Artist Statements
Deadline to upload your Artist Statement: January 20th, 2025
For further dates and deadlines visit the link here
What is an Artist Statement?
While it may seem completely foreign to write about yourself and your art, a well-written Artist Statement can give viewers information about you and your artwork that they find both interesting and insightful. An Artist Statement invites the viewer to understand a little more about an artist and their creativity, making the viewer’s experience deeper and all the more remarkable.
Most Artist Statements are no more than one page long and can even be one paragraph in length. Below are some tips and techniques for writing your own statement, but be creative and inventive. Your statement is meant to enhance the art you create and reflect who you are! An Artist Statement also includes an image of your artwork and a photo of yourself!
Tips to writing your own
It’s important to write in the first person and present tense: “I am” and “I do”. Stay away from past tense (“I was”, “I did”). Think about the ‘W’ questions: who, what, when, where, and why. Share your background: Who do you study with? Why do you work in a particular medium? Why do you love making art? And what is this piece about? Be honest and passionate. Keep in mind that your statement should be more than a simple description of yourself and/or your art. Consider what has influenced you, what interests you, and what inspires you! You want to evoke a deep interest from the readers and viewers of your work.
In the first paragraph, focus on who you are and why you create the work you do. Tell the reader about some of your goals and aspirations as an artist and as a person.
In the second paragraph, focus on what you create. You can discuss the materials you prefer to work with, techniques you enjoy, and any themes you are exploring in your art. This doesn’t have to be lengthy, but be specific.
Lastly, in the third paragraph, focus on the now. Talk about your current work and most importantly, the piece you are submitting for this show. Did this artwork grow out of prior work, sketchbook work, or a life experience? How so? What are you hoping to communicate with your work? Is there anything particularly challenging you experience when you are creating?
Here are good examples of past year’s Artist Statements to inspire:
Kate P.
My work explores the colonial mentality present in the Philippines and its effects on modern entertainment.
Ever since I was young, I’d visit my Lola’s house each Sunday. Her television was always on, streaming the latest drama or game show. I’d sit and study the Filipino actors on screen, noticing their fair complexions and thin noises—reminders of the historic colonization of the Philippines. This dichotomy between my features and the ones I saw on screen became deeply ingrained in my sense of self, and my painting reflects this mentality.
The warped form on the television screen highlights the persistence of Eurocentric ideals in the Philippines. The young woman is a microcosm for all Filipino women who cannot find their features reflected in the media today.
Justin E.
Through my artistry, I found an outlet for creative expression and exploring the limits of my imagination. From an early age, I would bring the visions in my head to life, using my art as a means of escape from the mundane ways of reality. Most of my art nowadays depicts a more whimsical nature because I find that in these darkening times we (and especially myself) could all use some whimsy and fantasy to lighten the days.
As for inspiration, I draw from my favorite novels and musicians to help me in the creative process, with music especially being a driving force.
In previous works, my main media includes watercolor and graphite, though I do have some familiarity working with acrylic paint. But I find the flow of the paint in watercolor to be as rewarding as it is relaxing.
My piece entitled “Home” is an acrylic painting depicting a quaint peaceful scene of a tiny mushroom home deep within the woods. As for why I painted this, I’ve always loved nature, for it’s the earth as its most beautiful and pure. As I’d watch the news and see the destruction and doom on the screen, I’d sometimes wish I could be anywhere but here... and if I could, I would choose to live in a mushroom house in the forest far from the rest of the hustle and bustle of the modern world.
Evelyn F.
With regards to art, I tend to go all in with my emotions. When it comes to my art pieces I feel it as a way to express and open up about my feelings even if they may not be clear in the drawing or painting.
Over this quarantine, I was faced with many hardships and the most awful art-block and could not produce anything for a while, up until now. This leads me to my art piece Phantom Waltz. At first, I felt pretty nervous to put this out there, but now that I have gone through with it, I find this piece to be extremely important to me - not just because of the outcome, but because of its purpose.
This piece is not only a self portrait but also contains a rather personal story, going through a very difficult time in my life I felt this skeleton and I had a genuine conversation about life. As we danced, they helped me in recovering my emotions and helping me feel a strong sense of determination to get back up and start over strong. Whether it was my inner conscienceless or possibly a spirit, I am not sure. I just know that I was grateful for the ‘pep talk.’ The flowers are aztec marigolds, commonly used on El Dia de los Muertos (The Day of the Dead), which help the departed loved ones travel to the main world to see their family again. I don't want to refer to it, but Coco (a Pixar animated feature film), is an inspiration. Growing up I believed in spirits (thanks to my grandma’s influence). I added the flowers to show my respect to whom I spoke with. The flowers are in a color which show the life these flowers portray, their importance and their meaning.
Mohamed K.
After some months in the class, I was soon to find out my interest in working with clay and how mind-freeing it can be. As a teenager I have many goals and aspirations, but at the same time I'm trying to find what is right for me; it's why I took the opportunity to take 3D Design to begin with. I used to make these figures from pipe cleaners all the time when I was a kid so I have always had an interest in 3D work.
My preferred material to use is clay. When I make my art, I like to just let things happen with the clay. I could make a sketch of a project, but I will never make it look like what I had originally drawn; I always think of new ideas, shapes, textures and colors right on the spot.
Recently, I really started to get into busts and sculptures, so I decided to sculpt a male head for my submission. In my art, and specifically in my general life, I always overthink and most of the time it negatively affects me. This piece depicts an exploded, cracked male head with his thoughts flowing away and settling at the bottom. The dirtied butterflies represent ideas and thoughts being ruined or forgotten. The clouds turning into barbed wire represent the harm that overthinking can bring, physically and mentally. The male head has bandages, which represent the attempt of self recovery, or self help. This piece allowed me to create something that represents me, in hopes of it resonating with somebody else.
Here are some questions to get you started:
What’s your name and where do you go to school?
Who plays an important role in influencing your artwork? (This could be an artist you admire, family members, friends, mentor, etc.)
Are there any artistic movements that inspire you? (i.e. Pop Art, Expressionism, Cubism, Impressionism, etc.)
What has been the most eye-opening thing you’ve learned in art class so far?
Why did you choose to use the medium you used for your piece?
What do you want your viewer to learn from your piece?
What do you feel when you create art? (This could be freedom, excitement, connectedness, peace, etc.)