Professional Communication Practices

Introduction The purpose of this formal report is to provide an evidence how professional communication practices effect the career of a fine artist. The information is acquired from two books on a subject of art promotion and from an interview with Tim Conte, Visiting Assistant Professor at the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, Arizona State University. I will summarize one relevant chapter from each book and present an analysis of my interview with Mr. Conte, held on September 19, 2016, at Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona. In addition to demonstrating how Mr. Conte communicate as a professional fine artist, I will also give an example of his artist statement. The scope of this report has some limitations in that I was
The interview took place on September 19, 2016 and lasted about 30 minutes. I recorded his answers with a pen on paper, and Mr. Conte corrected some details after my request for review. Mr. Conte was my figure painting and life drawing teacher for three semesters during my undergraduate program at the ASU, and I know him as a talented and highly qualified fine artist, particularly, the landscape and figure painter. Because Mr. Conte has over twenty years of experience in field of fine arts and is eager to share his knowledge with students, he is ideal candidate to field questions regarding the professional communication practices for fine artists. I used the following questions during my meeting with Mr.
Conte is certain that “it depends on the situation. Some venues ask for specific documentation; some leave it to the artist.” He suggests that an Artist Statement and CV are crucial, but the contact information should not be necessary as interested buyers will deal directly with a gallery representing the artist.”
What is the purpose of an artist statement?
Mr. Conte assumes that the artist statement is very important for the career of a painter because this document speaks to the audience about artwork when the artist is not around to do it. Even though the goal of the artist statement is to convey essential information publicly, Mr. Conte argues that “the artist statement should be written mainly for the artists themselves to organize their many disparate thoughts into communicable ideas.” Here is Tim Conte’s honest artist statement:
As an artist, I aim to be an attentive eye. Watching the day’s changing light, and all the activity it reveals, is how I spend most of the time in the studio. Through an empirical process of looking and working, I locate my motif and construct the paintings around the patterns made by a specific light. I often find myself caring more about the quality of light in a painting that the physical subject portrayed. In fact, I would suggest that light becomes the subject, or at least a dominant partner in the