Online Archives is 3 session course on how to populate an artist’s website with professional content and materials. More than ever, our work resides online and it is important for artists to have an online presence and get to grips with basic fundamentals in online marketing: effective voice, confident writing and evocative imagery. The course will consist of three lessons:

LESSON 1
How to write an effective artist statement
Monday 15 March 10am-12pm

Artist statements are immensely useful, notoriously difficult to write and fundamentally important to get right. This lesson will provide a comprehensive guide to crafting a clear and compelling artist statement. Members will be provided with training in how to reverse-engineer a clear, concise and compelling statement that speaks about their work;

• Artist statement basics;
• Exercises and brainstorming;
• What is an artist statement and why do you need one;
• Learn how to get the tone right;
• What works and what doesn’t;
• Find a language to support and represent your work;
• Learn how to write more succinctly and confidently;
• Learn how capture the reader's attention and how to remain creative.
• Collate specific examples, processes/disciplines, expanded research and lines of enquiry;
• Find the confidence and the language to express complex ideas in written form;
• Examples of good practice.

LESSON 2
How to create a biography & CV
Wednesday 17 March 6-8pm

An artist biography serves a different purpose to the artist statement and is a resume in paragraph form written in the third person. This lesson will include how to write one highlighting top achievements, give context to who you are as an artist and how to identify necessary information to include in your biography and CV.

• Biography & CV basics;
• Exercises and brainstorming;
• What is an artist biography and why do you need one;
• What to include and what to not include;
• Learn how to give context to who you are as an artist;
• Understand your audience and adjust for different readers, contexts and objectives;
• How to write a summary of significant facts about your art career;
• How to adjust a biography for different opportunities and professional situations;
• How to get comfortable writing in third person;
• Create a list of chronological professional achievements;
• Enhancing and adjusting your biography and CV as your practice evolves.

LESSON 3:
How to create a professional portfolio of your work
Monday 22 March 10am-12pm

A professional portfolio is essential for artists to showcase their work to curators, galleries, collectors, and for exhibition opportunities. It also serves to show the development of their practice over time. It takes a considerable amount of experience to be able to edit carefully, and often requires objective and outside help.

• How to work with a photographer to document your practice;
• How to document your own practice with a DSLR camera or iPhone;
• How to use the manual settings on a DSLR camera for more professional images;
• How to organise images effectively on a website or shareable pdf;
• Hone your presentation skills and thought processes;
• How to be conscientious about the order in which your work is presented;
• How to develop a narrative with images;
• How to write clear, concise labels and material descriptions.

This course will be delivered by the union's Learning Programme Manager Lauren Printy Currie. Lauren has been working in the arts in a learning and engagement capacity for 8 years and has been running the union's learning programme since 2017 as well as being a practicing visual artist.    

Please register your interest in this course by RSVPing via the link here. Once you have RSVPed, you will be invited to fill out a registration form and once we have received your form, you will be sent the link to access the sessions via zoom. Please note: it may take a bit of time between filling out the participant registration form and receiving the zoom link as this is done manually by us and the STUC who provide us with the funding for the course. Please let us know if you haven't received the zoom link 24 hours prior to the session. 

Members don't need to have completed the website building course to take part in this one and are welcome to join all 3 sessions or pick 1 that feels most relevant and useful.

The Scottish Artists Union have been successful in receiving additional financial support from Scottish Union Learning Covid-19 Recovery Fund to deliver additional online training and support for our members.

Click here to go back to the RSVP page for instructions on how to join the course.