Artist Statements, Resumes, and CVs
Whether your work on canvas, in clay, with wood or on stage, you can't escape having to work with words. Creating an artist statement might be described as an art in itself. Like your work, the statement offers galleries, museums and potential buyers a piece of yourself. Deciding which piece and how to present it can make all the difference.
The same is true for resumes and and curriculum vitae. The articles below offer some help on how to piece together these most important pieces of yourself.
Your Secret Weapon: The Artists Statement as a Marketing Tool
From ArtistsRegister.com, this article provides a good primer on the why the artist's statement is important and how to go about crafting one.
The National Association of Independent Artists' concise guide to creating your artist's statement, including a sample statement.
How to Write an Artist's Statement
The "What You Need to Know About" site isn't devoted to the arts, but contains plenty of arts-focused content. Like this article, which is a plain-language discussion about how to craft your own statement.
Get It Right the First Time: An Introduction to Creating Your Artist Resume
The Maine Arts Commission presents this article with permission from the Seattle Artist Trust. Good advice on how the resume is different than a statement, formatting for e-mail distribution, plus specific tips for different arts fields.
Artist Resume Recommended Conventions
An annotated recommended format from the College Art Association.
Recommended Conventions for Visual Artist Curriculum Vitae
While similar to statements and resumes, the CV has its own accepted conventions and structure. Here's a sample, with notes and commentary, to use as a guide when constructing your own CV. From the College Art Association.