The Creative Edge: Make a Statement!

Copyright Peggy Hadden

(This article originally appeared in Getting the Word Out: The Artist's Guide to Self Promotion published by Art Calendar. Used with permission.)

A thoughtfully worded statement can be a wonderful accompanying narrator for your artwork, but creating that statement may take almost as long as creating the work it describes. I think an artist's statement is especially hard to get down on paper because one's ego is involved. Also, because artists tend not to be very verbal, it's hard to find the right words.

Why, you ask, can't my work just stand on its own? Certainly, this has been the rationale for lots of artists who have opted not to "gild the lily." But, think again. A statement is of value for several reasons:

1. It helps the gallery director, art consultants, and others understand, explain, and sell your work-even your well-meaning supporters, who somehow so often manage to say the wrong thing.
   
   
2. It helps critics, biographers, and catalog essayists to prepare articles and reviews about you. Sometimes people are a bit lazy, which is why I've found my own words in the middle of a review written about my work by some supposedly "astute" reviewer.
   
   
3. It can be used again by you, in shorter formats, for grant applications and project proposals.

Let's say you're sending a slide packet a long distance away, and a cover letter really isn't the place to get into explaining and describing your work. This is where a statement by the artist may be extremely helpful. And if writing about things that are close to you makes you uncomfortable, try writing it in the third-person ("he says, she asserts")

Statements can cover the technical side of creating, the materials and methods used ("the artist uses over 20 coats of painstakingly applied lacquer to achieve"), and the actual type of work ("monumental site-specific sculpture"), as well as the purpose or philosophy of the work.

Let's say you don't know exactly why your art looks the way it does. I have in my hands a statement which was given out at a prestigious museum show, in which the artist begins a paragraph, "I feel that the work cannot be interpreted in terms of its subject matter" It's fine to say you don't know; many very bright people do things for reasons that aren't immediately clear to them. Don't be pompous, though, or employ grandiose expressions. The reader will spot your insincerity instantly, and then you've damaged the integrity of your work.

Avoid phrases like "I am attempting to" because it sounds like maybe you aren't succeeding, just attempting.

Also avoid getting too technical. You made art, and it is mysterious or gorgeous or whatever, but there is a little bit of alchemy about the artist - and that is enticing. If they knew you made those wonderful feathered sculptures by dismantling feather dusters from the local dime store, it would take away from the mystery they evoked in the first place.

Watch out for jargon and clichés. Nothing will date you or your artwork faster. And things you've written have a way of following you around.

Okay, enough of what not to do. How does the artist go about creating a statement that can add to his/her overall professional profile?

A good way to begin might be to take writing an artist's statement in small steps. This is not something to begin the night before it needs to be used. Start out with three to five words that describe your work. One of these should be the medium in which you work. Another might place you in the context of style or type of work which is your specialty-sculptor, watercolorist, etc. Put each word on an index card and leave them out on a table where you'll see them for a week. It's okay to change something if you feel that another word is more appropriate.

Next, develop these words into two or three sentences. Over the next week, show these sentences to friends who know your work. Get some feedback about the accuracy of what you've written. Could it be more clear? Then try to read it as an outsider who is unfamiliar with your work.

If personal anecdotes or memories from your past have shaped your work, and you feel comfortable sharing them, then by all means, do. A good statement might explain, for example, that because the artist emigrated to the U.S. during wartime, passing through many national borders where passport stamps were so important, he later utilized them in his artwork (Saul Steinberg.) This information adds another level of understanding to the viewer of his art.

Don't forget the wonderful value of shared experience. Common threads such as feelings of loneliness, fear, satisfaction, or wonder are part of everyone's experiences. They are, however, rarely discussed or brought out. The artist, through artwork (and the statement), admits to some of these feelings. Using a statement wisely, you can enhance your work and induce the viewer to relate more to you and your work.

Artist's statements usually appear on a single sheet of paper with just the artist's name in larger type at the top. A statement does not have a by-line (unless it was written by someone else), but you should include the copyright sign (©), the year you wrote the statement, and your name. This will help prevent your statement from being used without your permission.

At an exhibition, the place to look for a statement would be at the entrance, along with the price list and guest register. You can make multiple copies (as they will walk out with forgetful viewers) or you my want to cover the statement with a clear plastic cover, as some galleries do. This seems to inspire viewers to return them before they leave.

A statement is always a work-in-progress. While you won't need to start from scratch every time you revise it, you will probably need to shorten or lengthen it from time to time. Once you've started out, you'll find yourself on the way toward an objective, yet personal, description of your art. Enjoy the journey.