Business cards for the Brooklyn-based Librarian meetup group. thedeskset.org ]]> http://www.whoisrick.com/work/desk-set/feed/ 0 http://www.whoisrick.com/work/in-this-shipment/ http://www.whoisrick.com/work/in-this-shipment/#comments Mon, 17 Nov 2008 21:11:43 +0000 admin http://www.whoisrick.com/?p=34 Micron pen drawings of my recent Amazon purchases.

The goal of an artist statement is to clarify and demystify a body of work. It should not contain the artist’s conceit— the body of work serves that purpose. A good rule of thumb for any statement is to take your mother in mind as a prospective audience. If every word clearly communicates the goals of the work to Mom then you’ve succeeded. This is true for both the statement’s lexicon and construction (try to avoid using “lexicon”). If you’re confident that Mom can readily define “gestalt,” then feel free to proceed with its use, otherwise clearly explain that you intended to compose things just so, in order to form a larger piece from all the smaller bits.

In structuring a statement, the five paragraph essay standard works wonderfully. Determine your thesis, a short single statement that tidily wraps up the body of work. Every other sentence in the statement should reinforce that single idea. A good introduction should define the work in broad strokes, ending with your thesis. The proceeding paragraphs provide depth, answering how and why the work is what your thesis says it is. To conclude you will reiterate your thesis in different, more concise terms. Surround this restatement of the thesis with several more broad, punchy sentences surrounding your goal. This creates a seal.

A few other words of advice: avoid discussing anything in the statement that is not in the work. If a facet of the work is not communicated explicitly do not make an attempt to inject it implicitly via statement alone. An artist statement can crystalize the work’s intent. It can breathe greater meaning into the work. Written with pretension or conceit, however, it will knock the wind out.