CIA Library: Writing an Artist Statement: Finding guides to writing an artist statement

Writing guides

Information about writing an artist statement is often embedded in books on broader subjects like art careers, grant proposals, etc. The books shown below are excellent places to start learning about writing effective artist statements.

Art-Write: the writing guide for visual artists by Vicki Amorose
Call Number: N 8351 .A7 A46 2013
This is a great place to start! In clear and direct language, this small book provides step-by-step advice on crafting an artist statement and writing for different stages in an artist's career.
Writing for the Visual Arts by Mashey Bernstein; George Yatchisin
Call Number: N 7476 .B47 2001
This book is filled with information from “How to write about your art” (chapter 2) to “Writing art manifestos: expressing your philosophy” (chapter 6) and “How to write grants and proposals” (chapter 8).
Getting the Word Out: The Artist’s Guide to Self-Promotion. by Art Calendar Editors
Call Number: N 8350 .G4 1998
An updated collection of articles originally published in Art Calendar magazine, 1995. Chapter 3 is about writing an artist statement.
Writing the Artist Statement: Revealing the True Spirit of Your Work. by Ariane Goodwin
Call Number: N 8351 .A7 G66 2002
Goodwin’s informal style differs significantly from the other books in this guide. She coaches and encourages you through a variety of exercises to help you identify the ideas in your art and to write about these ideas in a way that connects with an audience.
Taking the Leap: Building a Career as a Visual Artist. by Cay Lang
Call Number: N 8350 .L36 2006
“Chapter 2: Creating Your Artist’s Packet” includes a section on the artist’s statement with several examples.
The Artist's Guide to Grant Writing: how to find funds and write foolproof proposals for the visual, literary, and performing artist by Gigi Rosenberg
Call Number: NX 705.5 .U6 R67 2010
Be sure to take a look at chapter 7 "Craft Your Artist Statement, Bio, and Résumé." It has a very useful list of artist statement “Dos” and “Don’ts.”
Writing about Art by Henry M. Sayre
Call Number: N 7476 .S29 2009
The focus of this book is on writing about someone else’s art, but this edition’s appendix entitled “A Short Guide to Usage and Style: The Rules and Principles Most Often Violated in Writing About Art” can be helpful when writing about your art.
Accelerating on the Curves by Katharine T. Carter (Editor); Karen Chambers (Editor); Bill Mutters (Editor)
Call Number: N 8350 .C37 2016
Written for artists at varying levels of career development, one section includes templates and examples of the elements of press kits and presentation packages.

You may also find the following periodical articles helpful.

Adamson, Glenn. “When Artists Write About Their Work,” American Craft, V. 72 # 3 (June/July 2012), 22-23.

This excellent, short essay attempts to answer the questions what are the purpose and elements of an “ideal” artist statement and is recommended by the CIA ceramics faculty. This article is available in print in the library and online as a PDF (if you search for the article by its title in Art Source).

Miller, Jo. “How to write an artist's statement,” Art Papers, V. 21 (September/October 1997), 35.

Though older, this short article has solid advice. This article is available in print in the library and online as a PDF (if you search for the article by its title in Art Source).

Schreiber, Barbara."War of words," Art Papers Magazine V. 25 (Mar/Apr 2001), 10.

The focus of this article is writing an artist statement specifically designed for approaching shows. This article is available in print in the library and online as a PDF (if you search for the article by its title in Art Source).

The Gund Library subscribes to many databases that can help you locate articles on any topic. To find more articles about writing an artist statement, search ART SOURCE. If you are off campus, you will need to log-in through a proxy server using the same username and password you use to log-on to a computer on campus.

Art & Architecture Source This link opens in a new window
Articles, ebooks, and images covering antiques, architecture, art and art history, interior and landscape design, and much more.

Use the advance search screen.
Type "artist statement" in the first dialog box.
Type "how to write" in the second dialog box.
You can limit your search -- by type of material, to full text only, and by time period of the publication.
To find the articles listed above, type the author's name in the first dialog box and the title of the article in the second dialog box.

There are numerous online guides to writing artist statements; below are some suggestions