Resume guide · Updated October 2026
Artist Resume Example and Writing Guide
Short answer
An artist resume lists your name, website and contact details, then education, exhibitions (most recent first, with title, venue, city and year), residencies, grants and awards, commissions, collections, press and teaching. For jobs outside galleries, add a short summary, work experience and software skills. Keep it concise and link to your portfolio.
| Median pay (May 2025) | $55,290 per year ($26.58 per hour) |
|---|---|
| Job outlook, 2025-35 | -1% (Decline) |
| Number of jobs | 53,400 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Craft and Fine Artists, checked 27 October 2026.
Artist resume example
Below is a full artist resume for Hana Sato, a fictional painter, Printmaker and Teaching Artist in Portland, OR. Keep the section order, then replace each line with your own work and results.
Hana Sato
Painter, Printmaker and Teaching Artist
Portland, OR · hana.sato@example.com · (555) 016-4410 · portfolio: hanasato.example.com
Summary
Painter and printmaker working in oil and intaglio, with 2 solo and 14 group exhibitions since 2019. Recipient of a regional individual artist fellowship and two residencies. Teaches printmaking at a community art center and handles framing, shipping and installation for her own shows.
Experience
Studio Artist (self-employed), Hana Sato Studio
2019 to present
Portland, OR
- Produce 25 to 30 finished works a year in oil and intaglio, shown in 2 solo and 14 group exhibitions.
- Completed 6 private commissions and a 40-by-12-foot public mural for a neighborhood association, managing contracts, budgets and timelines.
- Sell work through 2 galleries and an online shop, tracking inventory, consignments and sales in a spreadsheet.
- Won 3 grants totaling $14,500 with project budgets, work samples and artist statements.
Printmaking Instructor, Riverbank Community Art Center
Sep 2021 to present
Portland, OR
- Teach 8-week intaglio and relief courses for 10 to 12 adult students each term.
- Maintain 2 etching presses and train students in safe handling of inks, grounds and solvents.
- Designed a teen open-studio program that grew from 6 to 18 regular participants in its first year.
Gallery Assistant, Alder Street Gallery
Jun 2018 to Aug 2021
Portland, OR
- Installed more than 20 exhibitions: patching, painting, hanging, lighting and wall labels.
- Wrote condition reports and packed works for shipping to collectors and other venues.
- Updated the gallery inventory database and staffed openings of 150 to 300 visitors.
Selected exhibitions and residencies
- 2025 Tidewater, solo exhibition, Alder Street Gallery, Portland, OR
- 2024 Pressure and Plate, group exhibition, Cedar Hall Art Museum, Spokane, WA (catalogue)
- 2023 Northwest Works on Paper, juried exhibition, Harbor Arts Center, Tacoma, WA
- 2022 Artist in residence (4 weeks), High Desert Print Studio, Bend, OR
Education
Master of Fine Arts (MFA), Printmaking, Cascadia College of Art
2019
Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA), Painting, Inland Valley University · Magna cum laude
2016
Skills
Oil painting · Intaglio and relief printmaking · Mural design and scaling · Art handling and installation · Grant writing · Artwork photography · Adobe Photoshop · Procreate · Teaching adults and teens
Artist resume summary examples
4 artist summaries, one each for emerging artist (BFA), mid-career fine artist, illustrator applying for art jobs and teaching artist. Pick the closest and rewrite it with your own title, years and one real result.
Recent BFA graduate in painting with 3 group exhibitions and a juried student show award. Works in oil and gouache on small landscape series, and brings gallery installation and artwork photography experience from a campus gallery job.
Sculptor working in steel and reclaimed wood with 5 solo exhibitions, 2 public art commissions and work in 2 corporate collections. Manages fabrication crews of up to 4 for large installations and writes public art proposals to RFQ requirements.
Illustrator and painter with 6 years of freelance editorial and book illustration for more than 20 clients. Works in Procreate, Photoshop and gouache, meets weekly deadlines and delivers print-ready files to art directors.
