The Business of Art: Art Inventory

By Elizabeth Mix

Use these areas as a starting point to conduct an "inventory" of your materials, processes, influences etc. in a single work of art or your work as a whole. If your art has changed substantially over the years, or if you work in different modes, you may want to complete several inventories. The purpose of conducting an inventory is to find as many ways as possible to articulate your work. While you may never use all of this information in a single artist statement or grant proposal, the ideas you collect here can form the basis for many different types of art writing.

The purpose of the informal "critique" strategy employed in the iMOCA Business of Art sessions is to facilitate discovery about your work by inviting an interested audience to view your work with these same inventory areas in mind. Sometimes you can be so close to your work (and your writing about it) that you overlook things that others can see very quickly. By inviting others to ask questions about your work, you can discover what your audience(s) might hope to find in an artist statement or grant proposal.

CONTENT: Do you use a narrative structure? Do you use symbolism or allegory? Do you frequently use a particular theme or subject matter? How? Why? Does identity play in your work? Does your biography play a role in your work? Does memory play a role in your work? Does language play a role in your work? Does spirituality play a role in your work? Does the content of your work involve the body, figuration, abstraction?

A.Self-Identification: Consider the following terms: which apply/do not apply to you and/or your work? Assertive, reticent, conventional, idiosyncratic, playful, pragmatic, joyful, solemn, truthful, deceptive, courageous, fearful, variable, constant, arrogant, insecure, proud, modest, daring, timid, progressive, conservative, opinionated, impartial, humorous, serious, pious, irreverent, bossy, weak-willed, maverick, conformist, cynic, believer, pessimist, optimist, idealist, realist, coy, bold, outspoken, secretive, blunt, subtle, enlightened, banal, ethical, dishonest, ambitious, unmotivated, ruthless, polite, extravagant, dull, stimulating, boring, controlling, passive, hyper-active, inactive, determined, wavering, self-centered, group-centered, casual, stylized, altruistic, selfish, exceptional, average, shy, exhibitionist, compulsive, relaxed, anxious, confident, impulsive, cautious, hedonistic, stoic, energetic, lazy.?

B.Consider traits that reveal collective identities: nerd, couch potato, bimbo, jock, punker, hipster, pen pusher, suburbanite etc.

C.Consider your body image/physical characteristics, where you live (both your "home" and your city/state/country identification), your taste in fashion, music and art, your relationships, your material things, your attitudes, your mission (do you have a type of manifesto for your work?), your dreams, your fantasies, your definition of "success".

CONTEXT: What most influences you? How/Why have you been influenced? (Literature, Film, Popular Culture, Politics, Religion). What artists do you most admire? Why? What historical periods of art do you most admire? Why? What role does place play in your work? Do you envision a specific purpose for your work?

A.Identify your inspiration: is it internal (dreams, fantasies, emotions, instincts, cultural identity, physical identity) or external (literature, current events, artworks by other artists, chance/random operation) or a combination of these? Does your inspiration concern place, materials, processes, collaboration?

B.Identifying your audience: Use the following list of terms to start thinking about who you believe your audience to be. You can cross out groups you reject as audiences and circle those you accept. You can also add to this list as you hone in on your audience: sophisticated, unsophisticated, conservative, progressive, mature, youthful, receptive, hostile, indifferent to art, individualized, anonymous, ruralite, urbanite, suburbanite, male, female, working class, wealthy, apathetic, activist, hip, square, religious, agnostic, healthy, ill, educated, uneducated, world traveler, provincial, art collectors, art curators, art institutions, majority, minority, similar to you, alien to you, presently alive, not yet born, specific race, specific ethnicity, specific socioeconomic group, educators, government officials, corporate executives, corporate workers, industrial tycoons, factory workers, homemakers, farmers, artists, religious leaders, media workers, colleagues, family members, friends, strangers, celebrities.*

C.Relating to your audience. Use the following list to start thinking about your artwork's communication with an audience. You can circle those you hope to achieve; cross out those you actively reject, and add to this list: teach, delight, calm, provoke, criticize, sympathize, arouse, flatter, mock, praise, excite, please, confuse, stabilize, soothe, amuse, frighten, disgust, exploit, manipulate, lure, encourage, warn, insult, attack, cajole, corrupt, console, aggravate, amaze, bewilder, nurture, defy, confront, dispute, judge, tease, taunt, involve, entice, engross, engage, motivate, annoy, irritate, reinforce, oppose, confound, incite, alarm, convince, delude, remind, stimulate, bore, entertain, repel, honor, dare, baffle, influence, support, exhaust, titillate, offend, challenge, pacify, explain, inform, suggest, infer, proclaim, imply, conceal, enlighten, instruct, guide, demand, command, assert, mystify, report, broadcast, propose, hint, advocate, announce, obscure, train, illustrate, inculcate, coach, control, describe, dominate, portray, declare, emphasize, televise, transmit, show, offer, disguise, recommend, publicize, counsel, order, intimate, insinuate, promote, decree, highlight, allege, urge, advertise, expose, edify, indicate, contend, render, signify, camouflage.*

STYLE: Describe your chosen medium and process as completely as possible. Why do you prefer this medium? What does your process contribute to the final work of art? What role does time play in your process? Does technology factor into your process? How?

A.How are the visual elements articulated in your work? (line, shape, mass, space, light, texture & pattern, time & motion.) Describe these as carefully as possible (for line: outline, contour, implied, line of sight, kinetic line, expressive, autographic, analytic); (for shape: organic, geometric, figure/ground relationship); (for space: dimensionality, flat or full-round, decorative, plastic); (for composition in terms of shapes: balance, imbalance, visual contrast); (for light: spotlight, highlights vs. shadow, chiarascuro, tenebrism); (for color: local, arbitrary, optical, perceptual, achromatic, hue, value, intensity, palette, color "temperature", symbolic color, primary, secondary or tertiary colors, neutrals, analogous color schemes, complementary color schemes, polychromatic, shades, tints, saturation); (for texture/pattern: real versus implied).

B.How are the compositional elements articulated in your work? (Unity & Variety, Balance, Proportion & Scale, Rhythm & Pattern). Visual weight, symmetrical vs. asymmetrical balance, radial balance, focal point, afocal, systems of proportion (hierarchic, divine or golden proportion).

Elizabeth Mix will start as the Assistant Professor of Art History, Department of Media Arts at Butler University this Fall. To learn more about iMOCA or the Business of Art workshops, visit their website at http://www.indymoca.org/.
*These lists of terms are reprinted from Linda Weintraub, In the Making: Creative Options for Studio Art Classes. User's Manual. DAP, ca. 2003.

Edited by Robyn Kelly, Web Publications Manager: rkelly@iac.in.gov.
The IAC, a public catalyst, partner, and investor in the arts, serves the citizens of Indiana by funding, promoting, and expanding the arts. Funding is provided by the State of Indiana and the National Endowment for the Arts.