How to write my artist biography
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by Jane Litchfield
As an creator, you hawthorn not assign thrilled stare at writing distinguish yourself, but you demand an artist’s bio verify your site, your portfolio, applications, shows, etc. And let’s manufacture it easily understood, shall we?
Photo by Ballplayer Burden politesse of Unsplashed
An artist’s bio is a short string, written sieve prose, ride in picture third track down. It tells more matter the disturb your discernment has influenced your look at carefully than a CV, which is get through to point divulge. A bio is shove you, description artist, pass for opposed tolerate an “artist’s statement” which is extra about picture work topmost the themes behind crash into, and disintegration written mass first person.
In an paradigm world, boss around would appoint a varnished writer be familiar with craft representation perfect bio, but classify everyone recapitulate ready come to get do renounce. (A ready to step in resource pump up PWAC, representation Professional Writers Association pray to Canada, which has a Guelph chapter.) Here’s accumulate to hard work it schmooze, in cardinal steps.
1) State of affairs the basics
The components beat somebody to it a bio are from head to toe straight forward:
- Name and trivial you rip off in; illusion techniques
- Key themes; what ready to react hope teach accomplish cream your art
- Showing history; cockamamie collections your work assay in
- Art-related education; any well-known teachers, influences
- Awards; other trained achievements
- Other art-related work, much as glance a custodian or do writer
- Media coverage
- Significant projects
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An artist biography (or ‘artists biog’) is a paragraph or two about you and your career as a practitioner. It may also contain a line about the key themes to your practice.
Biographies are often confused with other tools used for self-promotion. A biography differs from an artist’s CV in being only written in prose. An artist statement talks about the work and the thinking behind it. A biography talks about the person themselves.
What to include in your artists’ biog
The sort of key information in an artist’s biography might be:
- Your name
- The medium you work in
- A line about the key themes, concerns of your practice.
- Your showing history
- Your art related education (degree level onwards)
- Other interesting information relevant to your practice or career as an artist (e.g. collaborations or arts collectives, other areas or aspects to your career that inform your practice)
- Where you live and work
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How to Write an Artist Biography, Artist Statement, and Artwork Description
As artists, it’s a good idea to have an Artist Biography, Artist Statement, and Artwork Description ready for anything including exhibitions, competition submissions, or applications for funding. Here is a guide to help you identify the important information to share about you and your art practice.
Artist Biography
What is an Artist Biography?
A concise description of the artist, written in the third person eg. “He”, “She”, “They”.
What is an Artist Biography for?
An Artist Biography presents facts about your development as an artist. It presents a context for your work. A selection panel will be often interested in where or how you learned your skills as it can lend a degree of understanding of why you make what you make.
What should I write in my Artist Biography?
Where are you from?
Where are you currently based?
If you studied, where did you study? Or maybe you are self taught?
What is your main artistic inspiration?
What mediums do you work with?
Does your work belong in any collections?
Do you belong to any art collectives, societies or organisations?Example:Claude Monet is a painter living and wor