Artist Statements

Artist Statements

By the end of the second week of the semester (by September 7th) I want you to post here with a clear photo of yourself (less than 300kb please), your name and major, and an artist's statement of no less than a paragraph and no more than two, plus at least one image of recent work that fits with your artist's statement.  This statement should explain the overarching themes and ideas you want to explore and convey with your work.  If you don't feel like you have a strong enough direction to give an artist's statement about your work, I'm asking you to do it anyway.  In that case, this will be a good exercise for you to see what it feels like to articulate one even if you are uncertain.  Some things cannot be learned except by doing, but putting something at stake.  Having to do this even if you don't "know" will force you to think about what your direction might be, and will lead to one that you would not have found as quickly.  You can change it later on, but for now, I want you to pick some aspect about making ceramics that inspires you and some idea that you aspire for viewers to experience.  More advanced students are expected to have a clear direction to articulate, less advanced students -- the clearer the better anyway.  Confidence in your work is partially a willful act, and takes practice.  If you are waiting around for the confidence fairy to show up and wave a wand, good luck with that, but I'm here to push you into it, so you might as well step up.  Don't make excuses about your work, don't talk about areas that you think are weak in your work; and if you are really not sure at all, just invent a direction for yourself from nothing.  Pretend you are in a drama class and you are acting like an artist who already has a direction, and just fabricate something.  Whatever you invent will come from you anyway.  So just go for it and make something happen.

Start all your posts in this class with your first and last name