Session 1 · CREATE: Exhibit
Write the artist statement
- 10 minRead three short artist statements from a New Zealand gallery website. What do they all include? (Idea, materials, choices, influences.)
- 25 minWrite your statement (100–150 words) with the frame: 'My work is about… I chose… because… I was influenced by…'. Read it aloud to a partner.
- 15 minPlan the exhibition as a class: title, layout, labels, who greets visitors, where the comment cards go. Mount or frame your work.
Session 2 · CREATE: Exhibit
Opening night (or day)
- 10 minSet up: hang works at eye level, place labels, set out comment cards and a 'Guess the idea' box beside each work.
- 30 minExhibition: visitors guess each work's idea before reading the statement, then leave one comment. Artists stand beside their work for part of the time and answer questions.
- 15 minReflect: read your comment cards. Did people read your idea as you intended? What surprised you? What would you change next time?
Getting started
Use the statement frame and read your statement to one person before the exhibition.
Stretch
Write a short reply to one visitor whose interpretation was different from yours, explaining what you think they saw.
Checkpoint
The statement explains the idea and at least two deliberate choices, and you can say how the audience responded.
Activities for this week
- Artist statement workshop: What does a good artist statement say?
Useful this week
- Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū ↗ See how a gallery writes labels and statements about artworks.
- The Arts in Year 7 ↗ What whānau can expect their child to learn in the arts.