Hi All,
I'm new to the Art Show circuit and to ZAPP. I'm a photographer looking for advice regarding the best use of the Descriptions dialogue that goes along with the photo of one's artwork. Zapp gives an example of a piece of glassware. I started the description of my art work by saying it was a photographic print on acid free paper, etc. talking about the print.
However, when I saw where the 'Description' was being used in the juror preview section it seemed like it would be more appropriate to give a description of the subject of the photo rather than information about the print.
So, which is more appropriate for the jury?
Thanks,
Patrick
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Patrick, I decided to look into this further for you by investigating some of my archived applications in zapp. As I've already stated, I don't always fill in the "Description" field for an artwork when uploading an image into my zapp portfolio. It appears that I always put in the year the piece was completed. But zapp doesn't even require us to put either of that info in the system. They're not BOLD typeface fields.
I do put the "Description" into the system when I show artwork plus its frame. I often show the frames when I apply since I hand carve them and they are integral part of the art. Sometimes I don't show frames, but usually I do. So the "Description" of a framed pastel painting will also include the information about the frame. I need the space to clarify what the juror is seeing.
Every show asks for a Description of Material and Technique. That's required information for every application, and for a long time zapp shows only allowed to ask for a 100 word description. Now some shows allow for more words, such as 200 and 300, and one I saw allowed 500 for whatever reason.
I looked at an archived application for a show wherein I submitted framed artwork for the jury. I previewed it as a juror and discovered I could see the following information, so it would probably be seen by a juror:
Artist: 1 of 1 Image: 1 of 4 Title: A Summer Fantasy Medium: Soft pastel Dimensions: 26.25" x 26.375" x 3" Price: $3,200 Statement: Finely detailed Imaginative Realism soft pastel & pastel pencil presented in handcrafted frames. Sample Description: Soft pastel with metallic watercolor & India ink, shown in its hand carved and gold leafed picture frame.
So it looks like the juror sees both the "Description of Materials and Technique," which is referred to in their preview as "Statement," and the information you provided about the artwork when you uploaded an image to the portfolio, which when we do it, it's referred to as the "Description," but is referred to as "Sample Description" in the juror preview.
Bottom line is the "Description," which is the topic of your original question, may indeed be relevant information since it could help you describe something more if necessary.
I don't understand what the problem is here. That question box is just what it says. Describe the work and how it is made. That's different than an artist statement, which is the intend or concept behind what you are doing. This has nothing to do with ZAPP. Each show has it's own requirements. Some shows do ask for an artist statement. Usually, but not exclusively, shows that ask for an artist statement will print up your artist statement and give it back to you in your artist packet. Some shows, like Cherry Creek, ask you to send an artist statement after you get accepted and then give you a laminated copy with your picture on it to hang in your booth. Your initial thought was the correct one.
ZAPP doesn't ask for an artist statement but every show I've ever applied to does ask for one, and limits the number of characters. That's the statement that's read to the jurors, either during the first or second round. Even the mock (or image evaluation) juries read them while the jurors are viewing the images. That's the most important place for your words about your art in the application process.
I just went into Zapp and for purposes of this discussion, I decided to act as if I were applying for a show that's due today. It's the Cottonwood Arts Festival Spring 2016 application. In it I copied and paste herewith the following:
* Description of Material and Technique Please provide a very brief statement (100 characters or less) that describes the materials and techniques used to create your artwork. This statement may be read to the jurors. (Maximum Characters: 100) Current number of characters: 0
If you want to call this an "Artist Statement," I'm just saying you're confusing what it is actually. Its heading says it's a Description of Material and Technique. It doesn't say, Please provide an Artist Statement about your work. If it asked for an "Artist Statement," we'd have to provide one. An "Artist Statement" is completely different than a description of the work.
The point I'm trying to make is we should call it what it is rather than what it isn't. It's clearly labeled as a Description of Material and Technique.
Here's what one longtime professional in our business writes about what is an "Artist Statement" and how to write one. ALAN BAMBERGER at ART BUSINESS DOT COM There is no word limit in these, but brevity is better than writing too much.
Plenty of shows ask us to hang an "Artist Statement" in our booths during shows. When preparing one, it's a good idea to study the process, then write something that makes sense and isn't wordy and full of ambiguity. This is much different than what the shows are asking for in the application process.
Jay P Johnson > Larry BermanJanuary 12, 2016 at 1:16pm
Thanks for your responses, gentlemen.
