Enrichment · Arts and Creativity

Say what you made,
in your own words.

An artist statement is not a test of big words. It tells a viewer what they are looking at, how you made it and why, in a voice that sounds like you. Write a sentence or two for each of four parts, pick the length you need, and the builder counts the words, catches art jargon, cliché openings and long sentences, and prints the finished statement as a wall label or a portfolio page.

Start a statementWhat you get
$5one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $5

Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the Arts & Creativity collection, $69 for 38 items.

Statements

The worked example is made up: drafts for one painting, a series and a senior portfolio. Saved on this device only.

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What you get

Enrichment · Arts & Creativity$5

What you finish with
A draft per statement: title, medium and size, what it covers and the length needed, then four parts (what it is, how you made it, why, what to notice) and four revision checks. Shows the word count against the range for each and how many are in range; flags too short or too long, art jargon, a cliché opening, sentences averaging over 25 words, no first person and a one-word process. Prints the statement as a wall label or portfolio page.
Who it is for
Middle school, high school and college art students writing for a show, a contest, a portfolio review or a college application; art teachers who assign statements.
Format
Browser builder with a saved draft per statement. Prints the finished statement, the draft with its checks, every draft in a table or a blank planning sheet; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
$5 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the tool opens once you are signed in with it. Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Also in the Arts & Creativity collection ($69) and the Enrichment Suite pass ($119), and 1 more bundle. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Arts & Creativity space in Caveat Enrichment.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Pick the work and the length you need.
  2. Write a sentence or two for each of the four parts, in first person.
  3. Fix the flags: cut jargon and clichés, split long sentences.
  4. Read it aloud, and ask someone outside art class what they understood.
  5. Print the statement and check it against the work one more time.

Start a statement

What makes a statement work

Four parts of a statement in your voiceWhatWhat a viewer sees.Subject, size, color,one detail.HowMaterials and process.One choice you made onpurpose.WhyThe idea, question ormemory behind it.Specific, not grand.NoticeOne thing to look for.An invitation, not anexplanation.Four parts of a statement in your voiceWhatWhat a viewer sees.Subject, size, color, one detail.HowMaterials and process.One choice you made on purpose.WhyThe idea, question or memory behind it.Specific, not grand.NoticeOne thing to look for.An invitation, not an explanation.
Jurors and admissions readers see hundreds of statements. The ones they remember are short, concrete and in the artist’s own voice.

Concrete beats grand

“Sun through a yellow curtain” tells a viewer more than “an exploration of light and memory”. A good statement uses the same plain words you would use to describe the work to a friend standing next to it.

Why jargon backfires

Words like “juxtapose” and “liminal” can be useful in criticism, but in a student statement they often hide what the artist means. Readers notice, and many art schools ask applicants to write simply.

Check it against the work

A statement should match what a viewer can see. If it promises bold color or a hidden detail, they should find it. Revise the words, not the claim, when the two do not match.

Sources

  1. National Core Arts Standards, Visual Arts, anchor standard 6: convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work (nationalartsstandards.org).
  2. Rule, A., and Levine, D. (2012). International Art English. Triple Canopy, 16. On the jargon of art writing.
  3. National Art Education Association: resources on student portfolios and exhibitions (arteducators.org).
  4. Williams, J. M., and Bizup, J. (2017). Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace (12th ed.). Pearson. On plain, concrete sentences.

The worked example is made up. The length ranges are common guidelines; always use the length a show, contest or school asks for. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.