Marketing Mondays: CV vs Resume vs Bio

CV? Résumé? Bio?

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After two requests in the past four months to trim my résumé (“edit,” is the diplomatic term), I’m wondering why we spend the first half of our careers working to build it up only to be asked, ever so kindly, to cut it down. I’ve trimmed a christmas tree. I’ve trimmed hedges. I’ve trimmed my toenails and my hair. But I’m feeling like I want to hold onto my long, luxurious résumé. I’ve worked hard to grow this thing!

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One dealer I work with said, “No collector wants to read through that long list.” Another wants my résumé to be the same length as the other artists for the gallery book. “We’ll have the long version for anyone who’s interested.” Uh, I guess that won’t be the collectors.

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However, after researching the topic for this post, I see that those dealers are not out of line with their request for a short résumé. According to the College Art Association’s guidelines for visual artists: “It is meant to be short and simple to review . . .one to four pages.”.
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Here are a few definitions that should clarify our work summaries:.
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Curriculum Vitae, also known as a cv: A summary of one's education, professional history, and job qualifications. (I love this: It’s fom the Latin, the course—i.e. racetrack—of life).

The College Art Association, writing for visual artists, describes the “long cv” as “a framework on which to build” your professional academic history. Visual artists, take note: "Please remember that there is a difference between a curriculum vitae and the artist résumé. The curriculum vitae is a record of all of your professional activities and is intended for use in academic situations. The artist résumé is an abbreviated document that is used in conjunction with commercial galleries, the search for exhibition opportunities, and certain grant applications. It is typically one to four pages in length.".
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Résumé: A brief account of one's professional or work experience and qualifications. It is essentially a short cv but with an emphasis on exhibition, award and biliography as opposed to academic issues such as teaching and committees. The CAA offers guidelines here.
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Biography, or bio: A brief narrative account of one’s life and career. Most artists and dealers tend to use bio and résumé interchangeably, so it’s a good idea, if someone requests your “bio,” to confirm whether they are looking for a narrative or the easier-to-peruse résumé..

Here’s a great example of an artist’s bio: "Andrea Polli is a digital media artist living in New Mexico. Her work addresses issues related to science and technology in contemporary society. She is interested in global systems, the real time interconnectivity of these systems, and the effect of these systems on individuals. Polli's work with science, technology and media has been presented widely in over 100 presentations, exhibitions and performances internationally, has been recognized by numerous grants, residencies and awards including UNESCO. Her work has been reviewed by the Los Angeles Times, Art in America, Art News, NY Arts and others. She has published two book chapters, several audio CDs, DVDs and many papers in print including MIT Press and Cambridge University Press journals."

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As you can see, this opening paragraph includes elements of the artist statement and résumé. You can read more here.

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Next week, we can talk about the résumé itself—at what point does “Education” become less important than “Solo Exhibitions,” for instance? And how do midcareer artists deal with the age issue? But for now . . .

Over to you: Do you keep long and short versions of a résumé? If you teach, do you also maintain the conventional cv? And are you confounded when faced with a request to write a bonafide bio?