I think I understand the comments pertaining to the importance of the artist statement and one of the two shows I've applied for so far have asked for one.
I'm still unclear about the important of the description field that Zapp provides when uploading images. Larry, were you saying that field is irrelevant? Is the 'preview juror' image that Zapp provides even something that the real jury will see or does each show have their own review process?
Thanks!
Patrick
Larry Berman > Jay P JohnsonJanuary 12, 2016 at 1:22pm
It's more complicated than that. Some shows project the images and some use monitors with most of those having the jurors work from home. Therefore it helps to understand how the images are seen by the jurors to prepare a presentation that is the best it can be for each system.
When you preview as a juror, does the image description pop up or does the artist statement pop up? At one time it was the same artist statement for each image and the actual image description was not seen by anyone, but ZAPP might have fixed it.
Consider that depending on your medium, your image description might be the same for all the images and for your artist statement, especially if your body of work is cohesive. That's how mine is whenever I apply to a show.
Let's get technical. Let's pay homage to technical writing for the sake of eliminating semantics. Zapp rarely asks for an "Artist Statement," and I can't even remember the one or two shows wherein I've had to provide a bona-fide "Artist Statement" while filling out an application.
Zapp asks for either a "Description," and this blank field is found when we add an image to our portfolio and it can contain up to 255 characters, or Zapp asks for a "Description of Material and Technique," which is found within an application to a specific show and most often can contain up to 100 characters, but sometimes shows allow up to 200 or even more depending on the show.
The field labeled "Description" isn't even a required field to be filled in, and Zapp states this by saying only "Fields in bold are required." Those are the exact words we'll find directly above the Image Title, a bold field that's required information. The Description field is the last field offered in this section, and it's just below the year "Year Completed" field, the only other field that isn't bold and thus isn't even required information.
Zapp provides an example of a "Description," and it's as follows: i.e. Glass vase hand-blown, fused and cold worked. Includes over 80 color combinations. 255 characters remaining. I don't always fill in this field, but when I do, it goes something like this: A soft pastel with watercolor on rag board. Presented in a hand-shaped, carved and gold leafed frame.
Based upon what Zapp offers as an example, this description is about the materials and technique rather than a description of the subject in the artwork.
The description of the print is irrelevant. What's important is describing your style in a way that makes what you do different from your competition. And the artist statement is the most important place to put information. You need to have 100 and 300 characters artist statements already prepared to drop into applications depending on whether they ask for 100, 200, or 300 character artist statements in the applications. Because of the low number of characters, artist statements can be a work in progress. I suggest using Word to prepare them because Word gives a character count. Then copy and save it to a text file. I keep mine in Dropbox so I have access to them from anywhere I might fill out an application.
Replies
Patrick, I decided to look into this further for you by investigating some of my archived applications in zapp. As I've already stated, I don't always fill in the "Description" field for an artwork when uploading an image into my zapp portfolio. It appears that I always put in the year the piece was completed. But zapp doesn't even require us to put either of that info in the system. They're not BOLD typeface fields.
I do put the "Description" into the system when I show artwork plus its frame. I often show the frames when I apply since I hand carve them and they are integral part of the art. Sometimes I don't show frames, but usually I do. So the "Description" of a framed pastel painting will also include the information about the frame. I need the space to clarify what the juror is seeing.
Every show asks for a Description of Material and Technique. That's required information for every application, and for a long time zapp shows only allowed to ask for a 100 word description. Now some shows allow for more words, such as 200 and 300, and one I saw allowed 500 for whatever reason.
I looked at an archived application for a show wherein I submitted framed artwork for the jury. I previewed it as a juror and discovered I could see the following information, so it would probably be seen by a juror:
Artist: 1 of 1
Image: 1 of 4
Title: A Summer Fantasy
Medium: Soft pastel
Dimensions: 26.25" x 26.375" x 3"
Price: $3,200
Statement: Finely detailed Imaginative Realism soft pastel & pastel pencil presented in handcrafted frames.
Sample Description: Soft pastel with metallic watercolor & India ink, shown in its hand carved and gold leafed picture frame.
So it looks like the juror sees both the "Description of Materials and Technique," which is referred to in their preview as "Statement," and the information you provided about the artwork when you uploaded an image to the portfolio, which when we do it, it's referred to as the "Description," but is referred to as "Sample Description" in the juror preview.
