Applications for exhibition call outs, usually for group exhibitions or prizes, can be tedious and annoying, but are an integral part of emerging artist admin. The following is a general guideline for preparing applications, with some dos and don’ts generated from our own experiences as both organisers, and emerging artists and curators. This is by no means a definitive rule book, but hopefully contains some helpful tips towards more professional practice.

Before diving into an application, it’s worth doing the following to make sure you’ve got all your bases covered:

• Triple check the deadline, down to the time, and put it in your diary or calendar. We recommend also setting a notification reminder! There’s nothing worse than missing out on an opportunity because it wasn’t on your to-do list.

• Be sure to read the requirements and eligibility criteria for the application, and make sure that you can tick every box. It’s very frustrating to be rejected due to a technicality.

• Everything you submit should be of publication quality. It’s worth assuming that the information and images you provide will ultimately be used for promotion or in exhibition catalogues. Not only does this highlight your professionalism, but it reduces the work for the curators.

Artist statements and biographies are imperative as they provide a means for people to understand you, your practice and your artistic intentions. Technically, a bio, artist statement and artwork statement are all different pieces of writing, but can often refer to very similar information depending on the context. A bio is a curated statement summarising your career achievements, whereas an artist statement addresses your conceptual and material practices more specifically. In our understanding, an artist statement is generally used to describe your artistic practice as a whole (non-specific to a particular artwork), and an artwork statement is a conceptual statement about a specific artwork of yours (more commonly required in a callout context). However, an artist statement can sometimes refer to a statement addressing a work or project more specifically, with reference to your practice as a whole. If you’re confused, don’t worry, we’re going to break these down further.

An artist biography is a piece of writing that outlines important biographical data and key achievements in your practice to date. This is a summary of your curriculum vitae (CV), however it is used to highlight only the most impressive details of your education, prior experiences, achievements, and activities as a professional artist.

• This text is often written in third person. First person bios can be read as amateur and unprofessional, and can create more work for the curator who will have to convert your writing.

• Once you have said your full name, it is more formal to proceed to refer to yourself by last name only. However, some artists prefer to use first names instead. Just be conscious of the context your bio is being viewed - if you are writing for a small community event maybe the first name is more friendly for the audience, but in the context of a gallery or larger institution surname is preferred and more academic. 

• A bio should be written in prose. A bio should not be in a listing format like your CV or resume.

• Most occasions call for a bio to be around 150-words, but it’s worth having longer and shorter versions on file for different applications.

• A bio should be simple, matter-of-fact and easy to read. Avoid too much jargon or poetic language.

• You should be regularly updating your bio as you achieve more milestones in your career. As your career progresses and you continue to kick booty, you might find you won't be able to include all of your achievements. In this case, it is best to focus on the most significant (i.e. solo exhibitions over group exhibitions), and when new achievements need to be added you might want to consider if any older achievements should be removed.  

• Although this statement should primarily be about achievements, it is helpful to include a very brief sentence addressing your material and conceptual practice e.g. "Jane Doe is a Sydney-based emerging artist. Working with expanded printmaking methods, they are interested in the politics of the body. Doe has been actively involved in group exhibitions since...."

• Information to include:

  • General statement/s regarding your material and conceptual practice, research areas, and  interests

  • Relevant education and training, eg: university degree or TAFE qualification

  • Where you currently lecture, teach or work (if relevant)

  • Exhibition history, eg: solo and group shows, prize & award exhibitions, etc.

  • Representation in major public or private collections* 

  • History of awards, residencies, fellowships and prizes

  • Publication history, i.e. writing about you and/or writing by you

  • Other activities such as: judging, mentorships, workshops, lectures and interviews (if relevant)

*Fun fact: if someone has ever bought your work (even your mum), you can say your work is held in private collections.

An artist statement is a short, personalised text that describes the key concerns of your practice and/or project. The term artist statement can apply to a generalised text about your practice or can be a summary text for a particular artwork/project (interchanged with artwork statement). You will often have to tailor your artist statement for different contexts and requirements. However, it is useful to identify the key elements of your practice in a general text (which might appear on your website), which can then be modified to highlight key areas specific to your artwork/project. 

• It is generally recommended that this be written in third person. First person can come across informal, so unless your practice is deeply personal try to keep it in third person (this statement shouldn't need to get into deep specifics though). Consider the context your statement is being read. Some situations may call for something less formal, but writing in the third person is a good habit to get into.

• Generally it is 150-200 words, but it’s worth having longer and shorter versions available.

• Consider this an artwork statement but for your WHOLE practice.

• Less can be better - sometimes 5 or 6 strong sentences are better than a meandering long statement.

• Consider who the reader is. Your reader may not be versed in specific jargon or art-speak. So it is recommended to write appropriately and explain anything that is too esoteric. 

• Write using clear, concise, and descriptive language. 

• Information to include:

  • Address your practice, both conceptual and material.
    What is your current practice about? The what, how, when and where.

  • What are your main concerns/interests as an artist? What areas are you researching and how are you exploring this in your work?

• If an application’s ‘artist statement’ is referring more specifically to your submitted work rather than yourself in general, describe what the work is about and how it links to your practice (materially & conceptually) and focus areas. Alternatively, see below for info on an artwork statement.

