The Jargon Buster

Translating Artspeak Into Plain Speech

by DeDe Sorensen
Professional Artist, Arts Business Author & Host of Outside the Frame on BHR Radio

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You may be asking yourself, what is the purpose of The Jargon Buster column? As you are most likely aware, jargon is found in many professions such as the legal, medical, technical and financial trades.  The term jargon refers to the terminology or characteristic language used by a special group and/or to describe a special activity.  Jargon is most often considered to be a means to distinguish “us” from “them” similar to a secret handshake or password.  We artists also have our own brand of jargon that is referred to as “Artspeak”.

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Artspeak is the terminology used by art academia, critics, galleries and others to define, describe, interpret and evaluate art.  Many artists believe that artspeak is used by the “art establishment” to dismiss artists’ talents in order to make themselves appear superior to artists.  Non-artists believe that those who sell art use artspeak as a means to justify exorbitant pricing.  The overwhelming belief is that artspeak is a dirty word used to exclude artists and confuse patrons.
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A number of artists would prefer to create their own definitions rather than adhere to the current accepted terminology.  However in their efforts to buck the system, artists make things far more difficult for themselves in the bargain because others find it difficult to understand the unfamiliar terms the artist has invented to describe their art.  This mutual lack of understanding drives a wedge between the artist and those who can help further the artist’s career.  Jargon is beneficial in as much as it provides us with a standardized language recognized by other professionals working in our field.
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Imagine for a moment that rather than the medical terminology used today; doctors instead called body parts and ailments whatever popped into their heads or sounded cool to them at the time.  Such a situation would truly be confusing not only to patients but also to hospital staff and the doctors themselves.  No one would know what the other was talking about and being able to get the care the patient required would take much longer due to the need for translation.
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When an artist approaches a gallery or attempts to participate in an exhibition, they need to provide the gallery director or exhibit coordinator with an accepted term to describe the artist’s particular style of art.  It’s helpful for the artist to know what historical art movement, if any, their work best represents.  When an art critic or art reviewer writes that your work is “naive” or refers to you as a “skilled colorist”, do you understand what they mean?  If you are not conversant in artspeak then likely you do not.
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The purpose of this column is to translate artspeak into plain speech in an effort to demystify this “secret” language spoken by the art establishment and empower artists to reclaim the terminology of their profession.  It is my fervent hope to build a bridge over the chasm that presently exists between the artist and those who can facilitate career advancement in the arts.
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In the next issue, we will begin to analyze artistic styles and how they relate to the major art movements.  In coming issues we will also set forth to dissect the language of the critique, decipher the meaning within an artist statement, and crack the code used by art critics.

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Tags: Academia, Ailments, Amp, Art Establishment, Body Parts, Business Author, Definitions, Dirty Word, Doctors, Jargon Buster, Medical Terminology, Overwhelming Belief, Patrons, Professional Artist, Professions, Radio, Secret Handshake, Special Group, Talents, Trades, Unfamiliar Terms

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 25th, 2009 at 16:39 and is filed under Art Room, Q&A With DeDe. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.