Sharing lessons learned with emerging artists

Jewelry Discussion
61 
This topic is beginning to sound like anti-elitist rhetoric. Why
are so many afraid of the existence of artists' statements? What
else but some sort of fear can cause such righteous indignation?

I guess it never occurred to you that this (Orchid) is the world.
Some of us are actual long-time professional people, and veterans of
thousands of galleries, museums, shows, and various miscellany. Maybe
we know smoke when we see it.

Nobody here has said anything about fear, only you. And
“anti-elitist” is some curious artspeak. What does that mean,
exactly? It’s all about substance, you see. Somebody either has it
or they don’t, there’s no place to hide.

62

Hi Richard,

I am not a big fan of artist statements. When I read what Andy
Cooperman wrote about his work, it gave me insight into how he
came to work in the direction he was going, and I had more
appreciation for what his motivation was. I had no idea by viewing
his work what it was based on, I did not see the connection.

I appreciate your thoughts and I agree with the musician/song
analogy. A well written statement can enhance something even though
it may not be necessary to one’s enjoyment or appreciation of that
thing.

Which brings me to this question: In the context of this thread
where some have stated that a visual, sculptural or 3 dimensional
piece piece should exist on its own merits, that its “meaning” should
be accessible without benefit of written words… has my work
failed?

I ask this seriously and with no defensiveness. It seems that it is
crucial to the discussion.

Andy

63

Maestro Surpin-

I have no idea how long you’ve been in the United States but your
command of the English language reminds me of Nabokov.

Marly

64 
Don't fall into the trap of writing an artists statement as if you
are trying to convince other artists that you are a worthy member
of the club. Write it to the audience that you actually expect to
own you work.

DITTO !!!

Since John brought me surreptitiously into this discussion, I’ll add
this… My work for the exhibit he mentioned is impeccably made, the
statement was a fine one and the picture of it was well done by a
photographer/jeweler… To be judged only online and not in" real
time" is the issue & disappointment that still sticks with me. I
even went back to re-read what my artist statement was and I thought
I nailed it…But, I understand that there was a large amount of
pieces entered and cuts had to be made. I believe that “the artist
statement” was the scapegoat, so to speak.

I’m a seasoned jeweler who has shown quite a bit over the last 35+
years, my shoulders are broad and I can take rejection when it is
appropriate. Imagine if I was just starting out and got dinged on
this issue…I’m not sure I would work with these exhibitors/ metals
group again. I am a jeweler/metalsmith first and foremost and put
great care into this work. To quote one of my fellow metalsmiths who
saw the comment on my piece and then the comment–“PLeasse”.

From finally toasty SF,
Jo-Ann maggiora Donivan
http://www.donivanandmaggiora.com

65

I have to admit I am not an artist and have not read every post in
this topic…but when something goes on for quite awhile I tend to
see what it is all about.

This discussion reminds me a bit of some of Metalsmiths Magazine’s
Exhibition in Print discussions in past years (this year is probably
one of the first years I didn’t see a long discussion about it).
There are those who tend to like “art” jewelry and those who do not.
I suspect that many of the people on this forum who have not liked
the idea of an artist statement and spoke negatively about them are
many of the same who have not liked many of the last few years of
the Metalsmiths Magazine’s Exhibition in Print.

In an ideal world we would preference what we say/write with
something like “in my opinion I believe…though you and others may
think differently”…but we don’t. Many people here do have passion
about what they create, how they work, what they feel and believe
and it comes through in their writing. It often feels like “I’m
right” but I don’t think that is how most people usually mean it. We
tend to write how we think/talk and unfortunately in a forum like
this we don’t get to hear inflection of voice, see facial
expressions or body language or have a quick back and forth
discussion about something…it’s time delayed and that often
causes some miscommunication.

I don’t think not liking artist statements and not wanting to write
one is based on fear Andy…it is just a really strong preference
and someone doesn’t see their work “needing” one.

