Charlie Cummings on tue 3 oct 06
I'm really torn over the issue of Artist's statements. I read
hundreds of them each year. Most of the time they are a showcase for
bad grammar and worn out cliches.
Theater has dramaturgy. Shouldn't the play stand alone? Yes, maybe,
I don't know. Even though I've seen many Shakespeare plays more than
once, it is great to have a statement to refresh my memory and put
the play in context. An artist's statement should do the same thing.
Our fellow potters can read our pots like a book. This is what she
was trying to do, this is what she did, this is how successful she
was. When I view an exhibition, I read the statement last...if I
even read it. I have 15 years of thinking, talking, researching, and
making pots under my belt. I am visually educated and confident in
my education. When I view ancient pottery, I bring my understanding
of clay with me. I carry my craftsman education with me wherever I go.
Not everybody has the same level of visual education that we
do. These art viewers have spent their lives exploring the nuances
of accounting, farming, real estate, nuclear physics.... Now they
find themselves in a completely foreign environment. Everyone has an
innate visual understanding of art, but most people in the general
public lack confidence in their abilities. The statement is provided
by the artist should provide a framework for the viewer. Something
to give them a point of departure. An open door to our world.
The argument that a pot should stand alone is valid. Valid in some
situations at least. As potters and sculptors we should be able to
find something we understand in each other's work. We have so many
things in common. A shared set of words that have specific meanings
in clay. The ceramic process unifies us. We have our own little
clay community that is often intellectually incestuous. We can read
pots easily because we have a shared ceramic history and
vocabulary. It is intuitive to us, and foreign to outsiders.
Does a humble cup need an artist's statement? Everyone knows what a
cup is and does. So, maybe not. If you decide to make the cup
particularly hard to use, give it a very unusual form, or remove it
from the context of function, you might need to give your audience a
little background. Your "audience" might have thoughts of a bologna
sandwich floating around in their head when they come in the
door. John Doe might need a little context to help sort out the
thousands of possibilities that pass through his head when he
approaches your work. It makes sense to write something. Most
people are more comfortable reading than viewing art. You get used
to it when you do it every day. (That goes for reading and viewing
art.) The written word is a stepping stone to help those who don't
carry the weight of our education understand why we do what we do.
The Statement is a learning tool in school. It is a marketing tool
in some situations. It serves many purposes. In the end, providing
context is the one thing that is does consistently. The real
question is, who is your audience? Are you writing to get an A+ from
a professor? Are you writing to persuade a customer to buy into your
ideas? Are you writing to impress your fellow potters?
Enough writing about statements. I should go work on my Artist's
Statement now.
Charlie
Charlie Cummings Clay Studio & Gallery
4130 South Clinton Street
Fort Wayne, IN 46806
Charlie@claylink.com
260-458-9160
www.claylink.com
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