For more than a decade, Wikipedia has been the go-to source for information. It holds a significant influence on shaping public knowledge and opinion. And yes, people use it to find information on artists, museums, and everything else related to art.

For artists, having a well-written Wikipedia page can be an asset.

Achieving the goal of having a Wikipedia page is not easy. It requires understanding of the platform’s guidelines, including those related to notability, referencing, and neutral point of view.

Understanding Wikipedia's Notability Guidelines for Artists

In order to create a Wikipedia page, an artist must be notable. And when I talk about notability, I am referring to Wikipedia’s notability guidelines. Sometimes, artists may be notable in the world of art, but still not meet the criteria to have a Wikipedia page.

Notability guidelines help ensure that only artists with a significant impact or coverage in reliable sources are included. The general notability guidelines for artists include:

1. The artist's work has been the subject of multiple, independent, published works, such as articles, books, or reviews, that are not trivial in nature.
2. The artist has received a prestigious award or recognition in their field or has been nominated for such awards multiple times.
3. The artist has made a significant contribution to a recognized artistic movement, genre, or medium, or their work has been influential in shaping the course of art history.

In order to show that an artist meets these criteria, they must have been featured in reliable news sources. The coverage must be in-depth, meaning the article focuses on them in general, not just mentioning them in passing.

So how do you determine if an artist is notable?

You can always compare the previously listed criteria with news sources on the artist. However, this can prove to be tricky if you are not well-versed in Wikipedia culture.

If you are curious if a specific artist meets notability guidelines, you can always ask the Wikipedia community on one of its noticeboards, or on the WikiProject related to visual arts (more on that later).

Examples of Well-Written Wikipedia Pages on Artists:

Wikipedia has done a great job of representing artists. While pages are constantly improving, there are some great examples that show the community’s support for visual arts.

Now, in order to create an artist page, it's helpful to study existing examples of other well-written pages. Here are some great examples to use:

1. Frida Kahlo: The Mexican painter's Wikipedia page is comprehensive and well-structured, covering her biography, artistic career, and legacy. The page uses reliable sources and citations, and it features a neutral tone, in line with Wikipedia's guidelines.

2. Banksy: The enigmatic street artist's Wikipedia page is another excellent example. Despite the artist's mysterious identity, the page provides an in-depth look into Banksy's work, techniques, and influence on the art world, all supported by reliable sources.

3. Yayoi Kusama: The Japanese contemporary artist's page is well-rounded, offering insights into her life, artistic journey, and the themes and motifs in her work. The page highlights her significance in the art world while maintaining a neutral point of view.

Note that the above artists are pretty well-know, but even lesser-known artists such as Sam Steinberg can be notable as long as they have significant coverage in reliable sources.

Wikipedia's Art Project:

Wikipedia loves artists. So much so, they created an individual project within Wikipedia to deal with topics related to art.

Wikipedia's WikiProject Visual arts is a community-driven project aimed at improving the quality and representation of visual arts-related content on the platform. It’s a collaborative effort that helps bring editors, artists, and enthusiasts together to create and improve Wikipedia pages related to art.

The great news? Anyone can edit Wikipedia and participate in the project.

Artists and art lovers can contribute to this project by:

1. Joining the project as a participant and collaborating with fellow members to improve the coverage of visual arts on Wikipedia.
2. Creating or expanding articles on underrepresented artists or art forms, ensuring they meet the notability criteria and are well-researched and well-written.
3. Participating in discussions and providing feedback on proposed changes or improvements to existing articles.

Conclusion:

Artists deserve recognition and representation on Wikipedia, but achieving this requires understanding the platform's guidelines and actively participating in community-driven projects.

By meeting notability criteria, learning from well-written artist pages, and engaging with the WikiProject Visual arts, artists can carve their space on the world's largest encyclopedia and contribute to a more comprehensive and diverse representation of the art world.