The benefit of this somewhat heated discussion is that an emerging
artist can decide if they have to write one, should write one, feels
it is a benefit to them and their potential clients to write one.
Personally I think if one is entering a show or gallery that
requires it, you have no choice (or you don’t exhibit there) and you
write one. Otherwise if it satisfies you and helps you with your
work, then write one. But I wouldn’t have sleepless nights over what
one should say in one if you don’t need to write one. There are
other, more important (IMHO) aspects of running a business/selling
one’s work that time/effort/thought should be placed on.

If one is creating work for work’s/art sake and not interested in
selling, then what I just said is invalid. I know of the 11,500
people on orchid, not everyone is trying to make a living at selling
their work…and that is often the big divide here. If you are
making jewelry because it is your passion and gives you great
satisfaction and you can afford to not sell it because of another
job or circumstance I strongly suspect your perspective may be quite
different than the person who is paying all their bills by what
their work brings in. However a blanket statement like I just made
will have people agreeing or disagreeing…someone supporting their
household with selling their work, may strongly see their work as
art and/or needing an artist statement and someone doing it for
their own satisfaction may see no need; but GENERALLY how one views
this type of discussion is often influenced by where you fall in the
“supporting self” spectrum of things (at least from my limited
observation).

From a consumer point of view (I bought jewelry long before I
married my husband and still do) whether it is jewelry, a
photograph, a painting or another type of artwork, an artist
statement doesn’t sway me to buy a piece…I either like the piece
or I don’t. It speaks to me or it doesn’t.

Mrs. Terry Binnion
James Binnion Metal Arts, LLC

66 
I have no idea how long you've been in the United States but your
command of the English language reminds me of Nabokov.

I hope it is a compliment. Who is Nabokov?

Leonid Surpin

67 
I don't think not liking artist statements and not wanting to
write one is based on fear Andy....it is just a really strong
preference and someone doesn't see their work "needing" one.

Thanks Terry. But I don’t see it as a strong preference. There seems
to be indignation that artists’ statements exist at all. That is much
stronger than simple preference.

Take care, Andy

68

Hi Andy,

This isn’t related to your work, and I haven’t read your statement,
but if you were in a critique that I was running (back when I did
such things) you’d fail right out of the gate if your work needed a
statement.

Before you bristle too much, let me explain how (and why) I ran
crits a little differently. My rules were simple.

(A) the artist doesn’t talk. The artist listens.

(B) The work’s done. Now. Whatever you were planning on doing next
week doesn’t count. What you got done last night does.

© No statements, no spin. The work is your statement. If it
doesn’t say what you thought it said, best you should know that now.

The reason for this is equally simple. What’s the purpose of a
critique? We’ve all seen art school crits turn into marathon BS
sessions with the creator frantically zigging and zagging verbally
to address whatever issues the rest of the group found. Ideally,
hoping to convince them that the >whatever< is the hottest thing
since the Vitruvian Man. While that may well be the point of many art
school crits, it was never the real idea behind critiques.

The actual point of critiques originally was to give the artist
different points of view. We all know what we’re thinking when we
make a piece, and how we read it. What we don’t know is how
anybody else reads it. The real point of a critique is to sit down,
shut up, and see how other people read your piece. If they see what
you intended in it, then you succeeded in communicating your point.
If they don’t, you didn’t. What they see in it besides the things
you intended can be equally informative. If you thought you were
talking about peace and harmony, and four out of five other people
see a homage to fruitbats, you clearly need to rethink your imagery.

So, if it were one of my classes, and it needed the statement,
then yeah, it’d fail.

That isn’t to say that statements are the root of all evil in art.
Sometimes the little tidbits humanize the artist. There’s a
particular Daniel Brush piece which has a large granulated dome done
in 22K gold. I read somewhere that he swept his shop for 7 months
before he could get his head into the right space to fire that
thing. As someone who’s done fusion granulation in silver I can
appreciate the pucker factor involved in firing a huge piece of gold
like that. Knowing that even Daniel Brush took more than a few deep
breaths before doing it both humanizes Brush, and makes me appreciate
the virtuosity of the final piece more. But my jaw still bounced off
the floor the first time I saw the thing, without reading anything at
all. It doesn’t need it.

