Artist CV Template and Format (Free Example for Visual Artists)

An artist CV is a factual list of your professional record: contact details, education, exhibitions (solo, then group), awards and grants, residencies, collections, and bibliography. List entries in reverse chronological order (newest first), one line each, using a consistent format such as Year, Title, Venue, City, State. Unlike a job résumé, it has no objective or summary, and it grows as your career does.

Standard sections, in order

Name, city, website and email
Education (degree, school, year). Workshops and mentorships count if you're self-taught.
Solo exhibitions
Group exhibitions
Awards, grants and fellowships
Residencies
Public collections
Bibliography / press (author, title, publication, date)
Commissions, public art, teaching, lectures and panels (as relevant)

Free template

[YOUR NAME] [City, State] · [website] · [email] EDUCATION [Year] [Degree], [School], [City, State] SOLO EXHIBITIONS [Year] [Exhibition title], [Venue], [City, State] GROUP EXHIBITIONS [Year] [Exhibition title], [Venue], [City, State] (curated by [Name]) AWARDS, GRANTS AND FELLOWSHIPS [Year] [Award name], [Organization] RESIDENCIES [Year] [Residency], [City, State] COLLECTIONS [Institution], [City, State] BIBLIOGRAPHY [Author], "[Article title]," [Publication], [Month Day, Year]

Tips for emerging artists

A short, honest CV beats a padded one. Include juried shows, open studios, art markets, pop-ups and community projects, labelled accurately.
Leave out sections you don't have yet rather than writing “none.”
Use “Selected exhibitions” once the list gets long, and keep the full CV on your website.
Don't list personal details (birth date, address) beyond city and contact.
Save a PDF named Firstname-Lastname-CV.pdf.

CV vs. résumé vs. bio

An artist CV is your full exhibition record. An artist résumé is a shorter version (one or two pages) for a specific application. A bio is a paragraph in the third person.

ArtistOS builds your CV from the exhibitions, awards and residencies you log. It stays up to date and publishes as a shareable page at artistosapp.com/artist/you/cv, which you can also export to PDF.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between an artist CV and a résumé?

A CV is your complete professional record as an artist and can run several pages. A résumé is a shortened, tailored version, usually one or two pages.

What if I don't have a degree or many exhibitions?

List workshops, mentorships and self-directed study under Education, and include juried shows, markets, open studios and community projects. Label everything accurately.

Should my artist CV be reverse chronological?

Yes. Within each section, list the newest entries first.

How long should an artist CV be?

As long as your record, but many artists send a “selected” CV of one or two pages when an application sets a limit.

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Artist CV format and template