The post How to Write an Artist CV in 10 Steps is the most popular in the history of The Practical Art World. Some of the most frequently asked questions people have after reading it are “What if I don’t have an exhibition history?” or “What if I didn’t go to school?”
For new and emerging artists, creating an artist’s CV can be a bit of a Catch 22. You don’t have much or any experience to put on your CV, but to apply for “experience” in the form of exhibitions, grants, and schooling, you are asked to provide a CV.
Fortunately, there are ways to tailor what relevant experience you have into an artist’s CV format. Just remember: don’t lie, and don’t make up anything that doesn’t exist. Just tell the truth, shaping it a little (creatively– it’s what you do best, right?) into the established CV format. If you haven’t already read How to Create an Artist’s CV in 10 Steps, start there. Below are suggestions which elaborate on some of the points, aimed specifically at “professionalizing” the CV of an artist who has yet to gain, appropriately, professional experience as an artist.
Refer to point 1 in the original article. As I mentioned, many established artists keep this section quite short. However, if you don’t have a lot of other material and experiences to add to the rest of the CV, this is a good opportunity to tell your reader about yourself. Adding a very brief bio / artist statement can be good if you would like to talk about experiences which don’t fit into the rest of the CV. If you are going to do this, just remember to keep it brief and concise.
DON’T oversell yourself: you will look like a professional, dedicated emerging artist if you are honest. You will look desperate if you pretend to be something you are not.
Example of bad contact details:
Vincent van Gogh~Sometimes called the world’s most famous artist~!!!Check out my work here http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/gogh/Email me! fancypants@yahoo.com<
Example of good contact details
Vincent van GoghBorn March 30, 1853Currently lives and works in Paris, France
vincent@vangogh.com | www.vangoghgallery.comVincent van Gogh is an emerging artist, working primarily in oils. He often employs bold colours and emotive tableaux in a post-impressionistic manner.
EDUCATION
Refer to point 2 in the original article. Many emerging as well as professional artists are self-taught, and yet for some reason the education section of a CV tends to be intimidating for all but those who have a Masters degree. It doesn’t have to be that way.
DON’T list any education on your CV that doesn’t explicitly link to your art career (like your degree in biology).
Example of a good education history, for those who did not attend “art school” or university
Education
Studied under:
Lynne McLaughlin
Tom Backlund
Geoff Parker
Example of a bad education history, for those who did not attend “art school” or university
Education
One hour workshop with Lynne McLaughlin
Informal classes with Tom Backlund
Has received feedback from Geoff Parker
Bachelor of Science, Biology major
EXHIBITIONS
Refer to point 3 from the original article.
One way to add exhibitions to your CV is to list any which are forthcoming. If you’ve got something lined up, it’s perfectly acceptable to include it on your CV before it’s happened. Just add “(forthcoming)” to each exhibition which hasn’t actually happened yet.
Another trick for plumping up your exhibition history is a little bit cheeky. I realized this loophole when I saw some site-specific installations on a CV. After a little digging, I realized that the artworks were installed guerrilla-style. In other words, someone made art and put it somewhere without invitation or the formal facets of a traditional exhibition. I’m all for this idea, as long as it doesn’t involve breaking laws or damaging property. It’s a great idea to show your artwork (though, you might not be able to get it back), and certainly an artistic project that can be added to your CV under your exhibition history. Just make sure you classify it properly, as to not mislead anyone!
DON’T make anything up.
Example of a good exhibition list
2014 Group exhibition, Vancouver Art Gallery (forthcoming)
2012 Site-specific installation, “Alleyway”, Vancouver, BC2010 Solo exhibition, Moon Cafe, Vancouver BCExample of a bad exhibition list
2016 Planned gallery exhibition (forthcoming) <– if you don’t have any solid details, don’t include it2012 Solo exhibition, Museum of Modern Art, NY <– you made that up!