I’ve certainly written statements, and the odds are good that I will
again. But only because somebody made me.

speak for itself. If it doesn’t communicate whatever I intended,
then I didn’t do my job.

Just as there are some languages that lack certain concepts,
rendering it difficult to express them in that language, there are
some concepts that don’t lend themselves to being expressed in the
language of small body adornments. One of my favorite things is the
smell of a rainstorm rolling in over the desert. How on Earth are you
going to talk about that with a brooch or a ring? Trying to fake it
with a statement is just that: faking it.

I think the distaste for statements has two, or maybe three origin
points.

(A) The frustration that many makers have with those who have more
skill at talking a good line than forging one. The artist’s
statement is one more manifestation of the artworld’s fundamental
preference for Platonic ideals over real world skills.

(B) the sense that a statement is just the hardcopy version of all
those excruciating exercises in advanced graduate BS we all sat
through in school. It was BS then, and (to many) it’s BS now. It is
deeply irksome to many that it seems that BS slinging skill
frequently counts for more than real fabrication skills, especially
for a field as technical as jewelry and metals.

© The distaste for statements may simply be a reflection of the
distaste for the sorts of makers who seem to employ them most often.
As I’m sure you’ve noticed, the jewelry/metals field definitely
attracts two distinct types of folks. The ones who enjoy working
with the metal itself, and the folks who’re out to decorate the body.
You may also have noticed that the two groups tend to talk past each
other, without much in the way of mutual respect.

For whatever that’s worth,
Brian

69

Hi Jim,

Yes, I am the one who used the word “fear” and I stand by my
observation. It is the forceful language and dismissive attitude
that some have expressed on this subject that leads me to believe
that there is a fear driving some of what I see to be knee jerk
reactions. I believe that some people are afraid of being
marginalized and of not being taken seriously for the work that they
do. That’s simply how it sounds to me.

And I stand by my use of the word “rhetoric”. Terms like “BS”, “Artsy
Fartsy” and the art statement generator smack of rhetoric to me.

I understand that there is elitism in the academic ivory tower. Not
always, but often. But I have seen anti-academic elitism expressed
just as often.

There is an assumption, nay a requirement that if you enter your
work for a competition or exhibition you must include an artist
statement or otherwise it is somehow not ART. Which is terribly
elitist.

Where have you encountered this? I have never seen it… If an
artist’s statement is required then that’s part of the deal. If you
want to participate, then write an honest statement. Or express your
objection to the venue and don’t submit one. An artist’s statement
need not be about anything in particular. It need not be about great
themes or lofty and pretensious ideas. It can simply be about your
process or materials. It could even be about your business. Why the
assumption that it needs to express esoteric ideas in obscure
language?

If you are an artist you must have an artist statement because
somehow a piece of work cannot stand on its own as a "serious" art
work with out an artist statement.

That’s your feeling Jim. Never a written rule. And never a belief
that I have expressed. Instead of railing against artists’ statements
why not respectfully decline to submit one. It may not matter to the
venue in the end at all.

The tone that I have been hearing expressed in many posts is angry
and, yes, fearful. It seems that people are afraid of not being taken
seriously by what they consider to be the authority. If that world is
BS why worry about it all? Do people feel that the world of art has
been coopted? Then seize it back. Refuse to write the statement.

I see value in writing an artist’s statement that has nothing to do
with submitting it to a show or publishing it at all. Writing about
my work helps me understand it more. And I have suggested that others
may find value in that as well. If you don’t see that value then that
is fine with me. Don’t write. But please don’t tell me that a thing
that I believe in is BS.

