How To Write an Artist Statement for College

"An artist statement is piece of writing by you that helps the audience access or understand your artistic work. It is written in the first person." -School of the Art Institute of Chicago, SAIC

The artist statement is where you will write about 1/2 to 1 full page description of your artistic style and the type of art you create and the reasons why. Be specific with examples. This is an opportunity to show more of your academic side but still use creative and descriptive language to explain your concepts, idea, and development. This is your opportunity to communicate your technical skills and tell what inspires you.

"One way to write in your true voice is to record yourself. Imagine you are telling someone your responses to these questions: Why am I an artist? Why do I do my art? Why do I feel this way about art? Talk about your first memory doing your art or about who inspires you and why." -University of North Carolina School of the Arts

"Your statement is for explaining why you're driven to make it: What drives you to be an artist? What will keep you going through art school? Who or what are your influences as an artist?" -California College of the Arts, CCA

Include some of the following points:

• Why you created the artwork

• Your overall vision

• Sources and inspiration for your images

• Artists you have been influenced by or how your work relates to other artists’ work

• Other influences

• How your artwork fits into a series or larger body of work

• How a certain technique is important to your work

• Your philosophy of art making

• The final paragraph should summarize the most important points in the statement

• As you apply to various institutions you may want to tweak your statement to best match the admissions requirements

• Highlight your skills and goals to align with those of the college (read the motto, vision statement, and values to find out information)

"A well-written artist statement will provide background information to enhance a viewer’s appreciation of your artwork. Information can include but is not limited to origin, process, artistic influences, or purpose." -Rhode Island School of Design, RISD 

Questions to ask yourself:

• “What am I trying to say in my artwork?”

• “What influences my work?”

• “How do my methods of working (techniques, style, decisions) support the content of my work?”

• “What are specific examples of this in my work?"

"Focus on the things that matter most to you such as color, mark, composition, materials, concept, and process." -Rhode Island School of Design, RISD

Writing style tips:

• Be honest

• Try to capture your own speaking voice

• Avoid repetition of phrases and words. Omit sentences that say the same thing you said before, but in a different way.

• Vary sentence structure and length. The length of a sentence should relate to the complexity of the idea.

• Organization of detail is important. Significant ideas should be at the end of each sentence for emphasis.

"We want to hear your story. What inspires you? What are you interested in?" - University of the Arts, London UAL

Watch this informative 2 minute video from UAL for additional inspiration.

If you show genuine passion for art, colleges will have no problem seeing what makes you unique and special.