Saturday, June 12, 2010

Why do I need an artist's statement?

An artist's statement is a short introduction of yourself for all those situations where you cannot be there in person to give an introduction. Think of an artist's statement as a representation of yourself for all those situations where you cannot be there yourself.

You could say that your work should speak for itself and that it doesn't need an explaination. But there are many people who like to have a short introduction together with the work. Just think about all those times when you were watching an art work in a gallery, when it wasn't really clear to you what the work was about. And then, after reading the explaination next to the work, you slowly started to understand what the artist wanted to say with it. And after understanding it, you maybe even started to like the work.

An artist's statement can be a great help for other people to better understand your work and to maybe even like your work. The artist's statement tells your story when you are not there yourself to tell it. For example to a visitor on your website. Just remember, the statement should be clear and to the point. This is the first impression that someone will get from you. KEEP IT SHORT! People don't have time to read other people's stories. If they want to know more about you, they will contact you for more information.

Here is a great link with information on why to write an artist's statement: http://www.artbusiness.com/artstate.html

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