Take care,
Andy

70

Hi Andy,

Which brings me to this question: In the context of this thread
where some have stated that a visual, sculptural or 3 dimensional
piece piece should exist on its own merits, that its "meaning"
should be accessible without benefit of written words.... has my
work failed?

I would rather consider that some people are introspective, and some
are callous. There are people who do not want to have to think and
consider how they are impacted by the content of any media. Perhaps
they just want to be free to react, not to interact.

You are telling a story. Your artist statement is part of the story.
Front end is introspection, back end is what is produced.

Why would you consider whether your expression of your internal
process by both the work and the artist statement a failure based on
those who have opinions that limit their ability to understand your
intention?

So my question would be, if an artist has an intention, does it
compromise the experience of the person who is viewing the work to
know how or why the work was created?

I have a wry sense of humor, lost on some, enjoyed by others. That
is the way my mind works, those who don’t get it have no influence on
whether I continue.

My experience is that some of your work has a subtlety to it that is
not understood by just looking at it. There are pieces that relate to
processes that we take for granted and don’t pay attention to or
acknowledge. That’s just my experience.

I feel you use the medium of metalwork as way of expressing in a way
that few metalworkers do. I do not believe that many of those who are
commenting have experienced your work or read your artist statement.

Seriously. Andy, if you were looking for validation, you would make
little pieces of commercial shit and the money you receive would
satisfy you. I am thinking that is not where your passion lies.

Richard Hart G.G.
Denver, Co.

71 
In the context of this thread where some have stated that a visual,
sculptural or 3 dimensional piece piece should exist on its own
merits, that its "meaning" should be accessible without benefit of
written words

I’m excerpting this from Andy’s statement, because I think this is,
in fact, the crux of the issue, and where a lot of misunderstanding
arises. In reading this thread, most of those who are against
artists statements are either against BS (a position I agree with by
the way), or are against the artist statement because of the above
reason - they feel the work should stand on its own without words.
The problem with that position is that it assumes that the viewer is
an educated viewer, conversant with visual art “language”, and able
to grasp the meaning that exists.

The reality is that many, if not most, people are NOT actually
educated viewers, do NOT have a familiarity with visual art
“language”, and need help “getting” the meaning.

I teach at the local technical college. I teach Art Appreciation.
Well over 90% of my students have never seen an original work of art
of any sort; have never met an actual artist before taking my class;
have never been in a museum or gallery; and have no way to “get” a
work of art by just viewing it. They will “get” a piece that has
colors that coordinate with their room, or depicts, realistically, a
view they are familiar with. Anything else they don’t’ “get”.
According to those who say if it needs words to be appreciated it
has failed, then sorry - most work that is generally accepted as
major, important, successful work is a failure - because until we go
into the “language” of visual art, discuss what artists might be
trying to accomplish, read artists writings and the writings of art
historians, and give them the “language” and what I call the “hooks”
to grab onto the meaning they do NOT appreciate the work on purely
visual merits. They simply do not have the background to do so.

However, as we move into the semester, work they originally did not
get or like, suddenly they do get and like because they are
beginning to develop the language to “get” the work.

A GOOD artists statement helps someone without all the visual
language and viewing experience to “get” the work. It provides that
“hook” that lets them tie what they are looking at to their own
personal experience, and effectively enlarges that experience. I
can’t stress how important this can be for those who do NOT have the
exposure to art that most of those on this list have.

I know teaching this clientele has been a real eye opener for me on
the importance of complete clarity. I make them do a “scavenger
hunt” through the library at the beginning of the semester, as most
are not familiar with libraries. When I created it I asked, among
other things, for books with Italian art, Russian art, American
Indian art, SC art (since we are in SC), and Central American art.
See - thought I was being specific. WRONG! I get back, for the
Central American art, art in Ohio, Kentucky, Arkansas… those are
in central America, right??? I’m serious here!

There is a whole world out there that NEED and appreciate a GOOD
artist statement that helps them access and understand what they are
looking at. Not BS - they don’t need that nor will it help - but a
genuine explanation of what the artist was attempting to do and why.
That, to me, is what a good artist statement should be.