An artwork statement is probably the most flexible out of each of these. It is generally purpose written, and refers most specifically to the work you are submitting. Depending on the exhibition format, this is sometimes read alongside your work in gallery settings by ways of wall labels or catalogues. 

• Can be written in either first or third person. Third person is generally more academic, but if your concepts are particularly personal, first person can be more appropriate.

• Applications will usually specify a word count for these statements, which can be anywhere from 1-2 sentences to 200 words.

• You can be more poetic with an artwork statement, but be mindful who the reader is, and their understanding of art-speak.

• You may or may not refer to both the material and conceptual components of the work. This may depend on the relevance of each to the work itself, and the length of the statement. 

Treat your artwork citations or details like referencing in a university paper. Always check if the application specifies a preferred format for your citation, and include ALL the correct details. You don’t want to be the person that administrators/organisations have to chase up for not supplying information they have already asked you for.

For example, at More Than Reproduction, we like the following format:

Artist, Title, year, materials, edition (if applicable), dimensions. Exhibition details (if applicable). Image credit.

• Don’t forget the year the work was made.

• Materials: cite the printmaking method used and the surface printed on, no matter how long-winded and complicated it may end up being.

• Edition: no. of edition (e.g. edition 1 of 6; ed.1/6), artist proof (A/P), colour proof (C/P), Bon a Tirer (BAT), means ‘good to pull’, unique state (U/S). etc.

• Dimensions:

  • Don’t forget them! They are crucial for a curator to work out how much space to allocate for your work. 

  • The outermost dimensions of your work are the most important. The image size is important, but doesn’t help a curator to understand the overall scale of your work.

  • For installations, specific dimensions are preferable, approximates are also okay, but ‘dimensions variable’ is a minimum. 

• If the image is of your work installed in an exhibition, specify the exhibition title and gallery it is installed at. You usually do this after citing the specific artwork details and before the image courtesy or photo credit.

• Image credit: don’t forget to credit who documented the work, even if it’s yourself. If someone else has photographed your work, use ‘Photography by’, otherwise if it is your own photo, use ‘Image courtesy of the artist’.

The standard and quality of your images are very important. The photo you provide for a call out  is the only way a curator can view your artworks for selection, and it is unfortunate to turn away an artist/artwork because of poor quality images. Overall, you need to make sure the colour of the artwork is correct, the image is sharp and in focus,  and the image is well lit. 

If your work has been documented by another photographer, please credit them in your artwork citation.

When submitting photographs for a call out make sure that the file is the correct size and meets any identified specifications. Most submissions will require high resolution images. This means ideally 300dpi (dots per inch) and at least 1000 pixels wide. 300dpi is essential for print media, whereas 72 dpi is standard for social media graphics, but not necessarily the best quality for exhibition marketing and publication.

If you need to make your image file smaller to fit within upload limits (usually less than 10MB), you can reduce the dimensions of your image, but ensure you keep the width no shorter than 1000 pixels wide - JPEG file types shouldn’t really have this issue though.

To check and change the size of your images, use the following programs:

• Photoshop 

• For those that can’t justify an Adobe subscription, https://www.photopea.com/ is a free online tool similar to Photoshop

• If you’re a Mac user, the Preview app allows you to adjust the size through the ‘Tools’ menu 

If you have access to a scanner or good digital camera please use it! They provide the highest resolution image. However, if your phone has a good camera, go for it. 

If you are taking a photo with an iPhone, be careful to not capture it as a ‘Live photo’ and make sure you have disabled HEIC photos in your phone settings. These file types can only be opened in Photoshop or using Mac Devices, and are rarely accepted in online form submissions..

• Photos of artworks should ideally be taken in bright light in front of a plain background (or with none at all). We don’t want to see the whole contents of your desk or your bedroom along with the artwork. 

• Make the most of opportunities to document your work in exhibition settings. Not only is it a great way to get your work photographed in a neutral setting, but getting more distanced install shots is great for giving scale to your work (good for exhibition proposals!).

• Natural diffused lighting on a bright cloudy day offers the best lighting conditions - not too harsh, not too soft. *chef’s kiss*

• Avoid using direct flash as it can make the artwork look flat and bleached out.

• If possible, we recommend using a tripod, and if not, perhaps support the camera with a chair or table to avoid camera shake.

• We suggest taking several photographs of your work using various shutter speeds and lighting settings to offer a choice of photos which you can edit later.

• Using a narrow aperture (i.e. a big f/ number) setting on an SLR will increase the depth of field and allow for a more even focus across the image.

• Ideally you would photograph the work prior to being framed, however be cautious of reflections if the work is already framed.

If you want more information, or more definitive advice, be sure to check out NAVA’s extensive guides. Unfortunately these are behind a paywall so will require a subscription to access (it’s worth it!).

• Artist Statement Template
  A step-by-step template to writing your artist statement.

• Guidelines for Artist Statements & Bios
  This guide explains the process of writing a succinct and articulate artist statement and bio for exhibitions and funding applications.

• Guidelines for Limited Edition Prints
  A quick reference guide for artists creating and selling limited edition prints.

• Q&A: How do I create a good photograph of my work?
  Find out how to best document your work for promotion or submitting applications.

• Guidelines on Writing an Artist CV
  This template will guide you through structuring your professional artist CV.