Artist Statements

An artist statement may be needed at various stages in your practice. It offers an introduction to your work and is often required for exhibitions and applications.

What is an artist statement?
An artist statement is an introduction to your work. It is an overview, written in prose, of your practice or a specific body of work. Artist statements should discuss the influences that inform your work and the rationale behind why it was created. Your artist statement is an opportunity to convey the meaning behind your work and the choices you have made in its creation.

Don’t confuse your artist statement with a biography. An artist statement speaks to the work and why you create, and a biography is about you.

Writing an artist statement
Artist statements are often no longer than half a page, though sometimes 80 – 100 words will be adequate. It should express enough to inform the reader without being verbose. If the artist statement is being included in an application, be conscious of and abide by word or character counts.

Your statement isn’t there to answer all questions and should add to the work’s intrigue, leaving viewers the opportunity to arrive at their own conclusions.

Editing
Invite people from both arts and non-arts backgrounds to read your statement and ask for feedback on its clarity and content. It is important to consider the potential readership of your statement and the accessibility of what it’s trying to communicate.

Guildhouse Community and Accredited members are eligible for Advice Bank sessions. Discuss a range of topics with Guildhouse’s experienced art professionals, including; grant funding applications, professional documentation, marketing, communications, artist opportunities and more. Contact us for more information.