COLLECTIONS
Refer to point 5 from the original article. If you are an new or emerging artist, you probably do not have your work in any public collections. Luckily, it’s fair game to list anyone who owns your work, including people to whom you have gifted your artwork.Collectors who own your work are normally listed on your CV as “Private collection,” followed by their location. You should not actually name someone unless they have explicitly agreed to be listed as a collector of your work, and / or if you have some other reason to do so (for example, they are a very well-known collector).
DO make a list of people who own your work, even if they didn’t actually purchase it; most of these you can convert to “Private collection,” followed by location
DON’T put your Mom’s name on the list, or anyone with the same last name as you
DON’T list a city more than once if more than one person owns your work thereExample of a good collection list
Collections:Private collection, Vancouver BCPrivate collection, Winnipeg MBPrivate collection, New York NY
Example of a bad collection listCollections:Anna van GoghTheodorus van GoghElisabeth van GoghTheo van GoghPrivate collection, Paris FrancePrivate collection, Paris FrancePrivate collection, Paris France
FINALLY, IF YOU HAVE AN ESPECIALLY SHORT CV AND THINGS ARE LOOKING DESPERATE
You can think of some creative ways to visually enhance your CV:
- Include an image of your artwork (not usually recommended, but between that and the blank page, one image is better).
- Center your text with large margins. Yes, this is cheating when you’re writing an essay. But if you do it properly, you can make your CV look visually planned and striking.
- Include an artist statement and CV on one single page. Often these are asked for separately, but if you are able to combine them, it’s a great way to make your presentation look great.
Images:
The Best of The Practical Art World
I’m very happy to share that this November, The Practical Art World surpassed 200,000 visits! Over the past year and a half, we have enjoyed your generous feedback, emails, comments, and questions. We love hearing that the articles posted here on the site have helped you as professional artists, so THANK YOU!
In honour of the first 200,000 visitors to The Practical Art World, we’ve compiled a list: ”The Best of The Practical Art World.” For those of you have been with us since the beginning, consider it a trip down memory lane. For new friends, enjoy a look back at some of our most popular articles.
10. Which Gallery Should I Submit To?
8. How to Build a Contract for Commissioned Artworks
7. Editioned Prints and Photographs: How Many, What Value?
6. Choosing Hardware to Hang Artwork
5. Wrapping Artwork for Shipping: Paintings on Canvas or Panel
4. Art Gallery Submissions: How to Prepare and What to Send
3. How to Create a Press Release for your Art Exhibition
2. How to Write an Artists CV in 10 Steps
1. How to Label Artworks in an Exhibition
10 Weeks to Improve your Artistic Career – Week 8
Week 8: Take a class
Whether you are a self-taught artist or have earned a degree in the field, there are countless benefits to enrolling yourself in an art class. There is obviously the distinct possibility that you will learn new skills or methods of working, but there are other benefits to being in a classroom setting, such as:
1. It forces you to work. Expectations and deadlines are great motivators, and taking a class is an excellent way to make your art practice a regular part of your day.
2. You meet other artists. Art can be a solitary endeavor. When you enroll in a class, you will have the opportunity to meet like-minded people and perhaps even collaborate with them. Taking a class also usually gives you an intimate view of how other artists work, which is invaluable information to you as a practicing artist.
3. You discuss your work. If you are lucky, Continue reading
10 Weeks to Improve your Artistic Career- Week 7
Week 7: Seek out and learn from critical feedback
“The crit.” Are there any more cringe-worthy words for an art student or artist? Though their aim is to help, critiques of artwork have gained a terrible reputation.
Art can be deeply personal, which is why having it critiqued can be very difficult. Many artists just want to hear that their work is good, that what they are doing is validated. But when you think about it, what helps you to grow, improve, and push yourself more: simple praise or thoughtful criticism? Continue reading
10 Weeks to Improve your Artistic Career – Week 6
Week 6: Get your paperwork in order.
If you have ever submitted your artwork to an exhibition, gallery or contest, you probably already know that beyond your artwork, you are also responsible for providing specific paperwork relating to your artistic practice. The most common paperwork requests are for an artist statement, an artist CV, and a short written biography.
