Bead Devil
Bead Devil #1
Feb 5, 2005, 7:07 AM
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Censored: Does "art" need to be *SOLD*
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This thread was deleted from about.com in the host's hissy fit "IT's MY FORUM" <sigh> Why do ladies do that to each other? I hate groups of women, run by women, all women. They don't play by the same rules as men do. Anyway, this takes on "Art vs the Business of Art" ...
You can discuss this in the beading forum business area at http://beadbanter.com as well.
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Obviously, we'll never agree on this.
I don't see an artist needing to "sell" their art. They need to "sell" stores to carry it, or maybe a customer to buy, but not their "art".
The difference is, if I'm selling a store, or customer, I'm concentrating on what it does for them. I'm flattering them with it, or trying to get them to see themselves in it. That has NOTHING to do with my art. It's just me trying to get them to BUY it. I don't confuse my "art" and my artistic ability with the need to exchange it for cash whenever possible!
The artists statement, on the other hand, is just what I am doing for me, and it's an ego thing, that most often backfires. Sometimes, an artist statement may help an artist. Other times, it hurts. Not having a statement should in NO WAY reflect upon the artist. BUT having a statement does.
Remember, it's better to keep silent and be thought a fool, than to open ones mouth and remove all doubt.
I've beeing doing all sorts of visual art for almost 4 decades. Many of the things I've done, I'm proud of, and I'm happy to talk with people about it, and share it, and discuss it one on one, or in small groups. I don't feel, and never have felt, any need to put it on paper, or on-line, to blow my own horn. Usually the discussions start because someone likes something, or wonders about something. I can't presuppose their questions and write about them. I'm not making an FAQ about my art. Maybe today I feel one way about, and tomorrow I feel differently. IF I have a statement, that statement defines me, or the way you look at me (that is what this whole discussion is really about).
I don't want to be defined by my words. Only by my art, my creativity, and my production.
In discussions, in threads, I want to be known for my words and ideas, not for my art. If you like my art, you don't have to agree with my words. If you don't like my art, it should in no way affect how you read or interact with me as a person.
I resent the insistance -- on my behalf and on all the other artists like me -- that I have to have a statement about my art.
My art IS my statement!
BBoB
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Ok, good point.
An "about me" or "about the artist" is not an "artists statement."
Posting an "about me", may make people feel more friendly to you. Do you have cats, do you like snakes, do you eat fried food, etc. That's fine. But it's *not* a statement about the art. When it comes to salesmanship, that's a great way to hook people. ("Non smoking home/studio" is an example of a selling point.)
Some people don't have a problem posting or sharing personal information. Others do.
But an artists statement talks about the artist, their motivations and creative insights. It colors the art itself. That is even more personal for some artists than what color their underwear is. I've had friends who had no problem posing nude, even in public (as live models) but would not share one tidbit of personal information. They even resented having to put their name and social security number on the payment form.
Their body was just "art" to them. They had it, they used it. Nothing special. But what was inside, they guarded. They were not their body, or their art (performance art).
One show in particular, was a "touchy feely" thing, where the models actually got touched by the patrons. No problem. Not until someone tried to engage her in a conversation during a break. Not pretty. Separation of art from individual.
I don't know if that helps explain the ideas a little better or not. It's certainly more visual :)
[block of personal insights deleted]
Maybe another day. Some things I'm not ready to share in this discussion.
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>> I have been required to submit one when applying to certain shows,
>> have been asked to supply one by the places where I teach, and typically include
>> one with all of my other information when submitting my work for consideration by
>> a store or gallery.
This goes to the "Selling" part. They (those who have asked for it) need something to put in a catalog to sell a class, or show. These are usually more of an "About me" type blurb, and if you can tailor it to the market you (or the school) are trying to reach, you can often fill up your class.
Most people tend to put in a mini resume, rather than an artists statement. If you read through catalogs, you'll see the differences. There are a lot of on-line catalogs and listings that can illustrate ideas. That would be a good project, comparing the "artist statements" and "blurbs" or "about mes" on different sites.
Also, these are usually limited to about 50 or 75 words, so a good sales pitch is a better idea than your insights to the meaning of life.
Last time I had to come up with something like that, I asked some friends to write one for me, and I merged them into what THEY saw me as. I asked them if they were going to take that class, what would they want to hear. Of course, they knew me, and my dislike for labels, so it was pretty good, and nothing at all like I would have come up with on my own. After all, it's how others see you that is important, and may not be how you see yourself.
Sometimes, your biggest attraction is something you don't realize people are attracted to.
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Good post, and good points.
Art vs the Business of Art is where this is starting to settle, which is progress. Posts like this can go a long way to getting people "on track."
The threads started out mixing the two ideas, and that is what started most of the disagreements, I'm sure.
The original OMG thread, takes you back to the statements that started it. Trashing the artist for the display or presentation of their art, needing a statement to validate art, etc.
Selling ones self, or ones art, is different from MAKING the art. There is a lot of good art out there that is just commercially non-viable. No one really wants to own it, but they enjoyed looking at it.
Not every work we create is "art." Some is just product. Good artists sell a lot of product to the masses, and their art to the appreciative. It's all lumped as art, since they are an "Artist" but ask them, off the record, in a closed, bug proof room what they think of it.
An example in jewelry making. You have a style of bracelet that sells well. You have variations of the design, but they sell well. How many of them do you have to make, before the thought of making another one starts to lose ground to root canal work? Artists are creative, and want new things. Craftspeople do the same (or similar) things over and over. Artists create new works. Craftspeople create more of the same. Artists can be craftspeople, and vice versa. Crafts fairs and art shows are not quite the same thing, are they, though? Craftsmanship is perhaps the business of art. Knowing what to make, how to make it, and selling it. Some artists are master craftsmen, other craftsmen are artists (the "people" word got too onerous). Not all craftsmen are artists -- many just copy plans or techniques, but do it well. Their craftsmanship can give them mastery of some techniques and make their products stand out, but they don't innova
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An artists statement is *not* a sales tool. Perhaps the use of that phrase has been blurred. "About the artist" or a "blurb" is a sales tool.
99 out of 100 times, the artists statement can backfire. So, artists are less than honest in creating their artist statement, to not offend people, or alienate groups that could buy the works. So, most "artist statements" are really just more filtered PR.
The artists statement comes from the heart and soul of the artist. It's about them, and their art, in a way only they know, or feel.
Very often it's a miserable sales pitch.
Hence, the agents, the PR people, and the copy writers who clean it up.
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The Bead Devil
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