How to Write an Artist CV
Writing an artist CV can feel intimidating, but a well-structured and clear CV can open doors to exhibitions, residencies, grants, and collaborations. In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to put together a confident, readable, and effective artist CV — even if your experience is still growing.
Start by understanding why you’re writing the CV
First and foremost, it’s essential to outline the specific purpose of your CV. So before you begin, ask:
Who will read this? (curators, grant juries, gallery owners, academics)
What kind of opportunity is this for? (show, residency, grant, publication)
What parts of your work or background are most relevant?
Your CV should focus on the material that best supports this particular application. You don’t have to include everything you’ve ever done — prioritize for the opportunity at hand.
Structure & key headings
Here’s a flexible set of headings you can use. Feel free to drop, merge, or rename some depending on your situation:
Contact Information
Full name, email, phone (if applicable), website/portfolio link, relevant social media (Instagram etc.), location (city, country).
Education
Formal degrees, workshops, mentorships, courses. List institution, location, and dates (or year). If you studied under a notable artist/mentor, that can be a highlight.
Artistic skills
List mediums, processes, or specialized skills (e.g. “oil painting,” “printmaking,” “video editing,” “site-specific installation,” “interactive media,” etc.).
Exhibitions
List any exhibitions you took part in. Put the most important ones first, especially if you’ve had any solo exhibitions. For early career artists, it’s fine to highlight local, university, or more DIY shows.
Notable projects and commissions
Write about the projects you initiated or took part in. If there are any notable commissions, site-specific projects, public art initiatives or collaborations in your career, list them as well.
Residencies
Include residencies, artist-run spaces you’ve been part of, labs or studios you participated in.
Grants & Awards
For each: name of award, granting body, year, and project or purpose if applicable.
Publications
Include any publications, like interviews, features, or your own published texts. Note the author, publication name, date.
Collections
List any institutions or private collectors that hold your work. You can denote "Private Collection, City, Country" if the collector wishes anonymity.
Relevant work experience
Jobs or roles in the arts field (gallery assistant, teaching, curatorial internships), especially those that inform your art practice.
References
Include references from your old professors, mentors, renowned artists, or former employers. Include name, title, institution, and contact info (email or phone).
What if you lack experience?
Maybe you are just starting out and don’t have that many experiences yet. Don’t worry; you can still build an attractive CV.
Focus on the experiences you do have. Maybe you have published your own zine, been part of an underground exhibition, or have another independent project under your belt? With the right wording, experiences like these will showcase your drive and passion. You can also include forthcoming exhibitions and projects, and use design tricks like making the text margins larger to fill out your CV.
Back up everything you claim
Whenever you list something (skill, project, show), make sure you can point to a URL, photo, catalogue, press, or other documentation. If someone is curious, they should be able to verify or explore further. This builds credibility.
Alice Willis, a resume specialist at Supreme Dissertations, explains it like this: “Capable of creating works of art that reflect the values of the West End district. Evidenced by my being appointed artist in residence at the West End Museum of contemporary arts.”
Include your artist statement
Your artist statement is the tool you can use to communicate your artistic vision and stand out as uniquely qualified. Your statement should be informative and show enthusiasm for the opportunity.
Keep it short
In general, it’s okay for your CV to be longer than the standard, single-page resume. Still, that doesn’t mean the document should be needlessly long. It should serve as a brief reference that those reading can use to recall your most important attributes. Unless you have a very compelling reason to make it longer, stick to no more than two pages.
Why is this important? A rambling CV indicates that you struggle to identify and set priorities, edit your work, and make a clear point. Be ruthless in your editing choices.
Focus on readability and use an impactful tone
Make sure your CV is informative, easy to read, and neatly organized:
Use a clean, legible font (e.g. Arial, Helvetica, Calibri) and consistent styles (headings, bullets).
Line spacing of 1.0–1.15 is comfortable.
Use bullets rather than long paragraphs.
As you write your CV, consider that the person reading it will draw conclusions about you from the way that you write. Here are some things you can do to improve your tone:
Use action verbs (e.g. “Created,” “Organized,” “Presented,” “Collaborated”)
Eliminate adverbs and ‘fluff’ words
Avoid passive voice
Be concise
Be careful about jargon
Create visual appeal
You might be tempted to infuse your CV with some of your creativity. You absolutely should do this. For example, if you specialize in design, choose an attractive color scheme, or even design your own resume template.
At the same time, be careful. Subtlety is key and will impress people more than an over-the-top CV. Give visual hints to your creative skills, but prioritize professionalism and readability.
Don’t forget editing and proofreading
This may seem like an obvious step, but it’s easy to overlook if you are busy writing and editing multiple versions of your CV. Not quite as confident in your writing skills as your artistic ones? Use tools and resources like Grammarly, ClassyEssay, GrabMyEssay, Hemingway, TopEssayWriting or ask a friend to proofread.
Treat it like a living document
If you host your CV on your website or portfolio, keep it up to date. As you finish different projects, gain experience, or reach certain milestones, add those to your CV, and remove out-dated ones.
Here are some tips on how to keep your CV adaptable:
Keep a master version of your CV (even if it’s long) that includes everything.
Before each application, prune and tailor: remove less relevant items, emphasize what matters to that opportunity.
Save versions as PDF (for submissions) and keep a web/online version (on your site or portfolio).
Date your CV (e.g. “Last updated: October 2025”) — this shows it’s current.
Link your portfolio
In addition to your contact information and links to your professional social media accounts, include a link to your portfolio. This will give any manager one-click access to examples of your work.
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