Idea Blog (3-23-10): Reworking Artist Statement

In my meeting today, Paul had suggested that I read over my artist statement and pull five words that I think must stay in my final statement. Since I haven't given much thought to my statement and had primarily been focusing on the concept, the only statement I have is one I made at the beginning of the fall semester. Look at the statement now, it generally applies to what I'm doing in the sense it discusses nature but otherwise, I'm not sure it says much. But, since its all I have so far:

Sara D’Eugenio is a photographic based artist who works closely with nature to highlight its mystery. Her drive for making art is nature’s surreal beauty and decades when life was less stressful. She often hand makes lens filters that distort or emphasize her subjects, incorporating parts of our natural environment into her final product. In a world that is obsessed with tearing down the old and erecting the new, she works to defy that and show her viewers that the past is something to be remembered and honored through nostalgic imagery. Every aspect of her physical work and the subjects within her work are impermanent.

These words are very, very broad, so I am defining them in relation to my project. Definitions via online dictionary.

1. nature: the material world, esp. as surrounding humankind and existing independently of human activities; the natural world as it exists without human beings or civilization; a simple, uncluttered mode of life without the conveniences or distractions of civilization. I am really interested in the words "independently of human" and "uncluttered mode" from this definition.

2. life: he condition that distinguishes organisms from inorganic objects and dead organisms, being manifested by growth through metabolism, reproduction, and the power of adaptation to environment through changes originating internally; a biography. From this definition, I am really interested in "biography" and "adaptation to environment."

3. environment: the aggregate of surrounding things, conditions, or influences; surroundings; milieu; the air, water, minerals, organisms, and all other external factors surrounding and affecting a given organism at any time. From this definition, I think its important to focus on "external factors" and "influences."

4. remembered: to bear (a person) in mind as deserving a gift, reward, or fee; to retain in the memory; keep in mind; remain aware of. Words: "deserving" and "retain."

5. impermanent: not permanent or enduring; transitory. <>

From here, I am going to try to do this exercise again from the words I pulled from the definitions to get a more specific idea. Also, I know what I want to say, I just have to actually write it down and record it.

Anderson Gallery: Submission Documentation

Artist Entry: Allan Mccollum

Allan McCollum is a multimedia artist who currently resides in New York City. His work deals with "how objects achieve public and personal meaning in a world constituted in mass production, focusing most recently on collaborations with small community historical society museums in different parts of the world" (Source). I was drawn to his work because of the organic nature of his structures, which is good because that is what he (I believe) is interested in. Though they look the same even though some vary in color, the overall project speaks of the unique nature of identical object. Nature nor man can make one object exactly the same. I wanted to find out more information about his pieces but oddly enough couldn't find too much more. I did however find this video. In one of McCollum's pieces, he outsourced work to a family owned company in Maine to help in creating his final piece. The video can be seen below:

Ooo! Technology!

I need this beautiful contraption for my project! Too bad its $900.00...

Artist Lecture: Sanford Biggers

For some reason, my entry was erased...or I never saved + posted. Regardless, I will do my best to rewrite this entry.

I hate to say this but the Sanford Biggers lecture was painful for me to get through. It may have been because I only had about five hours of sleep the night before or because the artwork just really did not speak to me at all. His success as an artist is fantastic though. He is currently teaching at Columbia after teaching at VCU for a few years.

Bigger's work is highly conceptual and focuses primarily on race relations and is mixed as far as its medium ranging between video, music, sculpture and performance. The first piece that he showed was a media montage that showed a juxtaposition of African Americans in media beside clips of Caucasians. The clips were of old Hollywood arial dance numbers v. images of the blacks in the 1970s, which is a time when their role in television/film really began to change. I believe his goal was to show the heavy contrast between the two as far as media portrayals.

