52 art conversation Qs to talk with anyone (including artists)

If you ask if I love talking about art, it’s the same as asking if I’d enjoy a triple-patty triple-cheese beef burger — yes and yes 🙂

But what makes art a great conversation topic for you? Art is how many express their emotions, whether it’s creating art or looking at art. I mean, you don’t have to be an artist to enjoy swiping through pretty Instagram shots, right?

In this article, I will share a list of art-related conversation starters to help you spark conversations. And, to help you better connect with artists, I also interviewed multiple artist friends (Willwin, Megan, Lisa, Rachel) to get their favorite questions:

If you’re at a party 

1. What kind of art do you enjoy creating/looking at? 
2. Who’s your favorite artist?
3. What kind of art did you enjoy as a kid, if any?
4. Would you consider yourself artistic/creative? Why or why not? 
5. If you were an artist, what art would you create? 
6. If your life was an artwork, what would it look like? 
7. What if you woke up one day and all the art in the world disappeared? 

If you’re talking to an investor 

1. What do you think about the Nyan Cat NFT that sold for $590,000? 
2. Did you know that art is a $1.7 trillion asset class? 
3. Would you ever invest in art? Why or why not?
4. What’s the value of art as an asset class? // What makes art appealing/not appealing as an asset class? 
5. How would you go about investing in art? 
6. What art would you buy? 
7. How much would you ever pay for an artwork? 
8. What art would you consider priceless? 
9. What art should never be put on sale? 

If you’re talking to an artist

1. What’s your favorite art medium? 
2. What’s your favorite artwork? 
3. How do you define your art style? 
4. How has your art style changed over time? 
5. How do you cultivate your creativity as an artist? h/t: Lisa
6. How do you begin your creative process? h/t: Willwin
7. Who/what has influenced you the most as an artist? 
8. What’s the best and worst thing about being an artist? h/t: Lisa 
9. What makes you happy as an artist?
10. What’s your biggest challenge as an artist?
11. What do most people misunderstand about artists/your art?
12. How does art make you a better human being? 
13. Where can I see your art?
14. Do you have a website or Instagram? I’d love to follow your work.

“We don’t only want sales — we’d also love to be supported in other forms too to get the exposure that we need, and to get to our target audience who appreciate our artworks.”

— Megan

If you’re at an art opening

If you’re talking to the artist

Apart from the questions I listed above, here are questions that are specific to their art opening: 

1. How long did it take you to set up the exhibition?
2. What inspired your exhibition? 
3. What inspired this? (point towards a specific artwork)
4. Out of all the work you have here, what’s your favorite? 
5. What do you think you will create next? 

“I like to ask fellow artists which artists they are inspired by, so that I can see how they take reference and inspiration from the artists (living or dead) and use that to fuel their work!”

— Rachel

If you’re talking to other attendees 

1. How did you hear about the gallery/artist? 
2. What made you decide to come?
3. What do you think about the gallery so far? 
4. What’s your favorite artwork? // Which artwork do you find most interesting? 
5. What do you think this means? (point towards a specific artwork)
6. What do you think inspired the artist?
7. How often do you visit art galleries?
8. When was the last time you visited an art gallery? 
9. Are you an artist too? (See Qs above to start a conversation with an artist) 
10. Any other art galleries you recommend checking out? 

Deep questions 

1. What is art? What isn’t art? 
2. Is street graffiti art? 
3. Can porn ever be considered art? 
4. Would you consider Steve Jobs an artist? 
5. Would you consider a Starbucks barista an artist? 
6. Why are some artists broke and why are some artists rich? 
7. When was the last time you stopped to appreciate something beautiful? 
8. Is art important in our society? Why or why not? 
9. What does art say about our society today?
10. Should art ever be censored or banned? Why or why not? 

When and how to use these questions

• Ask one question at a time. Gauge their response before going deeper. If they seem disinterested in the topic, switch to something else instead.
  
  
• Balance between asking and talking. Make sure that you share your answer to the same question, or comment on their answer, so that the conversation doesn’t become an interrogation 🙂 I’ve been guilty of that. 
  
  Related article: 6 ways to keep a conversation going without asking too many questions
  

• Most importantly, modify the questions based on what feels most natural. Different people have different ways of saying the same thing, after all. 

Related articles 

• Conversation starters with new friends, or people you just met 
• 29 hobbies conversation starters to spark meaningful conversations 
• 91 food conversation starters and questions to talk with anyone 
• How to start a conversation with anyone 
• 25 useful phrases to keep a conversation going (and avoid awkward silence)