Bottom line is the "Description," which is the topic of your original question, may indeed be relevant information since it could help you describe something more if necessary.
I don't understand what the problem is here. That question box is just what it says. Describe the work and how it is made. That's different than an artist statement, which is the intend or concept behind what you are doing. This has nothing to do with ZAPP. Each show has it's own requirements. Some shows do ask for an artist statement. Usually, but not exclusively, shows that ask for an artist statement will print up your artist statement and give it back to you in your artist packet. Some shows, like Cherry Creek, ask you to send an artist statement after you get accepted and then give you a laminated copy with your picture on it to hang in your booth. Your initial thought was the correct one.
ZAPP doesn't ask for an artist statement but every show I've ever applied to does ask for one, and limits the number of characters. That's the statement that's read to the jurors, either during the first or second round. Even the mock (or image evaluation) juries read them while the jurors are viewing the images. That's the most important place for your words about your art in the application process.
Larry Berman
I just went into Zapp and for purposes of this discussion, I decided to act as if I were applying for a show that's due today. It's the Cottonwood Arts Festival Spring 2016 application. In it I copied and paste herewith the following:
* Description of Material and Technique
Please provide a very brief statement (100 characters or less) that describes the materials and techniques used to create your artwork. This statement may be read to the jurors.
(Maximum Characters: 100)
Current number of characters: 0
If you want to call this an "Artist Statement," I'm just saying you're confusing what it is actually. Its heading says it's a Description of Material and Technique. It doesn't say, Please provide an Artist Statement about your work. If it asked for an "Artist Statement," we'd have to provide one. An "Artist Statement" is completely different than a description of the work.
The point I'm trying to make is we should call it what it is rather than what it isn't. It's clearly labeled as a Description of Material and Technique.
Here's what one longtime professional in our business writes about what is an "Artist Statement" and how to write one. ALAN BAMBERGER at ART BUSINESS DOT COM There is no word limit in these, but brevity is better than writing too much.
Plenty of shows ask us to hang an "Artist Statement" in our booths during shows. When preparing one, it's a good idea to study the process, then write something that makes sense and isn't wordy and full of ambiguity. This is much different than what the shows are asking for in the application process.
Thanks for your responses, gentlemen.
I think I understand the comments pertaining to the importance of the artist statement and one of the two shows I've applied for so far have asked for one.
I'm still unclear about the important of the description field that Zapp provides when uploading images. Larry, were you saying that field is irrelevant? Is the 'preview juror' image that Zapp provides even something that the real jury will see or does each show have their own review process?
Thanks!
Patrick
It's more complicated than that. Some shows project the images and some use monitors with most of those having the jurors work from home. Therefore it helps to understand how the images are seen by the jurors to prepare a presentation that is the best it can be for each system.
When you preview as a juror, does the image description pop up or does the artist statement pop up? At one time it was the same artist statement for each image and the actual image description was not seen by anyone, but ZAPP might have fixed it.
Consider that depending on your medium, your image description might be the same for all the images and for your artist statement, especially if your body of work is cohesive. That's how mine is whenever I apply to a show.
Larry Berman
Let's get technical. Let's pay homage to technical writing for the sake of eliminating semantics. Zapp rarely asks for an "Artist Statement," and I can't even remember the one or two shows wherein I've had to provide a bona-fide "Artist Statement" while filling out an application.
Zapp asks for either a "Description," and this blank field is found when we add an image to our portfolio and it can contain up to 255 characters, or Zapp asks for a "Description of Material and Technique," which is found within an application to a specific show and most often can contain up to 100 characters, but sometimes shows allow up to 200 or even more depending on the show.
The field labeled "Description" isn't even a required field to be filled in, and Zapp states this by saying only "Fields in bold are required." Those are the exact words we'll find directly above the Image Title, a bold field that's required information. The Description field is the last field offered in this section, and it's just below the year "Year Completed" field, the only other field that isn't bold and thus isn't even required information.
Zapp provides an example of a "Description," and it's as follows: i.e. Glass vase hand-blown, fused and cold worked. Includes over 80 color combinations. 255 characters remaining. I don't always fill in this field, but when I do, it goes something like this: A soft pastel with watercolor on rag board. Presented in a hand-shaped, carved and gold leafed frame.
Based upon what Zapp offers as an example, this description is about the materials and technique rather than a description of the subject in the artwork.
Larry Berman