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

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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