Writing an art resume

Purpose and types

Decide the purpose of the résumé and select from career information accordingly: potential purchase or commission of an artwork by a collector or museum curator, residency or grant, employment, etc. For example, you might include giving a lecture or workshop on a résumé for a commission, but you'll need to include more about your teaching experience for a teaching position or opportunity to conduct a workshop or demonstration.

Always be professional: never lie; proofread carefully — spelling, grammar and syntax are important.

Except for a curriculum vitae for an educational institution deciding on tenure or a promotion to professor, ONE or TWO pages ONLY. Gallery owners, curators, etc., tear off the top page and trash the rest (if they don't just trash the whole thing because they don't have time to read a book).

Clarity is essential:

Every category must be clear
Every entry must be clear, e.g. whether your work was mentioned in an article or you wrote the article (bibliography vs. publications), whether you attended a workshop or taught it
Be consistent in the order that information appears
Choose an easy-to-understand format and easy-to-read typeface
Printing must be exceptionally clear so it can be photocopied

Information to include
Name, address, telephone number(s), fax, E-mail, any other means of contact.

Entries should give enough information to tell the reader something specific about you or your work: what, where, when. Unless the résumé is going to a person knowledgeable in this field, you may need to explain the importance of certain competitions, residencies, etc. If you list collections in which your artwork is included, they should be public collections or well-known private collections. For employment, job title is usually not enough — tell what you did.

Entries in every category (exhibitions, education, etc.) should be in reverse chronological order, so the most recent events are considered the most important. Although education is traditionally listed first, all other categories should appear in the order of importance to you and the purpose of that résumé.

Professional activities, e.g. serving on a committee for Printmakers or taking part as a volunteer in projects for an arts organization, count highly in evaluating your commitment to an arts career, especially for grants, fellowships, etc.

It is best not to include references unless requested, and remember not to list someone as a reference without asking IN ADVANCE.

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