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Notes on the Artist Manifesto

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What is an artist manifesto?

An artist manifesto (from the Latin manifestus meaning clear, evident) is a declaration of the perspectives, motives, or intentions of an artist or artistic movement. Sometimes they are written in order to achieve a political goal. Typical themes include freedom of expression, the role of the artist in society, and the purpose of art-making. They are often structured with a number of statements (using vigorous language) that do not necessarily follow logically from one to the next.

Typewriter

Tips and guidelines for writing your own

Use the process of writing your manifesto as a process of synthesizing what you feel most strongly about that’s in some way related to the work you are doing. What’s most important to you? Why are you interested in artistic practice and/or media making? How does the industry and/or the world need to be changed? Don’t be afraid to be bold! 

A manifesto is often a cranky, passionate, and persuasive document. The motivation for writing a manifesto is more often than not a dissatisfaction with the way things are, and by starting your own movement you set in motion a plan to fix it. The Communist Manifesto and The Declaration of Independence are probably the two most widely known and influential manifestos.

Your manifesto can be as serious or as funny as you want it to be. Will you make up your own movement? Would you like to write an open letter to a specific group of people you despise? Do you want to parody a well-known manifesto? The choice is totally up to you. You can have a lot of fun writing your manifesto. Establish a set of ideas, what you intend to change, and include any background your readers may need to understand where you’re coming from. This is essentially a work of persuasive and expository writing that presents an argument with supporting statements and claims. 

A highly effective rhetorical device and poetic technique are to begin your paragraphs or sentences with the same or similar word or phrase (anaphora). A classic example is Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech delivered on August 28, 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C. in which there’s a repetition of phrases at both the beginning and the end of some sentences (epistrophe, the counterpoint to anaphora). Manifestos are sometimes structured with numbered points that break up the statements and give the impression you have several specific points to make in order to change the world (e.g. “The Anti Web 2.0 Manifesto”). Consider making up a set of rules to go along with your manifesto (e.g. the Vow of Chastity associated with the DOGME 95 manifesto. The following resources provide essential tips that might come in useful as you write your manifesto:

Examples

The following examples of artist manifestos, along with manifestos from other fields, are provided for inspiration; consider reading/viewing those that strike your fancy for inspiration (links are to web pages unless otherwise indicated):