Ok - off my soapbox and off to teach some more art to my students -
most of whom finish the semester enjoying art in ways they never did
at the start of the semester - which I consider a very successful
outcome!

Beth Wicker
Three Cats and a Dog Design Studio

72 
you are the one who keeps suggesting that there is a fear issue
here. It is not fear but it is looking at a situation that has
become a formula. If you are an artist you must have an artist
statement because somehow a piece of work cannot stand on its own
as a "serious" art work with out an artist statement. And that is
what I find to be a load of BS.

Long ago when I went to “school” there were no majors about writing.
3+ decades of sitting at a bench didn’t include writing either. My
work speaks on its own. Of course if a client wants details I will
freely offer the details and my thoughts, usually only good to
confuse them. Sales clerks are trained to make that stuff up but I
will still talk to them. More glazed eyeballs :slight_smile:

I am pretty good at mangling metal and stones, words not so good at.
A couple of friends both agree that I tend to use ‘fractured
english’. Probably true, but at a bench I can dance circles round
both of them.

So for now no written statements or if forced I’ll use that handy
generator program and giggle :slight_smile:

jeffD
Demand Designs
Analog/Digital Modelling & Goldsmithing
http://www.gmavt.net/~jdemand

73 
What you say about your work can do a lot to help you sell it.
Artists statements and advertising copy are the same that way.
Writing either gets better results if you talk straight to the
audience or customers and forget about impressing your peers.

I think that Stephen has brought out a very good point here. Artists
statements do function as a source of advertising copy. They are, in
my opinion (my degree is in marketing), a concerted effort to
quantify and qualify the intangible that is creativity. Package and
label, brand and identify the divine spark that is creativity and
that makes art what it is.Artists statements attempt to answer that
age old question that we all have been asked repeatedly by the
mundanes. Where to you get your ideas? How do you come up with your
designs? Personally I do not believe that the creative spark can or
should be labeled and packaged but then I like to sell my work and I
have been know to bow to economic pressure on occasion. I even had a
professional copy writer help me with a statement at one point. I
think that to write or not to write is as much a personal question
as are all of the components of a particular design. If you like it
like that, do it, if you do not like it, don’t do it. As an artist
you only have to justify your art to yourself. As a merchant, well I
guess we all need merchants, don’t we??

Frank Goss

74 
In the context of this thread here some have stated that a visual,
sculptural or 3 dimensionalpiece piece should exist on its own
merits, that its "meaning" should be accessible without benefit of
written words.... has my work failed?

I’ll address this to a degree, since I, among others, have been
posting here. Jim put it quite eloquently this morning with his BS
posting.

Andy, if I were to actually critique/feedback your work, it would be
that you are firmly lodged in two dimensions. Only that - of course
you do nice work, and you have a good reputation as a result. I’ll
pick out a couple of good examples for this thread, though. Most of
your descriptions (on your website) are simply that - descriptions.
“Pearl and silver on gold background” - whatever. Nobody is denying
that those are important.

Two pieces: Royal Jelly - Hidden behind a plain box…cells contain
a thousand tiny dramas…and etc. ad nauseum. Sure, it’s poetic,
if not especially accurate. It’s also preachy and long-winded. Not
only that, the piece is only vaguely a beehive to begin with. Trite.

Rime: Not only do I not see frustration, I see quite the opposite.
This is a perfect example of a statement leading the viewer astray.
What you imagine I “should” see, what you want to see, yourself, is
not what I see at all.

I could maybe go on, but I don’t want to sift through all your
pieces and Ireally don’t see that you, personally, have much to
apologize for. Well, the beehive could use heavy editing. You ask,
but it’s not you, it’s the phenomenon. Not to mention that so many
jewelry people just can’t write anyway. “It was a dark and stormy
night…”

Me, I have my forehead stamp that’s been in galleries and museums -
very elaborate. I wrote, painted and bound a book that’s part of it.
On the side, when it’s displayed, is my artist’s statement: Curious
Object Found in a Wooded Glen. It’s the discovery, you see.

