From Conversation to Paper: Writing Your Artist Statement with Katherine Pickering
The Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art is pleased to present the 2026 Artist Development Series. This curated program is designed to help emerging and mid-career artists build sustainable careers by providing access to experienced local professionals who understand our regional creative landscape.
Through these sessions, we aim to move beyond simple skill-building to help you build collaborative networks and gain the actionable tools needed to navigate your creative career with confidence.
Workshop: Writing Compelling Artist Statements & Exhibition Proposals
In this hands-on workshop, visual artist and educator Katherine Pickering approaches the artist statement not as a daunting chore, but as a conversation. Writing about your own work can be a challenge, but Katherine will guide you through a process to articulate your ideas, methods, and intentions using clear and direct language.
The session begins with a short presentation on the anatomy of an effective artist statement and how it differs from an artist bio. Participants will then pair up to interview one another about their work. By recording these conversations and using audio-to-text tools, you will generate a natural first draft that captures your true voice. Through guided individual and peer editing, you’ll refine this text into a focused, professional statement suitable for exhibitions and applications.
What to Bring:
A laptop or mobile device (for recording and editing).
An original artwork or a high-quality image of your work to discuss.
This workshop is free to attend. However, for those with the capacity to do so, we invite you to participate in our Pay It Forward program.
Pay It Forward
We believe in building a creative community where everyone belongs. This event is open to all. For those in a position to give, we invite you to pay it forward. Your generosity keeps our doors open to everyone, creates access for all, and sustains the programs that enrich our collective cultural life. We gratefully accept contributions by cash or online here. Unable to contribute? You are always welcome here.
Katherine Pickering is a visual artist and Lecturer at UBC Okanagan. Based on Syilx territory in Kelowna, her practice explores material experimentation and abstraction. Her work has been exhibited internationally and supported by residencies across Canada, the US, and Europe. Katherine holds an MFA from Concordia University and a BFA from UBC Okanagan.
Earlier this year she presented Weather, Window, Echo, Hum in our Main Gallery.