V.E437

Write an Artist Statement

Students will choose one work from a portfolio of digital images of their art and write an artist statement for the work. The statement will include their artistic influences, their own intent in creating the work, and an interpretation of a social meaning or theme. The statement will be assessed for content that refers to visual aspects of the artwork as evidence.

This assessment would be useful near the end of a first-year art class that included meaning-based art education, with the consistent use of examples from established contemporary artists and art history as references for influences and models for creativity, and where written statements were part of art production. Teaching of Feldman’s method for art criticism (Edmund Burke Feldman, Varieties of Visual Experience, 1992) would also be helpful preparation for this event.

This assessment may be used to show student progress by giving the assessment early in the class and again at the end. This assessment may also be modified for Levels 2 and 3. For Level 2, students should select two pieces; for Level 3, students should select three pieces.

This item has not been field-tested by Michigan teachers.


This is an analytic rubric. The column on the left shows the dimension that is being measured in the student’s performance. The levels across the top row indicate the performance level in the dimensions. Occasionally all dimensions and performance levels are exemplified by multiple students in a single recording.

Teacher Scoring Rubric

  • Dimension
  • Social Meaning

  • Artistic Influences

  • Expands Meaning of Artwork

  • Supporting Evidence in Artwork

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • Student fails to identify the artistic intent or social meaning of artwork.

    N/A at this time.
  • Student minimally identifies artistic intent or social meaning of artwork.

    N/A at this time.
  • Student sufficiently identifies artistic intent or social meaning of artwork.

    N/A at this time.
  • Student clearly identifies artistic intent and social meaning of artwork.

    N/A at this time.
  • Student does not identify artistic influences.

    N/A at this time.
  • Student makes reference to artistic influences.

    N/A at this time.
  • Student identifies a single artistic influence.

    N/A at this time.
  • Student identifies multiple artistic influences for his or her work.

    N/A at this time.
  • Student partly explains personal, social, and context meanings clearly evident in artwork.

    N/A at this time.
  • Student explains but does not expand on personal, social, and context meanings of artwork.

    N/A at this time.
  • Student explains and somewhat expands on personal, social, and contextual meanings of artwork.

    N/A at this time.
  • Student explains in depth and greatly expands on personal, social, and context meanings of artwork.

    N/A at this time.
  • Student shows no evidence for content in statement.

    N/A at this time.
  • Student shows minimal evidence for content in statement.

    N/A at this time.
  • Student shows some evidence for all content in statement.

    N/A at this time.
  • Student shows clear and complete evidence for all content in statement.

    N/A at this time.
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