Teaching artist with 5 years leading school and community residencies in ceramics. Plans lessons with classroom teachers, runs kiln firing schedules and has led projects with more than 400 students.
Artist resume objective examples
Use an objective instead of a summary for student or new graduate and career changer situations: one or two sentences on what you bring and the artist job you want.
BFA student in printmaking seeking a summer residency or studio assistant position to build an exhibition record and learn large-edition production.
Graphic designer with 7 years of agency work, now building a painting practice, seeking a part-time gallery or arts nonprofit role that connects design, installation and audience work.
Artist resume bullet points
Bullets grouped by studio practice and exhibitions, commissions and public art, teaching and community programs and business and grants. The numbers are illustrations; put in your own.
Studio practice and exhibitions
- Produced a 12-painting series shown as a solo exhibition; 7 works sold through the gallery during the run.
- Exhibited in 9 juried group shows in 4 states, 2 of them with published catalogues.
- Photographed, measured and archived more than 200 works with titles, media and dimensions for applications and sales.
Commissions and public art
- Designed and painted a 600-square-foot mural for a school district, from community input sessions to final varnish.
- Delivered 8 private portrait commissions on contract, each with sketches approved before painting began.
- Submitted 5 public art proposals with budgets, maintenance plans and scaled renderings; 2 were funded.
Teaching and community programs
- Taught drawing and painting to 3 adult classes per term at a community art center.
- Led a 6-week artist residency at an elementary school with 120 students, ending in a hallway exhibition.
- Ran monthly open-studio nights that drew 30 to 50 visitors.
Business and grants
- Won $22,000 across 4 grants and fellowships with project budgets and artist statements.
- Managed consignment agreements with 3 galleries and reconciled inventory and payments each quarter.
- Built an online print shop and a newsletter list of 1,800 subscribers.
Skills for an artist resume
17 skills employers list in artist postings. Include the ones the posting asks for and that your bullets prove.
| Type | Skills |
|---|---|
| Hard skills | Oil and acrylic painting, Drawing and figure drawing, Printmaking (intaglio, relief, screen printing), Sculpture and fabrication, Mural design and scaling, Art handling and installation, Artwork photography and documentation, Grant and proposal writing, Artist statements, Pricing and inventory management, Teaching studio art |
| Soft skills | Self-direction, Meeting deadlines, Taking critique, Client communication, Collaboration with curators, Public speaking at artist talks |
| Tools and software | Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Procreate, SketchUp, Artwork inventory software, Portfolio website builders |
What goes on an artist resume, and in what order?
The College Art Association (CAA) suggests an order for visual artist CVs and says you can rearrange it to play to your strengths, putting the most important, relevant and recent information near the beginning. Most artist resumes follow a shorter version of the same sequence.
CAA calls the exhibition record possibly the most important category and says it should sit near the beginning. If your grants or residencies are stronger than your shows, move them up.
- Name, website or portfolio link, email and city
- Education (degrees, with honors)
- Exhibitions: solo, two-person, group and juried
- Residencies
- Grants, awards and fellowships
- Commissions and public art
- Bibliography and press
- Collections (public, corporate or notable private only)
- Teaching, lectures and visiting artist talks
- Gallery representation
How do you format exhibitions on an artist resume?
List exhibitions in reverse chronological order with the year at the far left, then the exhibition title, the venue, and the city and state. CAA suggests adding "(catalogue)" when a catalogue was published, and naming the juror or curator for juried and curated shows.
Early in your career you can keep one Exhibitions heading and mark solo shows in bold or with "solo exhibition" after the date. Once the list grows, split it into Solo Exhibitions and Group Exhibitions. Keep punctuation and style consistent from line to line.
Artist resume or artist CV: which do you need?
CAA describes the artist resume as typically one to four pages, and recommends a short CV of three or four pages for academic applications when a CV is requested. A full CV for teaching jobs adds teaching history, lectures, publications and service.