Perhaps I just completely missed the mark, which is highly possible because performance work is something that I knowingly do not understand. Overall though, I thought the work was all over the place and within one piece, there were so many things going on, it was confusing for the viewer. Either that, or like in his piece were he collaborated with his female friend from Connecticut, very obvious. Overall, the pieces that I felt were the most conceptually strong and visually interesting were Lotus and Cheshire Smile. These two pieces were both haunting and memorable. Though if I saw it, I would have no idea what it was about, my favorite piece that he showed was the sculpture of the tree growing though the tree. His technical skills are dead on, perfect. I didn't see it in person but from the images he showed, the detail was flawless.

Idea Blog (3-10-10): Artist Statements

I am struggling with my artist statement. I want it to be short and not sound like I normally do when I write. I feel like whenever I write an article for the magazine or the editor letter that I'm trying to sound personable and cool. I want to sound like myself...not the weird voice I feel like I portray. To kick off the artist statement process, I looked at a couple websites that "outline" how to write a "good artist statement." Of course, these are probably not good guides to follow step by step, however I think its a positive place for me to start. To get my ideas out onto paper, I wrote down my answers to these questions and statements (which I did not provide on here). I have used this website as a reference before when writing a statement in the past.

STEP ONE: Assemble the Ingredients.

1. Take five minutes and think about why you do what you do. How did you get into this work? How do you feel when work is going well? What are your favorite things about your work? Jot down short phrases that capture your thoughts. Don't worry about making sense or connections. The more you stir up at this point, the richer the stew.

2. Make a list of words and phrases that communicate your feelings about your work and your values. Include words you like, words that make you feel good, words that communicate your values or fascinations. Be loose. Be happy. Be real. Think of these as potential seasonings for your stew. You don't have to choose which ones to use just yet, so get them all out of the cupboard.

3. Answer these questions as simply as you can. Your answers are the meat and potatoes of your stew. Let them be raw and uncut for now.

1. What is your favorite tool? Why?
2. What is your favorite material? Why?
3. What do you like best about what you do?
4. What do you mean when you say that a piece has turned out really well?
5. What patterns emerge in your work? Is there a pattern in the way you select materials? In the way you use color, texture or light?
6. What do you do differently from the way you were taught? Why?
7. What is your favorite color? List three qualities of the color. Consider that these qualities apply to your work.

4. Look at your word list. Add new words suggested by your answers to the questions above.

5. Choose two key words from your word list. They can be related or entirely different. Look them up in a dictionary. Read all the definitions listed for your words. Copy the definitions, thinking about what notions they have in common. Look your words up in a Thesaurus. Read the entries related to your words. Are there any new words that should be added to your word list?

6. Write five sentences that tell the truth about your connection to your work. If you are stuck, start by filling in the blanks below.

When I work with__________ I am reminded that___________.

I begin a piece by______________.

I know a piece is done when__________________.

When my work is going well, I am filled with a sense of _____________.

When people see my work, I'd like them to ________________.

STEP TWO: Filling the Pot.

Write a three paragraph artist's statement. Keep your sentences authentic and direct. Use the present tense ("I am," not "I was," "I do," not "I did.") Be brave: say nice things about yourself. If you find that you falter, write three paragraphs about an artist whose work you admire. Then write about yourself as though you were an admiring colleague. As a rule, your artist's statement should be written in the first person. Refer to yourself with the pronouns "I, me, my." If this blocks you, write in the third person, then go back and change the pronouns as needed when you get to Step Four. Use the suggestions below to structure your statement. Write three to five sentences per paragraph.

First paragraph. Begin with a simple statement of why you do the work you do. Support that statement, telling the reader more about your goals and aspirations.

Second paragraph. Tell the reader how you make decisions in the course of your work. How and why do you select materials, techniques, themes? Keep it simple and tell the truth.

Third paragraph. Tell the reader a little more about your current work. How it grew out of prior work or life experiences. What are you exploring, attempting, challenging by doing this work.

STEP THREE: Simmering the Stew.

