Creating Your CV

Creating Your CV#

Your CV documents your artistic career: education, exhibitions, awards, collections, and professional experience. Artsumé's CV builder follows CAA (College Art Association) standards, which are widely recognized in the art world.

CV sections#

Artsumé includes standard artist CV sections:

• Education — Degrees and formal training
• Exhibitions — Solo and group shows
• Awards — Grants, prizes, recognition
• Collections — Public, corporate, private holdings
• Publications — Your writing (articles, essays, books)
• Bibliography — Press coverage and reviews about you
• Professional Experience — Teaching, curatorial work
• Lectures — Talks, presentations, workshops
• Residencies — Artist residencies and fellowships
• Commissions — Public, corporate, private commissions
• Professional Service — Board positions, jury service
• Gallery Affiliations — Gallery representation
• Curatorial Projects — Exhibitions you've curated

You don't need entries in every section. Include what's relevant to your practice.

Add education#

Click Add Education and fill in:

• Year — When you received the degree
• Degree — BFA, MFA, BA, MA, PhD, etc.
• Field of Study — Your major or focus
• Institution — School name
• Location — City, state/province, country
• Honors — Distinctions like "summa cum laude" or fellowships
• Notes — Thesis title or other details

Example:

2020 | MFA, Sculpture | Rhode Island School of Design | Providence, RI Graduate Fellowship. Thesis: "Material Memory: Found Objects in Contemporary Sculpture"

List education in reverse chronological order (most recent first).

Add exhibitions#

Click Add Exhibition and select the type:

• Solo — One-person shows
• Two Person — Two-artist shows
• Group — Group exhibitions
• Selected Solo/Group — For abbreviated CVs

Fill in:

• Year, title, venue, location
• Curator name and title (if applicable)
• Juror (for juried shows)
• Award received (if any)

Example:

2023 | "Material Memory" (solo) | Contemporary Art Gallery, New York, NY Curated by Jane Smith, Director of Exhibitions

Link portfolio works#

In the exhibition entry, you can link portfolio works that were shown. This connects your CV to your portfolio, giving organizations a fuller picture.

Add awards#

Document grants, prizes, and recognition:

• Year, award name, granting organization, location
• Amount (if applicable)
• Description of what the award supported

Example:

2023 | Emerging Artist Grant | City Arts Council, Chicago, IL | $5,000 For project "Urban Fragments" installation series

Add collections#

Record where your work is held:

• Public — Museums, institutions
• Corporate — Corporate collections
• Private — Private collectors

Include collector/institution name, location, and link to the portfolio work.

Add publications vs. bibliography#

These are different:

• Publications — Writing you've authored (articles, essays, catalog texts)
• Bibliography — Writing about you (reviews, press coverage, interviews)

For publications, include year, title, publication name, type, page numbers, and URL.

For bibliography, include author, article title, publication, date, and URL.

Add professional experience#

Document teaching, curatorial work, and other professional roles:

• Start/end year (leave end blank if current)
• Position title, institution, location
• Description of responsibilities

Example:

2020–present | Adjunct Professor | School of Art and Design, Chicago, IL Teach undergraduate sculpture and installation. Develop curriculum for advanced studio courses.

Organize your CV#

Entries sort automatically by year (most recent first). You can:

• Adjust sort order manually
• Toggle sections on/off in CV Settings
• Mark individual entries as public or private

This lets you create different versions for different purposes—a full CV for major applications, a shorter one for quick introductions.

Export your CV#

Go to CV → Export and choose:

• PDF — Professional formatted document
• Word — Editable document
• Plain Text — Simple text format

Select which sections to include and download.

Formatting tips#

• Reverse chronological order — Most recent first in all sections
• Consistent formatting — Same date format, capitalization, punctuation throughout
• Accurate details — Double-check dates, names, and spellings
• Complete information — Fill in all relevant fields

What's next#

• Applying to Opportunities — Use your CV in applications
• Best Practices — CV presentation tips