Janet H Walker on mon 5 apr 99
Peter Atwood wrote:
...business of artist's statements to be utter bullshit...
...silly collections of drivel seem to focus more on the person
doing the work...
Yes, you've got that right. That is absolutely what is wrong with
most artists statements WHEN written by a functional potter trying
to sell pots. The whole navel-gazing side of artistic statements is
mandated by the (in my opinion silly) American requirement that art
must reflect the individual. Once you accept that requirement,
there is no other kind of statement to write if you want to play the
Art Game.
HOWEVER, if your interest is simply in making and selling fine pots,
you do have other choices.
I notice with amusement, Peter's signoff:
who has no statement about his beautiful pots other than to say that
they are the culmination of years of study and that they
successfully articulate the manifestations of the natural and
manmade as well as the physical being of the known and unknown as
well as that which could be known and of course, that which will
never be known.
Excuse me? "Articulate the manifestations"? Unless this was
written totally tongue in cheek (it is possible; I don't know Peter
personally) this is perfect artists statement material!
Now, why might I argue that writing words about your pots makes
sense? Not everyone sees things the same way. Many people are
auditory first, tactile first, or logical first rather than visual
first. This must not exclude them from being worthy of appreciating
pots. But it does make sense then to help them find their way
towards seeing what you believe you have put in there.
When you want to talk to customers with a statement, you talk about
(a) how you feel about them and (b) how you want them to feel about
the pot. Put in into the customers' terms; that is the essence of
marketing. if you truly belive that art is about communication,
then you have to bring the viewer/buyer into your statement in some
non-peripheral way. (Maybe you do make your pots as a form of
therapy. But what should motivate a person shopping for something
for their home to pay for your therapy? Peculiar notion.)
I belong to a coop gallery. The jeweller in the gallery makes some
of the world's best hang tags. Every piece gets a title and a
little spiritual description of each of the kinds of stones in it.
These things sell like hot cakes and I have observed that the tags
often clinch the sale. (Now pay attention to the next sentence!) I
have watched a visual artist member of the gallery crow with delight
over a clever title and proclaim "Oh NOW I know what to buy for my
sister!"
Works of art should have multisensory appeal, not just visual.
Don't just expect them to "speak for themselves" when some large
proportion of the people out there don't have the tools to listen
until you tell them how. It isn't enough just to make the art; you
need to go half-way at least to meet your customer.
Thoughtfully,
Jan Walker
Cambridge, MA USA
Erin Hayes on tue 6 apr 99
Hi All!
Jan said:
"Not everyone sees things the same way. . . . But it does make sense then to
help them find their way towards seeing what you believe you have put in
there."
This is one of the biggest issues I face with art appreciation students who
are terrified they'll look at a work of art and "get it wrong." They deal
with this fear by not looking at anything. Janet is right, but I'd go one
further and say that no one sees anything the same way.
As for helping people see what you think you put in there, I have to say
that an artist's statement helps to clarify exactly that - *whether your
viewers ever see the statement or not.* In some ways, giving them too much
confines their reactions. A good statement always allows lots of room - it
must be simple and short so that it doesn't exhaust the meaning of the work
before the viewers ever get a chance to generate their own reactions.
Although I realize Janet is thinking from a marketing point of view, as she
stated, I believe that sometimes marketing is truly separate from an
artist's statement. I don't view a statement as a way to help people "figure
out" my work so they'll feel better about laying down money to buy it. A
statement, for me, is a clarification of what my work means and why I go
through the trouble (and delight) of doing it. If that makes them "connect"
and want to purchase something, great. But I don't see it as an advertising
instrument at all.
Of course that comes from not depending on my art as primary income, and
that makes an enormous difference. However, I refuse to feel snotty or
guilty for writing statements. I truly feel that for me they are a useful
tool for understanding my own work.
Staying out of the fray from now on...
Erin.
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