Artist CV: Section Order, Format and 6 Complete Examples

By Mustafa Tarabya, founder of CVBooster · Published 2026-10-25 · Updated 2026-10-25

8 min read

An artist CV is a list of your art record in a fixed order, education, awards and residencies, exhibitions, commissions, collections, bibliography, teaching and talks, with every entry dated and the newest first. The one constraint is purpose, because a gallery, a grant panel and a college hiring committee each expect a different length and lead section. The College Art Association's artist résumé conventions, the standard US reference, say the document is "similar to the short curriculum vitae or short CV." Below are the section order, the format rules and six complete artist CVs by career stage. Written by Mustafa Tarabya, who hired for his own company, read every application himself and now writes CVBooster's guides.

You spent four years making the work, and the CV asks you to describe it as a column of years and city names. It is like explaining a song using only the zip codes where you played it.

An artist CV, start to finish

Here is an emerging painter three years out of a BFA, applying to a nonprofit gallery's open call.

Dates on the left, newest first, and the one solo show marked as solo.

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The section order, explained

The College Art Association lists thirteen categories, in this order: name and contact, education, grants and awards, exhibition record, commissions, collections, bibliography, publications as author, teaching or related experience, lectures and workshops, curatorial projects, gallery affiliation, and references. Leave out any heading you have nothing for.

The order is not fixed. CAA says of the exhibition record that it "may be the most important category in your résumé and should be near the beginning", and that if your exhibitions are stronger than your awards, list them first. The general rule it gives: place "more important, relevant, and recent information near the beginning of your résumé."

A few sections people get wrong:

• Exhibitions. Early on, use one heading and mark each solo or two-person show at the start of the entry. Split into Solo Exhibitions and Group Exhibitions once you have several of each, and later into Selected lists.
• Collections. Only public, corporate or significant private collections, listed alphabetically. CAA is blunt here: "Many artists list friends and family members in this section when they should be omitted."
• Related experience. Art jobs only. CAA's line is "unrelated employment does not belong on a professional artist’s résumé".
• Teaching. For a college teaching job this moves to the top, right after education.

Format rules for a US artist CV

• Reverse chronological order inside every section, newest at the top. CAA puts it plainly: "Both the résumé and the CV should list entries within each category in reverse chronological order".
• Year on the far left, then the title in italics, venue, city and state.
• Two-letter state codes and full school names, with no abbreviations such as SAIC or RISD.
• No pictures. CAA's advice: "Do not use headshots, images, or colored fonts."
• Length. Short for galleries and grants, one to four pages under CAA's guidance. Academic CVs run longer.
• PDF to submit. Keep the master in Word so it is easy to update.

Keep one long master version. CAA advises you to "Always keep a comprehensive master copy of your artist résumé that includes all relevant information about your career and education." Cut a short version from it for each call.

Artist CV examples by career stage

Example 2: MFA candidate

Students mark the degree as candidate and give the expected date.

Example 3: Mid-career artist

At mid-career, split solo and group shows and add collections and representation.

Example 4: Illustrator applying for a residency

For a residency, an illustrator puts publications and awards high and keeps clients short.

Example 5: Community muralist

Public artists lead with commissions: site, size, medium and who commissioned it.

Example 6: Artist applying for a college teaching job

For an academic post the document is a full CV, and teaching comes straight after education.

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Artist CV vs artist bio vs resume

The Minneapolis College of Art and Design career office separates the artist resume for exhibitions, grants and residencies from the standard resume you send for jobs and internships.

• Artist CV or artist resume: the dated list of your art record. Used for galleries, grants, residencies and commissions.
• Artist bio: a short paragraph in the third person about who you are and what you make, for a website, a wall label or a press release.
• Standard resume: for jobs, including art jobs such as gallery assistant or designer. It covers work history and skills, not your exhibition list.

If a posting asks for "a resume" for an exhibition, it means the artist CV. If it is a job, send the standard version. See our CV vs resume and portfolio vs resume pages for the difference in more detail, and the artist cover letter guide for the letter that goes with it. Cornell's career site also hosts a copy of the CAA conventions.

Frequently asked questions

What should an artist CV include?

Your name and contact details, website, education, grants and awards, residencies, exhibitions, commissions, collections, bibliography, teaching and talks. Include only the headings you have entries for. Date every entry, list the newest first in each section, and follow the venue's instructions on length if it gives any.

How long should an artist CV be?

For galleries, grants and residencies, the College Art Association describes the artist résumé as one to four pages. A student or emerging artist usually fits on one or two. An academic CV for a teaching job is longer, because it lists every course, exhibition and talk without trimming.

Do I put my exhibitions in reverse chronological order?

Yes. In the US convention every section runs newest first, with the year on the far left. The exceptions are collections and gallery affiliations, which have no dates and go in alphabetical order. Keep the format identical in every section so a reader can scan the years quickly.

Can I write an artist CV with no exhibitions?

Yes. Lead with education, then any awards, residencies, student shows, open studios, commissions or art-related jobs. A thesis show or a juried student exhibition counts. As you exhibit more, exhibitions move toward the top and student entries drop off.

Should an artist CV include non-art jobs?

No. The CAA conventions say unrelated employment does not belong on a professional artist's résumé. Keep studio assistant, gallery, teaching and art handling jobs under Related Experience. Your full work history belongs on the standard resume you send for jobs.

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