2-Week Artist Statement Workshop | Mondays, March 20th and 27th, 7-8pm

What: 2-Week Artist Statement Writing Workshop

When: 
Session 1 (Monday, 3/20 7-8 PM PDT): Writing a draft artist statement

Session 2 (Monday, 3/28, 7-8 PM PDT): Reading and revising your artist statement

Where: Zoom to be provided 48 hours before class

Instructor: Sarah Thibault 

Why: to get help crafting a new and better artist statement

Materials needed: pen and paper, a body of work or some new art pieces you would like to write about 

About the Workshop

Knowing how to write an artist statement is one of the necessary evils of being an artist. If done well, it can serve as the bridge between your artwork and the audience. It can tell the audience how to contextualize your work, offer them insight into your interest in the materials, or perhaps give them a point of departure access to your idiosyncratic visual language.

Artist statements are required for most grant applications, artist residencies applications, and as the premise for exhibition texts. As your work and portfolios change, so should your artist statement. But as inherently visual people, artists often struggle to put language to their ideas. So where to start?

In this two-class workshop, artist and writer Sarah Thibault will offer techniques for writing artist statements, as well as tailoring your statement for different purposes.

By the end of the workshop, you will have an understanding of how to create a concise artist statement and the questions to ask when your work shifts and you have to write a new one. You will learn which pitfalls to avoid, and how to make your artist statement land with your audience- whoever they may be. Sarah will offer ach student direct feedback on a 250-word artist statement that we will polish in the final class.

All levels of experience are welcome, although some prior art-making experience is recommended. Having a body of work that you want to write about will help, but again it is not required. The class will be taught in English.

About Sarah Thibault

Sarah Thibault is an artist and writer based in San Francisco. Recent solo exhibitions include Iceland Diaries at Dreamsong Gallery in Minneapolis,  “Winter Woods” at Fahrenheit Madrid in Spain, and “Diarios de Tepoztlan” at Casa Lu in Mexico. Past projects include exhibitions with Jerry Gogosian, Sotheby's, Spring Break LA, HILDE, BAMPFA, and the ART in Embassies program in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Her work has been featured in W Magazine, ArtNews, ArtMaze Magazine, New American Painters, Artsy, CARLA, The San Francisco Chronicle, and The Huffington Post. She is a Charter Resident of the Minnesota Street Project Studios. She holds an MFA from the California College of the Arts, and a BA from the University of Wisconsin- Madison.

Instagram: @sarah_thibault

Website: sarahthibault.com

About The Side Woo Collective

An inclusive community of artists, art-lovers, and the woo-curious that features workshops, special events and live talks with creative professionals in Los Angeles and online all over the globe.

Class Format

This is an interactive, seminar-style course that meets twice over Zoom. Students may be invited to participate in discussions, workshop their projects, and receive feedback from the course instructor. Please email the instructor if you have any questions.