Your artist's statement is a piece of very personal writing. Let it simmer overnight before your reread it. This incubation period will help give you the detachment necessary to polish the writing without violating your sense of integrity and safety. While your statement simmers, let your mind wander over the ingredients you assembled in Step One. Allow yourself to experience the truth of your creative experience. Marvel at the wealth of seasonings and abundance of vegetables you have at your disposal. Enjoy the realization that your work is grounded in real values and experience. If you think of things you might have left out of your statement, jot them down, but leave the statement alone.

STEP FOUR: Taste and Correct the Seasonings.

Read your statement out loud. Listen to the way the sounds and rhythms seem to invite pauses. Notice places where you'd like the sound or rhythm to be different. Experiment with sounding out the beats of words that seem to be missing until they come to mind. Do this several times until you have a sense of the musical potential of your statement. As you read your statement, some phrases will ring true and others false. Think about the ones that aren't on the mark and find the true statement lurking behind the false one. You may find that the truth is a simpler statement than the one you made. Or your internal censors may have kept you from making a wholehearted statement of your truth lest it sound self-important. Risk puffing yourself up as long as your claims are in line with your goals and values.

Keep reading and revising your statement until you hear a musical, simple, authentic voice that is making clear and honest statements about your work. Refer to your word list and other Step One exercises as needed. By now your taste buds are saturated. You need a second opinion. Choose a trusted friend or professional to read your statement. Make it clear that you are satisfied with the ingredients on the whole, but you'd like an opinion as to seasoning. In other words, you alone are the authority for what is true about your work, but you'd like feedback on clarity, tone, and such technical matters as spelling and punctuation. Once you've incorporated such suggestions as make sense to you, make a crisp, clear original of your artist's statement. Sign and date it. Make lots of copies, you will have lots of people to serve it to!

STEP FIVE: Summon the Guests.

There's little point in concocting a fabulous stew if you don't invite anyone to dinner. Every time you use your artist's statement you extend your circle of influence and build new branches of the support network for making, showing and selling your work. Enclose a copy of your artist's statement whenever you send a press release, letter of interest to a gallery or store, or contact a collector. Send it to show promoters and curators. Enclose a copy with shipments of your work so it can be displayed wherever your work is exhibited. The rest of this manual will suggest many opportunities for using your artist's statement to express your truth and support your presentations.

STEP SIX: File Your Recipe!

Save all the notes and drafts that you've made. You'll want to revise and update your artist's statement from time to time to reflect changes in your work.

Still, it is likely that many of the underlying expressions of your authority will remain the same. Having access to the "recipe" for your original statement will help you generate better revisions and will give you a sense of creative continuity. Whenever you need copy (for announcements, packaging, exhibit catalogues, etc.) return to your warm-up exercises. The words and phrases there will help you write openly and honestly about your work. And repeating the exercises will help you chart new creative territory.

(Source)

Artist Entry: Madelon Galland

My artist this week was very exciting to find. Madelon Galland is a multi-media artist in living and working in New York City who shared my curiosity about the neglected, abandoned homes belonging to trees removed in highly urban areas. However, her idea was to upholster them instead of photograph them. The Stump Project is an ongoing project where she quite literally goes around and upholster's New York City's abandoned tree stumps. This project then branches out into various other directions like how in some, she seems to be clothing trees to provide cushion to the strains that certain manmade fixtures apply. The numerous applications all have similar messages though.

Her presentations vary as well. In some, she brings the actual stump into the gallery space. In others, the record is held through a photograph and brought into the gallery. I am playing around with the two same ideas right now, but in her work am more drawn to the actual photos of the installation. In regard to her work, she says:

"To upholster the sidewalk stump was a way to honor that which had been diminished, and bring it back into relationship with the neighborhood. I am interested by what happens in a public space when I demonstrate care for something which is not “mine."

"And it addresses the displaced and reductive state of our relationship to nature in an urban environment, or any so called civilized society. Wherever upholstering a tree stump is sited, it speaks to our relationship with what has been cast off and it is an activation and sublimation of dejected forms and neglected spaces." (Source).