An Artist Statement is Your True North
An Artist Statement isn't just a requirement for applications; it's your creative compass. It helps funders understand your work, supports applications, and evolves alongside your practice. Think of your artist statement as your true north: it shows who you are, where you've been, and where you're heading.
Reasons to Write an Artist Statement
- To accompany grant applications
- To accompany gallery or festival applications
- For exhibition catalogues or artist books (often, 1,500 words)
- To provide context for your work in exhibitions or portfolios
Always consider your audience and why you're writing an artist statement. Within this article, we will focus on writing an Artist's Statement for a grant application. You don't always need to hire a grant writer when amuchof this work requires going within. My goal is to share knowledge and encourage self-determination instead of looking for someone else to do the job. Grants are a lottery, so grab your favourite beverage and let's start writing.
What Funders Ask
Calgary Arts Development requires an artistic practice statement of no more than 300 words as part of your grant portal profile. When you apply for a grant, your artistic practice statement will auto-populate, so it's often a neglected component of an application. Let's see what Calgary Arts Development asks for.
Creative BC's film grant for Equity + Emerging Development requires a "personal statement" of a maximum of two pages. Let's see what Creative BC asks for.
What Institutions Say
BC's Emily Carr University of Art + Design has a dedicated page on Artist Statements and describes one to include the following elements:
- The subject of your work
- Your audience, your purpose or motive
- The materials and medium in which you work
- The theories and methodologies that influenced your work
- Your own personal perspective or background
Sarah's Reflection on the Artist's Statement
As a trained Cultivating Safe Spaces facilitator, I often reflect on the three introduction questions: Who am I? Who do I belong to? What's my purpose? These questions resonate deeply when crafting an Artist Statement. Identity is the hardest, but most essential, part to communicate in your statement. Arts Councils fund culture, community, and the development of artists. Who you are matters. I'm not saying it's easy, but it's an important piece to understand when crafting an artist statement for your grant application. Answering who I am took years of archival research on my family history and many hours in meditation.
Homework
Write a 300-word artist statement that speaks to who you are, your creative process, short-term goals, and long-term goals.
Use the following questions for a free-flow writing session. Set a timer for 15 minutes and write without stopping.
- Define your creative practice and the direction you are moving towards. What is your process when you create?
- What are your future goals? What projects do you want to pursue in the near future? What’s your dream project?
- What risks are you taking? Are you exploring a traditional practice in an innovative way? Will you be using technology in a new way? How does your project involve artistic exploration or innovation?
- Who am I? What is important to my work (cultural influences, your identity, geography, community, language, etc.) and why?
Next, go back over your rough writing and highlight what resonates. You can structure your artist statement any way you like. For mine, I started with who I am and my creative process. Then, I introduced my short-term goals and long-term goals.
If this is your first time writing your artist statement, know that crafting a clear statement takes time and many drafts.
Tips for Crafting Your Statement
- Read it outloud
- Ask a friend to proofread and provide feedback
- Search for artist statements from creators you admire
- Avoid industry gargon and buzzwords
- Use spellcheck or Grammarly
- Paste your draft into the Hemingway app to check readability and conciseness
Tell us how your writing is going by commenting below.
Want to feel more confident in your grant writing? SJT Writing offers professional review and feedback on your grant application. We walk with you in the four weeks leading up to your grant deadline, reviewing your draft twice and helping you submit your strongest application.
