Artist Statements

Artist statements are valuable for many different reasons. Professors may want them when turning in an assignment, gallery owners may want them when reviewing potential work for their walls, etc. Artist statements explain why we do what we do and what our work is about.

When writing an artist statement, you will want to take into consideration the following:
-the audience
-the materials used
-the medium
-the subject of your work
-methodologies and theories that have influenced your work
-personal background, purpose, and perspective

Light and Lens by Robert Hirsch offers 14 steps to writing an artist's statement on page 333 if you would like more indepth descriptions than what is offered below.

"The overall purpose of an artist statement is to clearly and succinctly explain and give your ideas credibility."


1. List your ideas and where they came from.
2. Reflect on your own work. What do you enjoy photographing? Do you gravitate towards specific color palettes or themes? Once you have thought about these things, try to figure out what the common denominators are in your work.
3. Find an artist that you admire and read their artist statement.
4. Research. Artists get ideas from many things - politics, other artists, philosophy, history, etc. Figure out where your ideas come from and what appeals to you. When you come across an idea or concept that is interesting, rewrite it in your own words.
5. Can viewers interpret your image?
6. It is important to recognize that all images possess meaning - and this meaning is typically not universal across the audience. Make sure that you can express your meaning while recognizing that the viewers meaning can be true as well - each person has a different life experience.
7. Make a list of denotations and connotations that can be seen in your work.
8. Use metaphors. Literal statements lead toward literal interpretations.
9. Don't tell viewers what they should get out of looking at your work-point them in the direction you want them to go. The statement should help the viewer understand the ideas about the work.
10. Make sure your statement matches your work. If your words and images don't match-change the statement or change the work.
11. Be simple and specific. Artist statements don't need to be research papers.
12. Only discuss technical aspects of your work if it is really important to your idea.
13. It is sometimes helpful to create an image contact sheet with image titles, creation date, dimensions of print, etc.
14. Get feedback-review and revise. Have others read your statement and look at your work.