Western region artists are invited to submit expressions of interest to exhibit artworks in various businesses throughout Hobsons Bay. A diverse range of locations will become gallery spaces as part of Art In Public Places, including cafés, restaurants, salons, bars, professional rooms and more. The project aims to build stronger communities by linking local traders and promoting local artists, and to increase public exposure to the arts. Artists are also able to sell artworks.
An artist statement is often required for grant submissions, exhibition proposals and for educational purposes. There are no no given rules for how to write your artist statement although for Art in Public Places it is recommended that artists give a brief description of what the artwork is about, i.e., theme, concept, genre and medium. This brief statement assists the audience in understanding what the work is that you will be exhibiting, giving it a context. It is important to keep the artist statement brief and succinct and to try not to use to many large words and/or be overly descriptive.
Usually artist statements are written in the third person. With third person writing 'he', 'she', 'it' and 'they' is used. It is more formal than the first and second person and is often used in reports, policies and scholarly texts. It is important to consistently use either the first, second or third person when writing a artist statement and think about what you want to achieve. For Art in Public Places the artist statement will be reproduced in the catalogue and could be put up at your exhibition.
It is requested that artist statements be no longer than 100 words; this ensures that it can be formatted for the Art in Public Places catalogue. Please note that artist statements longer than 100 words will be edited without consultation.
Some tips on writing your artist statement are to brainstorm the following points:
Theme: What is my theme, what does my work represent, is it abstract? Or are they landscapes or portraits etc?
eg. Organic abstract forms, nature and space.
Genre: Does my work fit within a traditional or a contemporary aesthetic? Is it sculptural or painting? eg. Sculptural
Scale: Are they large or small? eg.A series of large scale sculptures
Medium: Photographic, ceramic, watercolours? eg.Ceramic
Example of a brief artist statement for Art in Public Places:
The artworks in the exhibition consist of a series of large ceramic sculptures that explore organic forms and the natural world. For further information go to www.myart.com
It is recommended to separate your arts practice and work experience on CVs. When you are applying for a job, the employer may not be that interested in where you have exhibited and in turn, when you are promoting yourself as an artist, information about your employment may become insignificant unless it is directly arts related. Often you will be requested to provide a one page CV. If you have a CV that is longer, you should focus on the highlights of your artistic career such as major exhibitions and grants or awards received. If you donŐ´have an extensive CV, remember to include all of your exhibition experience and arts education. If this is the first time you are exhibiting, you donŐ´need to provide a CV and there is no negative impact for you and your involvement with this project, you can officially start one up and add Art in Public Places to it for future purposes.
An arts CV will be requested after registration for media and other promotional needs.
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Art in Public Places is managed by Hobsons Bay City Council.
