Professional Practice - Guest Lecturer - Laura Robertson

Laura Robertson

The artist Statement

The double negative

Frieze

Art Review

Art Monthly

a-n

Hyperallergic

Art quest - how to write an artist statement

How to write about contemporary art by Gilda Willaims

Where to write an artist statement

- Website - About me

- Applications - Job - Funding etc

- Exhibition

- Book

Rules

- Written in 1st Person

- Audience (250 words max)

- Do write about the work when it is in front of you

- Personal

- Dont copy and paste

- Use clear language

- Thesaurus

- Edit Statement

- Answer basis - What, why, when, how, where, who

Fiona Rae

Steps

1. What, why, when, how, where, who Creative process What are the concepts

2. Break it down into critical and descriptive writing

3. Collect a bank of key descriptive words: Precise, creative and visual Verbs, nouns and adjectives

4. Use sentences and structure to your advantage

5. Tell a good story Dont persume the reader, know the reader

Alternate approaches to consider

• Write a manifesto e.g. Claes Oldenberg 1961 Express yourself 'I am for an Art that.....' What? Complete 100 artist manifestios

• Get someone else to write about your work

• Try keeping a diary

• Take inspiration from reviews