Art Business Info. for Artists
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    • How to write an Artist's Statement >
      • What is an Artist Statement?
      • Why you need an Artist's Statement
      • TIPS How to write an artist statement
      • The Language of an Artist's Statement
      • What an artist statement should contain
      • Examples of Artists Statements
    • How to write an Artist's Resume or CV >
      • Social Media summaries
      • CV for Artists
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      • Why websites matter
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    • How to work out profit from an art sale
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      • How important is price when buying art?
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What is an Artist Statement?

The Artist's Statement

An artist's statement provides:
  • an insight into an artist's work and
  • information about how it came about.​
​The best artist's statement is authentic and is written in the artist's own voice, although not always by the artist, and in language which is always simple and accessible.
In short, an artist's statement is a brief summary of what an artist would say if they could explain their own work in person. 

​It focuses on the present while providing as much information from the past as is relevant.​
Listen, if you can't tell what your work is all about, someone else will define it for you."
- See Joerg Colberg - Defining one's work - On Statements
An artist’s statement is a living document that changes as your work progresses. Your statement could be updated at about the same rate that you might update a CV. A good statement will give you the ability to discuss and have confidence in your work.
The Manual - A Survival Guide for Visual Artists | Visual; Artists Ireland
The ubiquitous request “Please include an artist statement …” inspires cringes and groans among artists. An artist friend of mine called artist statements “the dentistry of the art world,”
- See Jennifer Liese's article (below) "Towards a History (and Future) of the Artist Statement"

Relevant articles and blog posts
​

Read around and see why people think an artist's statement is an essential part of marketing your art
  • RECOMMENDED Artquest |Artist statements - An artist's statement is a short piece of writing about your work, practice and any wider intellectual concerns. 
  • Artbusiness.com |Your Artist Statement: Explaining the Unexplainable - Artist statements are not stupid; they're more like essential. And you don't have to be a writer to write one.
  • Making a Mark | Marketing art - people buy you as well as your art #1 - As an artist, how often do you regard yourself as part of the selling experience? Do you regard yourself as personally relevant to whether or not people collect or buy your art - or not? 
  • Making A Mark | Marketing Art - How to write an Artist's Statement - includes views about what an artist statement is - and the first draft of my statement of what it is
  • Towards a History (and Future) of the Artist Statement - an intelligent review by Jennifer Liese of how the phenomenon of the artist statement has developed over time
  • Writing About Your Photographs | A Photo Teacher (Paul Turounet)
    Writing about one's work, an artist's statement, can be quite a daunting and challenging task. However, once the challenge is embraced, the artist's statement can provide a tremendous benefit in the presentation of one's work.
  • Conscientious | Defining one's work - On Statements
    Conscientious - By Joerg Colberg "Of course, there are many different ways of writing one, and - needless to say - there exists a fairly large group of people who refuse to do it (I'll call them the refuseniks). 
  • Conscientious in limbo: So what is a statement good for?
    RECOMMENDED Quotes a photographer Paul Turounet who neatly defines (in a comment on this post) what an artist statement is good for 
  • DLK COLLECTION: A Few Additions to the Discussion of Artist Statements
    "I thought there might be a couple of nuances from a collector's perspective that would be worth adding to the discussion. For us, artist statements are like road maps: they give us clues to better understand the work we are seeing. 
The Wikipedia Perspective
  • Artist's statement - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    An artist's statement (or artist statement) is a brief verbal representation (didactic, descriptive, or reflective in nature) created by the artist about his or her own work.
ART-WRITE: The Writing Guide for Visual Artists
by Vicki Krohn Amorose 
For today's artist writing skills are essential to self-promotion, connection and ongoing career opportunity
Picture
The aim of the book is to teach the reader how to write about art. 

Part One
covers how to develop and write an Artist Statement. 

Part Two focuses on other types of writing related to having a career in art e.g.
  • writing to make connections
  • filling out forms and writing proposals
  • biography, cover letter and resume
  • writing to impress the press - how to write a press release
Paperback: 126 pages
Publisher: Vicki Krohn Amorose
Date: January 11, 2013

BUY THIS BOOK

Art-Write: The Writing Guide for Visual Artists from Amazon.com
Art-Write: The Writing Guide for Visual Artists from Amazon UK
RECOMMENDED: Rated an average of
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars by 83 customer ratings (USA)
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars by 109 customer ratings (UK)

BACK to 'How to write an Artist Statement - INTRODUCTION
NEXT :
  • ​Why you need an artist's statement
  • How to write an artist statement (TIPS)
  • The language of an Artist's Statement - serious and humorous
  • What an Artist's Statement should contain - What to include and leave out
  • ​Examples of Artist Statements - including what famous artists do
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ABOUT ART BUSINESS INFO. FOR ARTISTS  -  Please read "PLEASE NOTE"
This website aims to provide a compendium of resources about the art business for artists. 

