ARTIST STATEMENT GUIDELINES
This is the first part of your final project, and some of you have started working on it. In today’s class you will continue working on your Artist Statement, revising what you started (if you have started). We can conference and discuss in class. Explaining the rationale behind our actions and decisions is an important kind of reflective writing because it makes visible what is otherwise invisible. You can choose to write an e-mail in Comic Sans font, but unless you explain why, the choice may seem mysterious and odd to readers. Composers of all sorts often write an Artist’s Statement for their audience that explains their inspirations, intentions, and choices in their creative and critical processes. It helps the reader understand the process that led to the final product by providing insight into what the author set out to do, how they did it, and what they might do to further improve the piece.
In an Artist’s Statement, you step back and consider what you did and what you might have done differently and might do differently in the future. That’s what you’ll do in this reflection about the genre project you’ve just completed: the choices you made, why you made them, what happened, how you feel about it now. So for this 750-1000 word document, you’re going to create your own reflection about your project, and do it in a way that tells us what happened and when — the chronology of thought and actions that took you from your first ideas about it all the way to the completed project.
There are three sections in your Artist’s Statement:
1. Before I began: Think back through everything you did – every choice you made and why – before you actually got to work on the genre project. Here are the things you need to talk about:
o Context: Give us the background for this project. Remind us how you became interested in the topic.
o Rhetorical Situation and Related Choices: Tell us the “why” of your project. What was your purpose for making this project? What audience did you want to direct this information to? Why that audience specifically? Where did you see your piece being shown or distributed to your audience? What appeals did you decide to use (which, of course, may have changed later): facts (logos), emotion (pathos), the credibility of you or someone you talk about (ethos)?
o Genre Considerations: Why did you chose the genre you did? What made you think that genre would be the best one for your audience? For example, if you did a brochure, what made a brochure the best way to get the information to your chosen audience — that is, you knew you had a place to distribute it so that seemed logical?
2. Doing the project: Walk us chronologically through the process you went through to get it done: this then this then this… What went well? What didn’t go so well? What did you have to change and when? Did you throw out your original idea altogether, and if so, why? Who/where did you turn to for help? When did you panic (if you did) and what did you do about it?
3. Now that it’s “done”: How do you think it turned out? Did you change the kinds of appeals or see them evolve as you went along (it happens)? Why? What, given all the time and money and expertise in the world, would you have done differently? What works great, what are you happiest about? How easy or hard was it? How do you feel about having done something like this as a college project — can you see using any of this in the future (tools, analysis, etc.)?
Post your 750-1000 word Artist Statement here as a reply.
Artist’s statement genre project
As an artist exploring the theme of Racism’s Impact on Healthcare in New York City During the Pandemic, I feel a strong sense of responsibility to bring attention to the systemic inequalities that have been exacerbated by COVID-19. Through my work, I seek to shed light on the experiences of communities of color and how they have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. I hope to raise awareness of communities of color’s experiences and how the epidemic has disproportionately impacted them. I used an investigative report and an infographic to show college students understand my project clearly.
I decided to use an investigative to describe my genre because it is easy to show the evidence for students to understand. My study and analysis of the statistics and patterns pertaining to COVID-19 infection rates, hospitalizations, and fatality rates among various racial and ethnic groups in New York City is the first step in my creative process. My artwork aims to graphically portray the stark reality of the healthcare inequities that have surfaced during the epidemic, and this research drives the thinking and design of my sculptures. Moreover, I think how I feel personally connected to my topic is my experience living in the United States. When I came here I saw that black people don’t have treatment equality. I want to teach my audience to understand how racism is bad and that it brings a lot of problems in the economy, education, etc in the community. In Lesson 2, I researched my topic of how the black community is more infected covid than the white community, and the inadequate health effects of black people in terms of whereabouts, lifestyle, food, etc.
The second, I make is an infographic because I use various materials and methods, such as mixed-media collages, digital illustrations, and data visualization, to create my works. Each of these methods can be used to convey various kinds of information and produce various effects. For instance, digital illustrations can offer clear, crisp visuals while mixed-media collages can bring richness and depth to my work. While simultaneously attempting to represent the resiliency and fortitude of the communities most adversely affected by the pandemic, I employ color, texture, and composition to convey the urgency and gravity of the issues. This is a crucial objective since it makes the numbers more approachable and human. I am emphasizing the value of helping these communities through difficult times by demonstrating their resilience and tenacity. In my project, I used “ethos” and “logos” because a speaker’s ethos is their claim to be an authority on the genre, their logos is their justification for their position, and their pathos is their attempt to influence the listener emotionally. Ethos refers to the credibility or authority of the speaker, while logos refers to the logic or reasoning behind their argument. I’m creating a compelling case for the significance of your work by establishing your ethos as a subject matter expert in your area of expertise and using logos to back up your assertions with facts and proof.
I am constantly conscious of how crucial it is to prioritize the perspectives and experiences of people most directly impacted by the pandemic and healthcare inequities. Through interviews, community involvement, and collaborative storytelling, I try to include the viewpoints and stories of local residents in my work. I want the people who see my art to have a visceral and emotional reaction. I want to arouse a sense of urgency and promote contemplation on how racism affected the pandemic-era healthcare system in New York City. I want to use my art to encourage empathy and spur action toward establishing a more just and equitable healthcare system.
Overall, my work as an artist ultimately aims to promote equality and fairness in the healthcare system while also drawing attention to the pandemic’s consequences on those who have been most disenfranchised. A more just and equitable healthcare system in New York City and around the world is something I wish to promote with my art. My work demonstrates how art can inspire change and raise awareness. In order to advance the conversation on social justice and equity, I want to look at how racism and the pandemic are related to healthcare. Moreover, this genre can relate to the major I want to be in my life because I want to study to become a nurse. Majoring in nursing was a dream of mine when I was growing up. With this industry, I can help people around me as well as help people during the covid pandemic.