Curtis Miller This Friday!

Artist Curtis Miller will be joining the art groop this Friday July 27 for a talk and discussion of his work. Miller's drawings and prints are currently on view in the Mitte Gallery upstairs along with the work of artist Annie Simpson. Please join us at 10:30 AM in the student break room on the first floor of the art department for this talk. I expect the groop will move to the gallery during the discussion so if you arrive late check the gallery.

Artist Statement Links

Why write an artist statement? After all you're an artist, not a writer. Right? The fact of the matter is that as a proffessional artists you will have to write about yourself and your work from time to time and the sooner you get used to this reality the better. Artist statements are used for all manner of reasons in an artist's carreer starting with statements written for entry into grad school. Most graduate level scholarships require an artist statement of some sort and those who plan to enter the gallery scene will be asked to write brief statements about their work in order to help the gallery proprietor better represent your work to prosepctive clients.

I could go on and on but instead I'll just post the following link which will direct you to numerous writings on the subject of artsist statements.

Artist Statement links

Josh Rios sent in this online statement by artist Jason Villegas:
Jason Villegas Artist Statement here.

Searching commercial gallery websites is a great place to find examples of artist statements as are some art school faculty listings. Ultimately you, the artist, need to relax, take a deep breath, sit down and write. Becoming comfortable with the writing process is simply a matter of practicing writing often. I think it is a good thing to keep a "studio" journal in which you archive your thoughts and artistic process as they occur. Daily writing, even if merely a paragraph, is good practice not only for developing the skills to write good artist statements but also to increase your ability to communicate your ideas effectively in your work. Afterall, visual art is at its core a communicative vocation.

Keep in mind, however, that artist statements and resumes are only necessary if you are a working artist. Always keep the priority on making work. Without the work statements and resumes mean nothing. Start in your studio with the attitude that you are an artist making work that you want to make, making it well, and lots of it. But while you're doing all that, log your ideas so that when that time comes to write efficiently about your work, you will have no problem doing so.

AGRC: Preview Of Topics For Next Discussion

Next Friday's meeting will cover the following topics: Artist statements, documentation of work, and artist resume. Why these topics first? These topics exist within easily identifiable parameters which makes them convenient to deal with right off the bat. Furthermore, these three topics relate directly to a planned discussion regarding the topic of grad schools and exhibiting.

This week's challenege for those planning to attend Friday's session is as follows:

Search the web for various artist statements and resumes, collect and print them and bring them to the discussion. Having several examples of each will help us establish a general form and theme by which we determine what might make a successful statement or resume.

Curtis Miller, whose work is currently on exhibit in the Gallery (along with Annie Simpson) has graciously accepted an invitation to come and speak to us about his work and process. This talk is scheduled for Friday July 27 @ 10:30AM in the gallery.

Any questions, comments, or suggestions please post as comments.

AGRC: First Session Re-cap

The first meeting of the AGRC was well attended with many questions being posed. Here's a quick review of items we plan to cover this summer:

* Grad school issues. Where to go, how to apply, is it worth it etc?

* How to write an artist statement. What is it and why do I need to write one?

* How to write a proper resume, document your work, get a show and so on..

* Where to find scholarships financial aid for artists?

* Where to buy art supplies and what types of supplies are out there?

* How to build and stretch canvas properly?

* How do I talk about art?

All of these and more may be covered in this discussion. Notice that the majority of issues brought up are of the practical variety and it would seem to make sense to address those issues before one goes on to tackle the more conceptual things. Right? Next Friday's discussion will start with a brief discussion of the artist statement. Some of you are in your final semester and have need for such statements in lieu of your thesis. Others might benefit from knowing why and how such a statement should be written. We'll follow up that discussion with talk about documenting work. This is a practice you should get into early on so that it becomes a habit to document your work upon completion. I might add, document it well. Time allowing I might hit briefly upon the artist resume (anyone who find a great looking artist resume online print it and bring it on Friday so we can compare and contrast).

I've asked an exhibiting artist to come and speak on one of the Friday sessions and I am currentlty searching for a non-profit gallery director to come and speak as well. If you have any comments please post them to this blog and I'll respond either here or during AGRC discussions on Friday.

Welcome To Th AGRC: What is this?

Welcome to the the Art Groop Resource Collective (AGRC). This blog has been established as an online component to the free-form discussions that will taking place every Friday morning during the summer II session. If you are currently taking my painting class or if you have a friend in the department who might benefit from this informal discussion about art issues please feel free to invite them to join us. The AGRC has been set up to engage specific questions students may have that are not traditionally covered in traditional studio or art history classes. Within the context of these dicussions it is hoped that all participating students will take it upon themselves to bring to the table their own reasearch and experience in order to provide a student-based discussion rather than a faculty directed one. The AGRC is not a replacement for student art groups already established in the department of art and design (such as FASA, ceramics, fibers clubs etc). Rather than take dues and plan group activities, AGRC is mostly commited and founded on the idea of spreading information and experience through group research and sharing on a voluntary basis. The ultimate goal for the student who attends AGRC is to be the best informed student he/she can be and to further each individual's transition from student to functioning artist and all that transition entails. The AGRC is for the student who wants more and is committed to researching and exploring what it means to be an artist in the context of the larger art world.

Art Groop Resource Collective will be meeting every Friday for entirety the second summer session. Each meeting will start promptly at 10:30AM in the student break room on the 1st floor of the Art building (JCM). All students are required to bring their questions and their voice. When possible we may take the meeting outdoors but only after everyone arrives. Check this site for further information an dschedule changes.