It helps artists learn how to do better at being business-like, marketing and selling their art and looking after their financial security.
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1) Content and the law change all the time. It's impossible to keep up with it if you're not working on the topic full time. 
​2) I research topics carefully. However, I am totally unable to warrant that 
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  • Home
    • Art Business Information Index
  • NEWS
  • PRACTICE
    • Starting Out - Tips
    • Being a Professional artist >
      • Working Lives of Professional Artists
      • Artists' Side Hustles
      • Artists' Residencies
      • Artists Unions
    • Business Management for Artists >
      • Setting Up & Running A Business
      • Risk Management for Artists
      • How to spot Art Scams / Fraud
      • Life in an Art Market Recession
      • Coronavirus COVID-19 and Art
    • Best Art Business Books
    • Learning Opportunities >
      • Art Schools in the UK
      • Art Business Courses
    • Image Management for Artists >
      • How to photograph art
      • How To Scan Artwork
      • How to back up image files
    • Law for Artists >
      • Legal Matters
      • Money Laundering in the Art Market
      • Data Protection for Art and Artists
      • Brexit Guidance for Art and Artists
  • MARKETING
    • How to write an Artist's Statement >
      • What is an Artist Statement?
      • Why you need an Artist's Statement
      • TIPS How to write an artist statement
      • The Language of an Artist's Statement
      • What an artist statement should contain
      • Examples of Artists Statements
    • How to write an Artist's Resume or CV >
      • Social Media summaries
      • CV for Artists
      • Resume for Artists
      • Biography for Artists
    • How to sign a painting, drawing or fine art print
    • Business Cards for Artists
    • How to write a press release for an artist
    • The Private View Invitation
    • Publicity for Juried Exhibitions
    • Websites for Artists >
      • Why websites matter
      • Options for Websites
      • Web content for Artists
      • Web design for artists
      • Keeping Google Happy
      • Writing for the Web
    • Image & Video sizes for Social Media Sites
    • How to be mobile-friendly
  • SELL ART
    • Trading Law & Regulations for Artists (UK)
    • E-commerce for artists
    • Art Exhibitions & Competitions >
      • Juried Exhibitions & Art Competitions
      • Juried Art Exhibition Checklist for Artists
      • How to cost a juried exhibition entry
      • How to make labels for an art exhibition
      • Alternative Options for Exhibitions
    • A Guide to Art Agents and Consultants
    • A Guide to Art Dealers & Galleries >
      • How to find the right gallery
    • The Artist-run Gallery
    • The Vanity Gallery
    • Art Fairs
    • How to Sell Art from Home
    • Open Studios
  • FRAME ART
    • List of Recommended Picture Framers
    • Conservation Products
    • Framing for open exhibitions and art competitions
    • Framing Videos
    • How to hang a picture
  • SHIP ART
    • How to pack artwork >
      • How to pack and ship pastel paintings
    • Packaging materials
    • How to ship art internationally >
      • Rules of Origin
      • Export Licences for Cultural Goods
    • How to ship art to exhibitions
    • How to mail art - Post & Parcel Services
    • UK & Ireland: Art Transport Services
    • USA Art Transport Services
  • COPYRIGHT
    • Copyright and artists' rights
    • BASICS: Copyright Infringement and Fair Use
    • How to protect artwork online
    • How to do a reverse image search
    • What to do about copyright infringement - for artists
    • Global Conventions on copyright >
      • Copyright in the UK
      • Copyright in the USA
      • Copyright in Canada
      • Copyright in Australia
  • MONEY & TAX
    • How to work out profit from an art sale
    • How to Price Your Art >
      • How important is price when buying art?
      • Options for Pricing Art
      • Terminology and Formulas for Pricing Art
      • Art Experts on Pricing Art
      • How artists price their art
      • The price of affordable art
    • Payments to Artists >
      • Paying Artists
      • How to create an Invoice
    • VAT for Artists
    • Tax Tips for Artists >
      • Tax on prize money
      • UK Tax Tips for Artists
      • UK: Self-Assessment Video Tips
      • USA Tax Tips for Artists
      • Ireland: Tax for Artists
      • Australia: Tax Tips for Artists
    • Insurance for Art and Artists >
      • Insurance for Art Teachers
      • UK Insurance Policies for art and artists
      • USA & Canada: Insurance Policies for Art and Artists
    • Artists' Grants & Scholarships
    • Retirement and Pensions for Artists
    • The Art Legacy >
      • Estate Planning for Artists
      • Estate Planning for Art Collectors
      • Famous Artists Estates
      • Artwork Inventory
      • After the Death of an Artist
      • Copyright and Resale Rights after Death
      • Art and Inheritance Tax
  • About + Help
    • Would you like me to help?
    • Privacy & Cookies Policy
    • Contact
  • BANKING