Keep one complete master document with everything you have done, and cut it down for each application. A residency jury, a gallery and a university search committee each want a different selection.
How do you write an artist resume with few exhibitions?
Count the real opportunities you have had: student and thesis shows, juried online exhibitions, open studios, pop-up shows you organized, community murals, art fairs and work as an assistant to another artist. Give each the same title, venue, city and year format.
Do not stretch the list. CAA warns that dramatic layouts and attempts to pad a CV will probably work against you. A short, accurate record with a strong portfolio link reads better than a long list of minor items.
How should an artist resume change for jobs outside galleries?
For roles like gallery assistant, art handler, teaching artist, museum educator or designer, switch to a standard resume: a short summary, work experience with bullets, skills and education, then a brief "Selected exhibitions" section at the end.
Translate studio work into terms an employer uses. Commissions show client management and deadlines, public art shows budgets and approvals, and running your own practice shows inventory, pricing and marketing. The BLS notes that portfolios are essential, so put your portfolio link in the header of both versions.
ATS keywords for an artist resume
Terms that show up in artist job postings. Mirror the exact wording of the posting you apply to, but only for work you have done.
- Artist
- Fine Artist
- exhibitions
- solo exhibition
- group exhibition
- portfolio
- commissions
- public art
- mural
- residency
- grants
- artist statement
- art handling
- installation
- Adobe Photoshop
- Procreate
- teaching artist
- gallery
Mistakes to avoid on an artist resume
- Padding the exhibition list. Counting every café wall or listing one show twice reads as inexperience, and CAA warns that padding works against you.
- Leaving out venues and places. "Group show, 2024" tells a juror nothing. Give the title, venue, city and year.
- No portfolio link. Put your website or portfolio link in the header where a reader sees it first.
- Overdesigned layouts. Jurors want to scan the record quickly. Save visual style for the portfolio and keep the resume plain.
- Listing friends as collectors. CAA suggests listing only public, corporate or notable private collections.
- One resume for everything. A residency application and a gallery assistant job need different documents.
Frequently asked questions
What should be on an artist resume?
Your contact details and portfolio link, education, exhibitions with title, venue, city and year, residencies, grants and awards, commissions, press, collections and teaching. For non-gallery jobs, add a summary, work experience and skills.
How long should an artist resume be?
CAA describes the artist resume as typically one to four pages. Early-career artists usually need one or two; keep a longer master list and trim it for each application.
What is the difference between an artist resume and an artist CV?
An artist resume is a short, selective record for exhibitions, residencies and grants. An artist CV is longer and used mainly for academic jobs, adding teaching, lectures, publications and service.
How do I make an artist resume with no exhibitions?
List student and thesis shows, open studios, juried online shows, pop-ups, community murals and assistant work for other artists, all in the same format. Add education, skills and a strong portfolio link rather than padding the list.
Should I include my artist statement on my resume?
No. The artist statement is a separate document. Most applications ask for both, so keep the resume to facts and let the statement explain your work.
How much do artists make?
The BLS reports a median pay of $55,290 per year for craft and fine artists in May 2025 and notes that earnings for self-employed artists vary widely. It projects a 1% decline in employment from 2025 to 2035.
What is the best artist resume format or template?
A plain layout with reverse-chronological sections, the year at the left of each line and consistent punctuation. Avoid heavy graphics and send a PDF unless the application asks for something else.
Related guides
Sources, checked 27 October 2026
We opened every page below on that date. Pay, rules and requirements change, so check the source before you rely on a detail.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook: Craft and Fine Artists (median pay, outlook, number of jobs, portfolios, self-employment)
- College Art Association: Visual Artist Curriculum Vitae: Recommended Conventions (section order, exhibition entry format, resume and CV length)
- O*NET OnLine (U.S. Department of Labor): Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators (27-1013.00) (tasks and software used by fine artists)