Resumes

Q: I read in the cover letter to the April Art Opportunities Monthly that an artist shouldn't list vanity galleries on his/her resume (something I have never invested money or time in, thankfully). But what about the taking-all-comers/no-submission-declined things like "The Canvas Project" at the Atlanta airport, "6x6x9" at the Rochester Contemporary Art Center and so on?

A: The point of a resume is to help you get the job, so to speak. It's also a story about you, in a particular format. In general, try to list only the "best" things on a resume and only those things that tell the "story" about you that you are trying to tell.

In the business world, a resume is normally the first thing looked at. If the job applicant doesn't have a suitable background, the process ends there. In the art world, a resume is not as important. There, the first thing looked at is the work. If the work doesn't suit the needs of the gallery (or residency committee or Request For Qualifications, etc.), the process ends there. It doesn't matter how impressive the resume is.

But if the work seems to be appropriate, then the resume will get a quick read. Normally, it is the overall impression the resume makes that counts. These impressions can range from "beginner, trying to pad the resume with stuff that anyone could be in" to "stuck in small-time shows forever" to "solid professional, with shows at about the level of artists we already deal with."

For commercial galleries, the weight given a resume varies with the personality of the gallerist. Several years ago I did an article about what dealers were looking for. To the question, "How important is the resume?" one replied, "I don't need them. I trust my eye." Another, more typical, answer was: "Well, it tells me where the artist has been." In other words: it is some information about the level he or she has been involved with, which may influence my decision to show this artist. An "impressive" resume may make the dealer look more favorably at the work, whereas a weak one may, at least at some level, make the dealer question his/her initial reaction to the work. Dealers, are, after all, in business to sell work; they are not primarily art critics.

A resume for a RFQ for a public art commission has much more importance. There, assuming the past work is suitable, the committee wants to see evidence that the artist can carry out a project like the one they want. A grant committee may be looking for other things, etc.

Which gets to this point: you can have different resumes for different purposes. (I am not suggesting lying or exaggerating. Ethics aside, dishonesty in the art world is a bad idea because it is quickly uncovered, the art world being essentially a small one.) Each resumes can emphasize what is important for its purpose and eliminate the things that are not.

And which gets to your answer, finally: If you are using the resume to help you get into a commercial gallery, probably best to leave those accept-all-comers shows out. A few of them on a resume used to help you get a residency wouldn't hurt.