WHY SHOULD I WRITE AN ARTIST STATEMENT?

Writing an artist statement can be a good way to clarify your own ideas about your work.

A gallery dealer, curator, docent, or the public can have access to your description of your work, in your own words.

A statement can be useful when writing a proposal for an exhibition or project.

It is often required when applying for funding.

It is often required when applying to graduate school.

It is good to refer to when you are preparing a visiting artist lecture.

It is often required when you are applying for a teaching position. It can also help you write a Teaching Philosophy, which is different from an artist statement. See section on creating a Teaching Philosophy.

It can help you or someone else write an effective press release.

It can help in writing a bio for a program brochure. This can avoid anyone misinterpreting your work.

It can help reviewers and critics write more informed pieces about your work.

It is a good way to introduce your work to a buying public. Often the more a buyer knows about your work the more she/he becomes interested in what you do, which can lead her/him to purchase your work.

A collection of artist statements over the course of an artist’s career can be one of the only written keys to understanding how an artist’s ideas about her/his practice has changed over time.