Sample Interviewing Questions

When interviewing students you can have them refer to the specific piece of work they have made. Interview students in a quite environment without distractions. The interview can take between 15-30 minutes. Spend more time listening than talking.

1)    What materials did you use to make the artwork?

2)    What's going on in this piece of work? What are you trying to communicate?

3)    Did it turn out the way you intended it turn out? What changed?

4)    How did you solve specific problems?

5)    Did you have an image in your head before you made this work?

6)    What inspired you to make this work?

7)    Tell me step 1, step 2, step 3, step 4, step 5 of this process for making this piece. Take me from beginning when you got the assignment right to the end.  If you were to teach me how to do this, tell me what I would have to do.

8)    Other

Give students lots of space to talk. See where they want to go with talking about the piece. You can also show them photo documentation of them at work in the studio, creating their artwork. Have them look at themselves and ask what are you doing here? 

Most students don't know what they look like when they're at work. So it can be revealing for the students to see themselves. What do they wonder about their artistic process? How is making art different from the writing or scientific process? What are you doing when you're making art? This is where ART21 comes in. When students see other artists creating and connect what they are doing with their behavior they may see themselves in a different light.