Why you need an Artist's Statement

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An artist's statement explains your work and how you approach it when you're not there to speak about your work.

Organising your thoughts in an artist's statement can give you the confidence to engage others effectively when you meet them and present your work in a meaningful way.
Katherine Tyrrell - reworking Paul Turounet's words about statements for photographers

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Here are just some of the reasons why you need an artist statement - in alphabetical order

• Application for a Graduate Programme at Art School
• Application for a Teaching position
• Approaching a Gallery
• Art Project Proposal
• Artwork in an Exhibition
• Artwork on the Internet

• Biography
• Bio for a Magazine article
• Exhibition Catalogue
• Exhibition Proposal
• Curator Proposal
• Entry Form for a Juried Competition

• Grant Proposal
• Guidance for Exhibition Reviews - and Reviewers
• Introducing yourself to prospects
• Introducing you as a Lecturer
• Press Release
• Promotional Brochure / Tool
• Public Speaking Opportunities
• Talking to Clients at a Private View
• Sales Presentation by an Agent
• Writing a Letter about your Art
• Your Artist's Blog
• Your Verbal Introduction
• Your Website

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I have found that it is mostly artists who read these artist statements, in order to see how other artists write them and what kinds of things they say about their work.
Christopher Addison, director of the Addison/Ripley Gallery in Washington, D.C

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Views about why you need an Artist Statement
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Thinking about not creating an artist's statement?

• 6 Ways Your Artist Statement Can Work for You | Artsy Shark
  A strong, well-composed artist statement helps you create effective marketing by sharing your story and ideas with prospective collectors.
• 16 Ideas for Repurposing Your Artist Statement - Art Biz Blog
  Alyson Stanfield provides 16 ideas for repurposing the words you worked so hard on for your artist statement.
• Your Artist Statement Is Like A Coconut - Art Biz Blog
  Articulating your art - giving it the consideration it deserves - should be a priority. It's not just the final product that will be of benefit. It's the process you work through to get to it.

• How to Write an Artist Statement - Explaining Your Art | ArtBusiness.com Your Artist Statement: Explaining the Unexplainable Q: Why do I have to write an artist statement? It's stupid. A: Artist statements are not stupid; they're more like essential. And you don't have to be a writer to write one

• Conscientious | Defining one's work - On Statements - RECOMMENDED: an excellent review by Joern Colberg of the practical implications of the two classic reasons offered for NOT doing an artist statement. Plus other pitfalls and perspectives on the reasons for creating an artist's statement
  

• Conscientious in limbo: Defining one's work (continued)
  RECOMMENDED: a follow up post to the above and the comments it received. This is is a post that neatly and very smartly summarizes what I called the refusenik approach

• Daniel Grant: Are "Artists' Statements" Really Necessary? - Clearly, there are two issues here: The first is whether or not to include an artist statement as part of an exhibition or in a packet of slides sent to a dealer; the second is how to conceive of, and write, a statement
  

Another fairly large group of people sees statements as little more than “bullshit” (a term regularly used in emails sent to me) put out by gallerists to make a quick buck (let’s call them the cynics).
Joern Colberg

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