How to write an artist statement

A simple 3-part structure

1. What you make. One or two sentences a stranger could picture: medium, scale, subject. “I make large oil paintings of the flooded streets and shotgun houses of my New Orleans neighborhood.”
2. How you make it. Your process, materials and choices, and what's distinctive about them.
3. Why. The questions, experiences or ideas that drive the work, and what you hope a viewer takes away. Stay concrete.

Fill-in template

Short examples by medium

• Painter: “I paint small interiors from memory, using thinned oil on raw linen so the canvas shows through, the way memory leaves gaps.”
• Photographer: “I photograph second-line parades from inside the crowd, on a 35mm film camera, to keep the viewer at street level rather than above it.”
• Sculptor / ceramicist: “I build vessels from clay dug along the Mississippi and fire them in a wood kiln, so each piece records the place and the fire.”

Mistakes to avoid

• Jargon and abstractions (“interrogates liminal spaces”) instead of what the viewer actually sees.
• Starting with “Ever since I was a child...”. Your statement is about the work; save biography for your bio.
• Writing in the third person. Statements are first person; bios are third person.
• One version for everything. Grant and residency forms often set strict word limits, so trim to fit each one.

Artist statement vs. artist bio

A statement is first person and explains the work. A bio is third person and lists facts about you: where you're based, education, exhibitions, awards. Most applications ask for both.

In ArtistOS your statement lives with your CV. It appears on your public artist page and CV, and it's already filled in when you apply for grants and residencies.

Sources

• RISD Career Center: Artist statement
• University of Illinois Writers Workshop: Writing an artist statement
• The Creative Independent: How to write an artist statement
• Emily Carr University: Professional practice, artist statements

Frequently asked questions