By Jessica Velasquez
On Tuesday night myself (CANVAS & CO) and Christina Lew (blogger, Miss Rosanna) were guest speakers on the topic of ‘Writing for Artists’ at Hatch Contemporary Art Space.
Despite running overtime and covering several topics such as writing media releases, blogging, bio’s, CV’s and catalogue essays many of those who attended were keenly interested to know more. Realising my experience working with commercial galleries for over 13 years can be useful to upcoming artists at the start of their artistic careers, I have decided to write a series of posts which will cover some important things I feel artists should know when navigating the art world.
SERIES I : WRITING A CV
Every artist needs to have a CV prepared for exhibitions, submissions to galleries, art prizes and to include on their website for interested collectors. A badly formatted CV can have a negative impact on arts professionals so make sure your impression is a good one by following some of the following simple rules:
• Most gallery managers/directors know what to look for in a CV so bedazzle them with your content not your fonts. Use a standard font like Arial or Times New Roman, in size 12 so it’s easy to read.
• Check spelling and grammar and have someone else proof it.
• Put exhibition titles in ‘quotations’ and artwork titles in italics
• Order your categories as outlined in the below Sample CV
• List the most recent at the top of each category
• One event per line
• For submissions create a short (1 page) CV of your most recent and best achievements. If you have omitted information in a category you should add ‘(Selected)’ to your category title. (see below sample CV) . Your full CV can always be sent later if requested.
• Keep your CV up to date. Check all content is current before each exhibition or submission
SAMPLE CV
SHARON LOVEMYART
Born 1976, Melbourne
EDUCATION (this refers to your higher education, or art related courses. Not where you went to primary school!)
2004 – 2008 Masters in Fine Art, V.C.A, Melbourne
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2016 ‘Towards the Horizon’, Peter Murphy Gallery, Sydney
2014 ‘Always & Never’, Amazon Stills Gallery, Perth
GROUP EXHIBITIONS (SELECTED) (add this if you have omitted any listings)
2016 ‘Forever in Colour’, Peter Murphy Gallery, Sydney
2014 ‘A New Direction’, Amazon Stills Gallery, Perth
AWARDS
2015 Finalist, Timothy Perkins Art Prize 2015, Melbourne
2014 Winner, SCAPN Art Prize 2014, Adelaide
PROFESSIONAL APPOINTMENTS
2001-2015 Lecturer, Middle Eastern Arts and Culture, University of Malvern, Melbourne
ACHIEVEMENTS
2003 Awarded Scholarship for International Art Abroad, University of Malvern, Melbourne
COLLECTIONS
Artbank
National Gallery of Victoria
Private Collections Melbourne, UK, Singapore and Middle East
COMMISSIONS
2007 Private Commissions, Melbourne
2005 National Bank of NY, New York
2004 Perth Contemporary Arts Centre, Perth
PUBLICATIONS
‘Artists & Galleries of Australia’, Peter Smith, 2004
‘The Encyclopedia of Australian Art’, Jane Burston, 2008, Hutchinson
REVIEWS / PUBLICITY
‘Art & More’, Vol.29, No.2, ‘Australian Paper Awards’, Noel Swarma, 2016
‘City Magazine’, New York, Issue 28, 4 May 2015
Upcoming on the NAVIGATE THE ART WORLD series: How to write a Bio (Biography)
Hatch Contemporary Art Space has a regular series of professional development opportunities for artists. Focusing on the arts as a valid and attainable career path, these workshops and forums aim to give Banyule’s creative community valuable skills to help navigate the arts world.
Hatch Contemporary Arts Space: 14 Ivanhoe Parade, Ivanhoe, Victoria
