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Creating Your Artist's Résumé

A résumé lists what you've been doing in the art quilt and art world. An artist's statement tells anyone who reads it how you feel about your work, what your philosophy is and what drives you to create. A biography is a story of your life (think autobiography) and what got you started with creating art and/or art quilts. The photographs are a combination of slides, photographs, show invites, postcards, publications, etc. Anything in print, which involves a show, or project in which you are involved. Keep your résumé neat and well-organized and follow the same format throughout as it's easier for others to read and to find information about you. I keep mine on the computer and print out résumé(s) as I need them as they constantly need updating. And when you're just getting started, it's amazing how much you will remember you should have included.

Some of the things I've learned along the way are to highlight those shows, which are important or prestigious. It's better if the word quilt is not in the show title if you want to appeal to galleries. You'll look more well-rounded if there are other states (or countries) on your résumé other than your own.

The first year mentioned in any résumé heading is always the current year followed in descending order, i.e., 1997, 1996, 1995, etc. Your master should go back to year 0 but your tailored résumés should stop at five or six years back unless, of course, you need the padding or you have some very prestigious looking shows in there—go for selected!

As soon as you drop even one show from your résumé for purposes of brevity or even because it doesn't look very important, you can type EXHIBITIONS (Selected). Keep one master résumé, which lists absolutely everything you've ever done. If only for your own records, this is very important. Traveling résumés, which go out to shows, galleries, consultants, etc. should be tailored for the person to whom you are appealing and should not exceed two pages (usually). By tailoring, I refer to emphasizing one area of your work over another, i.e., art quilt vs. art-to-wear, or pushing your style's particular appeal for publication, etc. Every situation is different.

When I'm sending a résumé out as part of a group or as a traveling résumé, I merge Awards, One Woman, Invitationals and Exhibitions into one headed Exhibitions and delineate those shows which are one-woman or -man, invitational, awarded or juried in italics at the end. Lectures & Classes are not included unless I want to be considered for teaching or lecturing. The Education section is mainly for your own benefit although it can very occasionally be of use. In other words, keep those categories, which would impress the people to whom you are sending it.

One word of warning on the impressing part. NEVER lie. You don't necessarily have to reveal all but never invent something that never happened. It's much too easy for the invention to be revealed and the damage to your credibility will spread to everything with which you're associated.

Feel free to copy the résumé sample and turn it into your own résumé

Résumé Sample

Your Name
Company Name
Contact Information

 Download a Word template now!

(At a recent show, résumés, artists' statements and art stories were all displayed along with the actual artwork. The ones, which stood out for me, were those where the artist had been creative in their letterhead. Something bold and catchy at the top made the whole page look more appealing making me want to read them. I intend to work on this one myself. Mine looked soooo boring!!)

Brief (1 to 2 sentences) statement about yourself—this could be the artist's statement.


AWARDS
1997Title of Show, Place Show is Held, City, State/Country, Awards (Honorable Mention, Merit, First Place, etc.).

ONE-WOMAN EXHIBITIONS (a.k.a. SOLO EXHIBITIONS)
1997Title of Show, Place Show is Held, City, State/Country.

INVITATIONALS
A show in which you have been asked to be a participant.
1997Title of Show, Place Show is Held, City, State/Country.

EXHIBITIONS
A juried show carries more prestige so add this distinction if it applies to a show in which you participate.
1997Title of Show, Place Show is Held, City, State/Country, Juried

COLLECTIONS
PUBLIC
CORPORATE
PRIVATE
This could simply say Private Collections, Corporate Collections, one or both could be detailed. Be sure to get permission of the owners for you to use their name in the résumé. As a security measure, list only the country in which they live so as not to advertise that the person does collect. It doesn't matter how you organize their names—by date of purchase, alphabetically by last name or by country.

Last name, first initial (or Mr. & Mrs. First initial.) Germany.
XYZ Corporation, United States.


LECTURES & CLASSES
List those lectures/classes you have given or taught
2002Your Portfolio & You W/S
 Lecture & House W/S, Studio Quilt Guild, Durango, CO.
2001Contracts W/S, Women's Arts Center & Gallery, Denver, CO.
2000Lecture, The League of Northern Colorado Quilters, Fort Collins, CO.
 Front Range Contemporary Quilters' Newcomers Group, Westminster, CO.
 Evenings at Curtis, Curtis Arts & Humanities Center, Greenwood Village, CO.
 Your Portfolio & You Workshop, Curtis Arts & Humanities Center, Greenwood Village, CO.

GALLERY AFFILIATIONS
Those galleries/stores in which you have a current, permanent presence

XYZ Gallery, 555 Main Street, City, State/Country.

Mrs. Miggins" Country Store, 1234 Main Street, City, State/Country.


WORK-RELATED EXPERIENCES
Offices in a quilt guild; gallery work; exhibition work—curating, set-up, etc.; any teaching you've done (Artist-in-Residencies look good on a résumé); any graphics-related work; etc.

Year Position, Organization, Address, City, State/Country


PUBLICATIONS & BROADCASTS
Magazines or books in which your work is published; television or radio programs on which you or your work has appeared
1997OctoberTitle (of artwork), page number(s) (if it's the cover, just type cover), Publication
 DecemberName of episode (with episode number if available), Name of television program, Name of television channel, i.e., Discovery Channel
1996JulyBook title, page number(s), Publisher, City, State/Country (in which book was published)
 MayArticle title, inclusive page numbers, Publication

EDUCATION
List those classes you have taken including any formal art training as well as any and all workshops—I added my French class!

YearTeacherName of class

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