If you have these three items prepared in advance, you can update them regularly and save yourself a lot of stress when trying to meet a submission deadline. In general, they are great things to have on hand even if you are not submitting your work, as collectors, curators, or writers could ask to see them at any time. Continue reading
WordPress vs. Blogger vs. Tumblr Part 2: Examples of Artist Blogs and Websites
In March, I published a post entitled WordPress vs. Blogger vs. Tumblr, Free Artist Websites where I wrote a brief overview of the pros / cons and features / benefits of these three different hosting sites. I included a link to an example website or blog for each one. Since the post and the example links have been getting a large number of clicks, I thought it would be useful to post more examples of artist websites created on WordPress, Blogger, and Tumblr.
WORDPRESS
JAMES FOWLER | @jamesfowlerart
The artist James Fowler uses the WordPress theme Twenty Ten. The site has been nicely configured to appear as a static landing page, more as a website portfolio than a blog. There are clear links featured at the top of the website which link to images, cv, contact info, and other pages.
MY PHOTOMATON | @hugobaeta
Hugo Baeta’s Photomaton blog actually uses the same theme as The Practical Art World, Twenty Eleven. For his site it has been customized Continue reading
Approaching a Gallery: The Initial Email (an Example of What to Send)
At any point in an artist’s career, they many begin to seek out representation from a commercial gallery. This has several benefits for the artist, including more exposure, a better venue to show work (presumably), less self-marketing, and hopefully more sales (if that is what the artist is after).
As many galleries are quite established and receive numerous submissions constantly, it can be tricky for artists to get a good “foot in the door.” The best first step is to do your research and approach a gallery to see if they are actually accepting submissions. This is best done with a respectful, polite email (with a link to your portfolio cleverly inserted).
Example of a good initial email:
For the attention of the curator,*
I am a Vancouver artist seeking representation** locally. I am writing to inquire if you are currently accepting submission proposals. If so, could you please let me know which format or materials you prefer.
Best,
Your Name
http://www.yourwebsiteaddress.com***
The key points in this email are: Continue reading
Art Gallery Submissions: How to Prepare and What to Send
So, you’ve decided that you want to submit your artwork to a gallery. Fantastic! Although it can seem like a daunting task, creating a professional and complete submission to send to galleries is a huge step in getting your artwork “out there” and progressing your artistic career.
Before you even begin gathering and preparing your materials for submission, you should make a decisive plan to streamline your effort and decide which galleries you want to submit to. I have written a post to help you with just that– please read Which Gallery Should I Submit To?
Once you have decided which galleries you want to submit to, take this most important step for each: Continue reading
WordPress vs. Blogger vs. Tumblr: Free Artist Websites
Free blog hosts are a great resource for artists who want to create their own portfolio or website online. Below I have provided a short summary of three of the most popular free blogging hosts: Blogger, WordPress, and Tumblr.
Blogger / Blogspot
Blogger by Google hosts free blogs using the format www.(yourname).blogspot.com. Blogger is useful for setting up a working journal or studio blog about your practice, updated as you add new images or news to it. It is more suited to a journal or conventional blog format where you can post news, pictures of work, the progression of works in progress—rather than a formal portfolio.
The disadvantage of Blogger and the reason it is not good for a “formal” portfolio or artist’s website is that by default, you cannot have a static landing page. It is technically possible to alter the code to change your Blogger blog to a static page, but you need to edit the template in HTML. If you are up for the challenge, Blog Help gives a good explanation here.
Blogger allows you to “monetize” your blog, should you choose to put advertisements on it.
Here is an example of an artist’s blog on Blogger, works by Claudio Rodriguez Valdes, using a non-static landing page.
WordPress
WordPress hosts free blogs using the format http://(yourname).wordpress.com. Like Blogger, the templates to choose from are non-static, although the process involved in creating a static landing page is much simpler, Continue reading
