lot on equipment. With a little creativity, you can make it work.

Here are a few tips from the workshop:

For 2D work:
-Whenever possible, always photograph the work without the frame or mat, as they may cast a shadow or cause glare.
-Digital editing makes it quite easy to crop out any excess background and you should do so.

For 3D work:
-3D work should be photographed against a background that is neutral or produces a pleasing contrast with the dominant color of the work. The background should also help clearly show the contour or edges of the work.
-If possible, avoid natural settings unless it is an essential part of the work as it might be in an installation or sculpture.
-For specific examples, try a Google search of “product photography” or “table top photography”.

The Artist Statement Challenge

As I'm sure many of you are preparing your packets for the Fellowship entry deadline next week (see Julia's recent post below), you will see that one of the required materials is an artist statement. This can be one of the most difficult portions of putting together an application like this one. A recent Artist Survival Kit workshop covered the topic of writing artist statements and I thought I'd share a list of websites that were gathered for that workshop. There are numerous websites out there dedicated to helping artists with their statements but this list should get you started.

A website that relates writing an artist statement to making a stew. It may sound a little cheesy at first but it is quite helpful in getting you to ask yourself the right questions. It also provides a couple of examples.
http://www.mollygordon.com/resources/marketingresources/artstatemt/

A website with a collection of articles on why artist statements are important and what to consider when writing one.
http://www.artbusiness.com/artstate.html

More examples of artist statements.
http://www.artistsfoundation.org/art_pages/resources/resources_arts_statement.htm

Here is a website of “frequently asked questions” as well as a resource for more examples.
http://www.ebsqart.com/ArtMagazine/za_400.htm

A basic overview of what an artist statement is.
http://www.nonstarvingartists.com/SitePages/Document.2004-07-10.1865503281

Another overview with links to related information.
http://www.marnonline.com/arts-resources/artist-statement.shtml