Presenting and Sharing: Portfolios, Artist Statements and Exhibitions

Remember from Grade 8

In Grade 8 you wrote an artist's statement and explored where art is shown (galleries, artist-run centres, public art). In Grade 9 you will present your own work like a professional: selecting, matting, labelling, photographing and writing about it.

The last mile

Presenting is the seventh stage of the creative process, and it changes how people see your work. A strong drawing with crumpled corners and no title looks unfinished. The same drawing, clean, matted, labelled and well lit, looks like it belongs in a gallery. Presentation shows respect for your work and your audience.

Building a presentation portfolio

1. Gather everything from the course: finished works, studies, sketchbook pages.
2. Select about 8 to 12 pieces that show your best work, your range (different media, techniques, purposes) and your growth (an early study beside a later, stronger work can be powerful).
3. Order them with a plan: strongest piece first and last, similar works grouped, or a sequence that tells a story.
4. Add a title, date, medium and size for each, and a short statement for key pieces.
5. Include process where it helps: a page of thumbnails beside the final work shows your thinking.
6. Present consistently: same mat colour or the same page layout throughout gives unity.

For a digital portfolio, photograph each work well, crop to the edges, adjust only to match the real colours, and name files clearly (for example Lastname_Title_2026.jpg). If you share online, check privacy settings and use only your first name or initials.

Matting and mounting

• A window mat frames 2-D work with a clean border. White, off-white, black or grey are usual; a colour can work if it supports the piece.
• Cut the window about 0.5 cm smaller than the art on each side so it holds the edges.
• Make side and top borders about equal and the bottom slightly wider (it looks more balanced; this is called bottom weighting).
• Mounting: attach the art to a backing board with hinges of tape at the top only, so paper can expand and contract.
• 3-D work: clean it, display it on a stable plinth or shelf at a height that suits viewing, and give it room to be seen from all sides.

Labels

A label usually gives: artist name, title (in italics), year, medium, dimensions (height × width, or × depth), and sometimes a short description. Example:

Ice Road, 2026 · Sofia Tremblay · Relief print (foam plate) on paper · 25 cm × 20 cm

Writing an artist statement

An artist statement is short (about 100 to 200 words for one work) and written in the first person. A simple structure:

1. What: what the work shows or is about. ("Sunday at Teta's shows my family's hands around my grandmother's table.")
2. How: key choices of media, techniques and elements and principles. ("I used warm coloured pencil and a bird's-eye view, with my brother's hand as the focal point.")
3. Why: your intention and what you hope viewers feel or think. ("I wanted viewers to feel the warmth of a family meal.")
4. Optional: influences, challenges, what you learned.

Avoid vague phrases like "I just felt like it" or "It's whatever you want it to be". Be specific and honest. Use art vocabulary naturally.

Exhibitions

You can exhibit almost anywhere: a hallway at home, a school display case, a public library, a community centre, a café with permission, or online. Plan a theme, a title, the layout (centres at a common height, even spacing, related works grouped), labels, and how you'll gather feedback (a comment card or guestbook). Think about accessibility: large-print labels, works hung where people who use wheelchairs can see them well, and clear paths.