Even when you're new to showing and selling your art, it's always a good idea to keep a record of your professional accomplishments. You never know when you may come across an opportunity you'd want to apply to that will require you to submit an artist resume or CV, or when a curator might contact you and ask for one to review along with your work. In this blog article, I'll answer a few of the most common questions I've gotten about artist resumes.

So, what do you include in an artist's resume?

-Your education (optional if you are self-taught or studied a subject outside of the arts)

-Solo, two-person, and group exhibitions

-Awards & Grants

-Residencies

-Lectures & Artist Talks

-Media Features

CLICK HERE FOR A COMPLETE GUIDE ON THE ARTIST RESUME FORMAT

What's the difference between an artist resume and an artist CV?
 

The simplest answer is that the CV is a complete list of all of your career accomplishments, whereas a resume focuses on the most recent (within the past few years) or most important achievements. A resume is typically one page (two at most) and a CV can be several pages long for those later on in their careers. 

Should I include my resume on my website? If so, how? 

Yes! As a writer and curator, when I visit an artist's website, I like to be able to look over their resume to get a more complete picture of their career thus far. It doesn't negatively impact how I review them if the resume is short. I understand that will be the case for artists just starting out! But it is disappointing when I don't find one at all - especially if a professional artist biography is also missing. 

In terms of how to incorporate your resume on your site, there are several options. You can link to a PDF download on your about page or the page where you have your artist statement. Another option is to have a dedicated page with your resume listed directly on it. Or, you can combine these two and write an abbreviated version of your resume and then mention that if anyone wants to see your full CV, they can download it using the provided link. 

Do I include blog posts I've been featured in on my resume? 

Absolutely! This fits under your press section.  

What can I do if I have little to write on my resume? 

Don't worry! I have an entire blog dedicated to this subject which you can read right here.

Header image is by Manty Dey!