Application Writing 101: a Crash Course for Artists

As an artist-led organization, we know firsthand the exhausting process of applying to grants, fellowships, open calls, residencies, and every other opportunity under the sun. Application season often feels like a year-round affair: a neverending carousel of hopeful submissions, acceptance highs and rejection lows, revising and resubmitting, and starting over again. 

In an effort to disrupt this cycle and provide actionable feedback, Queer|Art recently hosted our seventh annual Mock Panel series, inviting artists, curators, writers, editors, filmmakers, and grantmakers to offer insider tips on what makes an application stand out. This year’s panelists included: Lisa Dent (Director of Public Programs at MASS MoCA) and Evan Garza (curator at MASS MoCA) for Visual Art; Reya Sehgal (Programs & Operations Manager at Queer|Art) and Nora Sharp (performer and director) for Performance; Leah Meyerhoff (Executive Director of Film Fatales) and Rhian Moore (Head of Programs at CAPE) for Film; Rob Franklin (author, professor, and editor of fiction at Joyland) and Muriel Leung (author and board member at Apogee Journal) for Literature.

Following LJ Roberts’ Mock Panel model, our eight panelists shared advice for refining the most essential components of an application: the portfolio, artist statement, biography, and CV. What follows is a crash course in building out those key sections.

PORTFOLIO

  • Prioritize clean and high res documentation: Since most jurors will be experiencing your work for the first time through a computer screen or projector, images and videos matter! Try to present your work in the most accurate, professional, and cleanest manner. For visual media, make sure photographs/scans are well-lit and distraction-free. For written media, make sure all text is legible and intentionally formatted. For audiovisual media, make sure sound is audible with or without headphones. These details go a long way in helping your portfolio sing.

  • Vary your samples: Diversify your portfolio with different formats: detail shots, installation views, short form videos/texts in an otherwise long form-heavy portfolio, etc. This can help keep your portfolio engaging and dynamic in a sea of applicants.

  • Follow the technical requirements: Whether it’s file size, video duration, page count, number of samples, or date of creation—stick to the rules! Each application has their own limitations, so retrofit your portfolio accordingly. Do not creatively sidestep these guidelines (e.g. submitting a PDF of multiple works or a collage-style image), as that may get you disqualified.

  • Lead with your strongest work and sequence intentionally: Hook reviewers from the start with a bang! Then, guide them through a logical, compelling narrative about your practice and its potential evolution in the future.

ARTIST STATEMENT

  • Provide supporting evidence to your portfolio: Your statement should clearly contextualize what’s in your portfolio. For example, don’t call yourself interdisciplinary if you’re only submitting works in one medium. In addition, the written voice of the statement should align with the tone of the submitted works, so the two feel mutually reinforcing.

  • Utilize the first person perspective: Your artist statement is a deeply personal piece of text, so write it from your point of view. A first person voice adds a sense of intimacy and individuality.

  • Avoid the academia trap: Your statement should show off your conceptual chops, but it should also still be accessible. Don’t rely on overly intellectual theory to prop yourself up; your work will speak for itself. Read your statement aloud and if it sounds clunky, it’s probably too dense.

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY

  • Utilize the third person perspective: In contrast to the artist statement, most of our Mock Panelists preferred the third person point of view for artist biographies. It’s the industry standard and lends your profile a sense of professionalism.

  • Brag about yourself: While the CV will give a fuller picture of your accomplishments, use your bio to showcase the headline moments of your career. Keep it sharp, confident, and focused in order to demonstrate that your voice is a sought after one.

CURRICULUM VITAE (CV)

  • Simplicity and brevity are key: An artist CV is different from a professional résumé, and is significantly more streamlined. Use a legible typeface, a one- or two-column layout, minimal or no color, and avoid headshots or summaries. Keep it to one to two pages maximum. Look at other artists you admire and study how they organize their CVs, and jump off of that as a template.

  • Credit your collaborators: For any exhibitions, performances, or publications, include the names of curators, editors, or presenters involved. These names help reviewers connect your experience to their own extensive networks and recognize the field’s validation of your work.

  • Consider hyperlinks: Since most applications are reviewed online, hyperlink press features, exhibitions, or your website. Avoid pasting long, clunky URLs—clean links are more effective and inviting. Not everyone will click through, but it’s good to have more content for the most curious jurors!

GENERAL ADVICE

  • Maximize every word: Applications often include strict word or character limits. Feel empowered to take advantage of every single word to provide the richest overview of your story! Applicants will never be penalized for detailing a fuller sense of who they are, so long as they remain within the specified limit. Still, be judicious and economical with your writing (i.e. don’t repeat yourself or ramble), but as a general rule of thumb: context is always welcome.

  • Tailor your application: Because every organization has a tiny bit of institutional ego, most will want to see themselves reflected in your application. Do your research (past recipients, current jurors, mission statements) and speak directly to the opportunity while staying true to your practice. Make it clear they will get some sort of return by investing in you.

  • Keep the bigger picture in mind: Reading your application should feel like finishing a complex and rewarding puzzle. Each piece should be critical, fit together as a whole, and form a cohesive presentation. Ask yourself what story you’re telling as an applicant, and if each part of your submission supports that story.

  • Recruit fresh eyes: Call on a trusted friend or peer to look over your application before submitting. Bringing in someone else who doesn’t know your practice as intimately as you do will enable you to catch typos, moments of confusion, or inaccurate first impressions.


In closing, we’ll leave you with a final tidbit courtesy of Film Mock Panelist, Rhian Moore. When she’s in adjudication mode, Rhian asks herself three questions—Why this? Why now? Why you? If you can answer those clearly across your materials, you’re well on your way to a strong, original, and compelling application.