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Your Artist Statement
You should prepare a brief oral
presentation based on your artist statement.
This opening verbal statement, which begins to
demonstrate art vocabulary and knowledge, is an
important component of the review procedure.
This opening verbal statement provides an
opportunity for faculty to pursue a deeper line of
questioning without having to steer you through
an introduction.
Please avoid software compatibility problems,
by pasting your artist statement, (500 words or
less) as text, into an e-mail and
send before the announced
deadline.
It has been said by some that
artists have trouble writing. It has
been suggested that writing about
art is much less important than
making it. Some artists have even
stated that their art speaks for
them and that further
communication is redundant.
However, there are those
artists who are willing to translate
and share their vision and purpose with people
who do not easily understand visual
communication. The artist statement is very
often a requirement of exhibition, professional
representation, promotion, and requests for
funding support.
ULM art students pursue a university degree
program that requires a specific level of writing
competency. You learn to write, one year of
English composition, in order to formally expose
and record clear thinking. The written artist
statement of purpose and philosophy can clearly
state and verify the critical thinking that artists
must perform. Just as the athlete, musician, and
artist practice their craft, writing becomes easier
and better with practice.
Your artist statement form, and content, should
be clear and understandable. Please spell check
and grammar check, as well as reality check, to
make certain that you are saying what you intend
to say. By the time you have completed 33 credits
in art, Art 1001, 1002, 1003, 1004, 2001, 2002,
and five or six 2000 level art courses including
some experience in your major concentration. It is
a reasonable assumption that some personal
philosophical reflection would have taken place.
What is your reason for making art? What are
your immediate goals? What are your future
goals?
Concentrate on articulating your vision.
Don’t make excuses or apologize for your work.
Avoid dwelling on personal situations or traumas.
Include comments that clarify and
support your work.
Possible topics for inclusion
in the artist statement:
What is your intention as an artist?
What is your method of
execution—does it differ on
individual works or are you series-
oriented?
What is the content (meaning) of
your work?
Do you deal with multiple subjects
or do you concentrate on particular images?
Are your works realistic, abstract, symbolic?
Comment on your composition or picture building
process.
What are the formal elements and principles
employed?
What remarkable formal techniques are employed
in your work; relative to line, shape, texture,
value, color?
Does your work employ any unusual qualities
relative to format, techniques, etc?
Without being cloying, what does your art mean
to you?
Has your experience in a support course improved
your efforts in your major area of concentration
(i.e., certain drawing assignments suggesting a
direction in painting?
• • •
Your artist statement
form, and content,
should be clear and
understandable.
Please spell check and
grammar check, as well as
reality check, to make cer-
tain that you are saying
what you intend to say.