75

If someone is going to say something about a piece, wouldn’t you, as
the artist, rather it be you? And if someone is going to appreciate
the piece, wouldn’t you, as the artist, rather it be them, by
plunking down the cash? That’s the you vs them relationship to me.

76 
The problem with that position is that it assumes that the viewer
is an educated viewer, conversant with visual art "language", and
able to grasp the meaning that exists. The reality is that many, if
not most, people are NOT actually educated viewers, do NOT have a
familiarity with visual art "language", and need help "getting" the
meaning.

This is exactly what I was talking about, the assumption that art
needs explaining to the uninitiated. If you need to be educated to
understand a piece of artwork then the artist has failed or is
producing work for the ART elite.

James Binnion
James Binnion Metal Arts

77

Nabokov is an author of literature. I would take it as a compliment.

John
John Atwell Rasmussen, Ph.D., AJP
http://rasmussengems.ganoksin.com/blogs/

78

(1)

If you are an artist you must have an artist statement because
somehow a piece of work cannot stand on its own as a "serious" art
work with out an artist statement. And that is what I find to be a
load of BS.

(2)

My work speaks on its own.

I respect both opinions, however…

(1) Content or process cannot be assumed by the viewer. The maker is
providing insight about process or motivation. The objection to doing
this sounds more like a political issue.

(2) Perhaps this statement is made by someone who makes pieces that
have nothing to say.

If you are making wedding rings and engagement rings, there is no
content other than the significance of what is inherent in the
traditional form that dictates the shape.

I am pretty sure no one that does CAD/CAM has written an artist
statement.

Perhaps substitute the word maker for artist and I believe the
context changes in relationship to what appears to be a prejudice for
the word artist.

I do not understand why a piece of work should stand on its own to
be considered a serious art work, and an artist statement would cause
a conflict in how someone relates to the work.

Definition for artist statement: An artist’s statement (or artist
statement) is a brief statement of an artist’s intention through
their work…

What is the big deal?

Richard Hart G.G.
Denver, Co.

79 
Two pieces: Royal Jelly - Hidden behind a plain box....cells
contain a thousand tiny dramas.....and etc. ad nauseum. Sure, it's
poetic, if not especially accurate. It's also preachy and
long-winded. Not only that, the piece is only vaguely a beehive to
begin with. Trite.

Now that’s some mighty fine BS.

Rime: Not only do I not see frustration, I see quite the opposite.
This is a perfect example of a statement leading the viewer
astray. What you imagine I "should" see, what you want to see,
yourself, is not what I see at all.

But, regarding Ryme, you proved my point John…The viewer should
experience it on their own terms and every opinion is valid. I’m
happy that you didn’t feel what I did about the piece.

Thanks for the feedback.
Take care, Andy

80 
As an artist you only have to justify your art to yourself. As a
merchant, well I guess we all need merchants, don't we??

Someone who shows work in an exhibition is in a completely different
ballpark from someone producing for a commercial market.

I do not believe that the people motivated to display in an
exhibition are motivated by making a sale. I have seen exhibitions
where art was not for sale.

I do not believe the purpose of an artist statement is to impress as
much as it is to express.

When someone builds a building, there is a blue print produced. When
an artist creates work there might be an intention. The artist
statement is part of the work.

An artist statement is not a sales pitch…

My opinion is that if you are driven and have passion to produce
work and nothing is going to stop you, whether you are considered an
artist or not is inconsequential.

To me, writing an artist statement can be considered being
vulnerable by exposing your personal process.

An artist statement can articulate something not inherent in what is
visually perceived. If the artist is judged and criticized about the
statement, it might be the personal process that is unintentionally
being criticized. I would regard the person doing the criticism as
being callous.

Richard Hart G.G.
Denver, Co.