Lecture: The Write Stuff - Megan Guerber

Learning to write a more effective artist's statement. Writing is a skill that can be learned

What is the point of artists' statements?

• Explains your work when you aren’t there
• Informs audiences what you made & why
• Used by curators etc to know if work is a good fit
• Used to promote show
• Used by scholars, critics, students
• Marketing tool

How to begin 

• Write a draft
• Revise draft
• Check for spelling, grammar, formatting erros
• Get feedback
• Revise
• Check for errors again
• Writing an artists statement is an iterative process

     How to approach it:

• Remember you are writing this for people who don't know anything about you or your work. Explain so anyone can understand your work
• Write how you talk (use common language)
• Write in the first person
• Avoid generalize statemtns, especially ones that many artists share ("I love color!") Be specific. Focus on the important ideas you are expressing
• Be honest. Work doesn't have to provide the meaning of life to be valuable or interesting. If your work is about perfecting handles, say that.
• You don't have to reinvent the wheel. You can follow the structure of an artists' statement that you like. Use template?

Steps:

• Free write
• Or free talk! Explain your work to a friend to clarify your ideas
• When starting draft, focus on clarity rather than spelling or grammar
• Get your thoughts down first

To get ideas, read alot

• Other artists' statements
• Books, magazines (Ceramics Monthly has lots of artist-statement-y articles)
• Articulate storytellers

Questions to ask yourself when writing

• Why did I make this work? What response do I hope to invoke?
• What do people need to know to understand this work?
• Explain references you make in your work, technique, materials
• Which aspects of my work are most important for people to take away?
• People have limited time, be concise & get to what you really want people to know
• You aren't trying to impress. You are trying to communicate
• Gyst-ink.com
• How would you explain your art to your grandpa
• Imagine a person who isn't a part of your inner circle, nor in the clay world

Examples of artists' statements

• Risa Pumo: I make…I like to think about…I hope to create…The key to understanding my work
• Ayumo Horie: My work attempts to…I use ____as a form to…
• Doug Johnson: I have been focused on…The work utilizes ------history….I have worked to build a vocabulary

Structure:

• First sentence: what do you make
• 2nd: Why do you make it? What inspires you?
• What do people need to know to understand your work
• Why does you work matter today? How does it fit into the world?

Revising:

• Wait at least a half hour, better longer
• Get spelling & grammar right

Get feedback

• Be sure to ask pointed questions to get the feedback you need
• What do you understand about the intent of this work
• Are there parts you don't understand
• What is your takeaway?
• Feedback isn't personal
• The goal of your statement is to convey the meaning of your work, it's not an art object itself
• Even editors need editors