Free Artist Website Alternative: Why More Artists Are Using Artsumé
Looking for a free artist website? Learn why artists are choosing Artsumé over traditional portfolio sites. Get a professional online presence, CV generator, and apply to opportunities—all free.
Artsumé Team
Free Artist Website Alternative: Why More Artists Are Using Artsumé#
Building and maintaining an artist website is expensive and time-consuming. Domain registration, hosting fees, template costs, and hours of setup—all before you've even uploaded a single image.
What if you could have a professional online presence, a CV generator, and access to opportunities without paying anything?
That's why thousands of artists are using Artsumé as their primary online presence—or as a complement to their existing website.
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Quick Answer
Artsumé provides a free professional artist profile that works like a portfolio website
You get automatic CV generation, portfolio hosting, and application management
No domain fees, hosting costs, or technical setup required
It's free forever for artists—no premium tiers, no hidden costs
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Key Takeaways
Completely free: No subscription fees, no premium features locked behind paywalls
Professional presentation: Clean, gallery-style portfolio display designed for artwork
CV generation: Your profile automatically generates a CAA-formatted CV you can download
Apply to opportunities: Use your saved profile to apply to grants, residencies, and exhibitions
Always current: Update once, and everything stays in sync
Shareable link: Send one URL to galleries, curators, or anyone who wants to see your work
A typical artist website costs $150-500+ per year:
Expense
Annual Cost
Domain registration
$15-30
Web hosting
$60-200
Premium template
$50-100 (one-time, but updates cost)
SSL certificate
Often included, sometimes $50+
Plugin/app fees
$0-200
Total
$125-530+/year
Over a 10-year career, that's $1,250-5,300 just to maintain a basic online presence.
For emerging artists especially, this cost is significant. That money could fund materials, documentation, or application fees for opportunities that advance your career.
Traditional websites don't generate CVs. You maintain your website AND separately maintain a CV document, often with the same information in two places.
The typical workflow:
Add exhibition to website
Remember to update Word document
Reformat when adding new entries
Export to PDF
Hope the versions match
When you need to send a CV, you hope the Word doc version matches your website. It often doesn't.
Most portfolio sites just display work. They don't help you:
Apply to opportunities
Track your applications
Generate formatted documents
Connect with organizations looking for artists
Manage your professional materials in one place
You end up with a website PLUS a CV document PLUS a spreadsheet for applications PLUS separate accounts on application platforms. Information scattered across systems.
Your Artsumé profile serves as a portfolio website:
Portfolio display: Upload images and video with titles, dates, dimensions, and descriptions. Work is presented in a clean, gallery-style format designed for artwork—not generic file grids or cluttered templates.
Artist statement: Add your statement and it appears professionally formatted on your profile. Write once, available everywhere you need it.
Biography: Multiple bio lengths for different contexts, all in one place. Short bio for quick introductions, long bio for detailed contexts.
Contact information: Galleries and curators can reach you easily. You control what's visible.
Public URL: Share your profile with anyone using a simple link. No complicated URLs or requiring people to navigate your site.
This is where Artsumé differs fundamentally from portfolio websites.
As you add information to your profile—education, exhibitions, awards, residencies, publications—Artsumé automatically generates a professionally formatted CV following CAA (College Art Association) standards.
How it works:
Add entries to your profile (education, exhibitions, awards, etc.)
Your CV updates automatically with proper formatting
Download as PDF anytime—always current
No more maintaining separate documents. No more reformatting in Word. No more wondering if your CV matches your website. Update once, always current.
Unlike static websites, Artsumé connects you to opportunities:
Browse listings: Find grants, residencies, exhibitions, and more on the opportunities page.
Apply with your profile: Instead of filling out forms from scratch, apply using your saved CV and portfolio. Organizations see your professional presentation.
Track applications: See what you've applied to and application statuses.
No platform fees: Applying is free for artists—always. Organizations may set their own application fees, but Artsumé doesn't charge you to apply.
The real power is integration. Your portfolio, CV, artist statement, and application materials all come from the same source. Update once, everything updates.
What this means practically:
Add a new exhibition → CV updates, portfolio stays current, applications have latest info
Update your statement → Profile reflects it, application materials include it
Upload new work → Available for your public portfolio and applications
No more managing information across multiple systems.
Artsumé is sufficient as your primary online presence if:
You want a professional portfolio without costs or technical hassle
You primarily need to share work with galleries, grants, and opportunities
You value CV generation and application features
You don't need extensive blogging or custom design
You want your materials in one integrated system
You're an emerging artist managing costs carefully
Many artists use only Artsumé and find it meets all their needs. The combination of portfolio + CV generator + application platform covers most professional requirements.
Artsumé profiles use URLs like artsume.com/a/yourname. If having a custom domain (yourname.com) is important to you, consider:
Option 1: Use Artsumé as-is
Most professionals understand shared platform URLs (like LinkedIn profiles). The benefits—free, integrated CV, applications—often outweigh custom domain branding. Curators and galleries won't judge you for using a professional platform.
Option 2: Redirect from custom domain
Purchase a domain and set it to redirect to your Artsumé profile. You own the domain for branding (business cards, email) but it forwards to Artsumé. Cost: just the domain ($15-30/year).
Option 3: Maintain both
Simple website at your custom domain for branding and extensive content; Artsumé for CV, applications, and professional tools.
For most artists, especially emerging and mid-career artists, the free comprehensive features outweigh custom domain concerns. Focus on the work; the platform matters less than you think.
Yes. Artsumé is completely free for artists—no subscription fees, no premium tiers, no per-application charges. You can create your profile, generate your CV, apply to unlimited opportunities, and use all artist features without paying anything.