Professional Documents Every Artist Needs

 

Words can never fully describe visual art. They just can't; that's why the work is visual and not verbal. However, it's a terrible mistake to think that your work will "speak for itself" or that words somehow debase or demean the purity of your visual art. This is true for oil painting, sculpture, photography, illustration, animation, graphic design, etc. 

Writing about your work is necessary; it's not something you can opt out of if you want to be successful. Most people want to make a living related to art: maybe it's exhibiting and selling your work directly through a gallery or through a website such as Etsy, and maybe it's getting a job in the art field that isn't directly related to selling your own art. Whatever the case, you will need to represent yourself through the written word. 

In this unit of the class, we're going to work on three of the most common professional documents that all artists will need to produce at some stage of their careers.

1. The Artist Biography (around 120 words, one paragraph)

2. The Artist Statement (around 250 words, two or three paragraphs)

3. The Artist CV or Resume (1-2 pages)

These three documents overlap (think of a Venn diagram), but they each carry out a discreet task. 

It's really tricky for a young artist just starting out because experiences are just beginning to come together. That's why for this assignment we're going to use a time machine. You will need to use your imagination. The year is 2033. You are approximately 30 years old and you've had a successful career. Think of this as an opportunity to envision your aspirations. Try to be both realistic and ambitious. 

This assignment will be delivered in four parts. After composing, revising, and editing each of the documents listed above, you will attach them to a professionally-written email message.

The first of the four documents you will write is your artist biography. This link from MICA is a solid introduction to the components commonly found in a well-written artist biography and artist statement. 

After composing, revising, and editing your biography, cut and paste it into the discussion board for our course. This is due no later than one hour before your class starts. The deadline for the  M/W class is February 1, and February 2 for the T/R sections.

Questions?   csmith@dcad.edu