This past year I had the honor of serving as a mentor for the Roundtable’s NY State Teaching Artist Mentorship Program. My experience with Anna Warfield—a visual artist whose work is right up my alley with pink balloon letters made of fabric, spelling out poetic phrases—was deeply satisfying, and strangely serendipitous. I was just beginning to build handmade sets for a strange new experiment in my artistic practice. Anna wanted to make a book that teaches, and I had recently published a book that teaches. It clicked.

I wish everyone in the teaching field could have this experience, or others like it. Sharpening our craft as educators and artists only benefits the community we live and work with, and inspiration is the engine that keeps us inspiring others in turn. And the landscape is competitive. I’ve witnessed many teaching artists who are brilliant in their craft, and electric in the classroom, but haven’t gotten a good grasp on self presentation. I want to give you a leg up.

Having a two-decades long career as a multidisciplinary Teaching Artist—in New York City public schools, college classrooms, prisons and other nontraditional classroom settings—has equipped me with the understanding that it is not always easy to translate the magic we experience with students into materials that convince a jury we are worthy of opportunity. On the other end of the spectrum, having held leadership positions in arts nonprofits such as Tribeca Film Institute and PEN America, I have seen hundreds of job and fellowship applications from artists seeking resources, professional development, and recognition for their work.

Through this blog post, I hope to reveal best practices for crafting a competitive CV, pull back the curtain on juried processes, and offer a template for you to adapt in your opportunity seeking.

What IS a Teaching Artist CV, anyway?

An artist CV is a comprehensive record of one’s creative experience in the world. Sections might include your creative work, exhibitions or performances, teaching experience, publications, awards, residencies, formal and informal education, and any other activities that show your development, practice, and presence in your artform’s field. 

Teaching artists are a special breed of creative, working between an active life in their craft and pedagogical experience in the classroom. Your CV—unlike a resume which focuses solely on job experience, or an artist CV that does not incorporate teaching history—should reflect both of these identities. Neither a hobbyist, nor a formal teacher, you walk the walk as a lived experience expert.

Typically between 1-4 pages in length, if you have been working for decades in the field, your CV might only showcase a selection of your most impressive material. If you are just starting out, your CV might include less shiny bragging points, but rather illustrate parallel experiences such as relevant non-teaching experience (volunteer, community organizing, youth work); education (formal and informal) in your craft; collaborations and partnerships with other artists; and/or mentors or professors who you have worked closely with.

Who is reviewing my application? And what are they looking for?

Before we begin, we are obligated to address our good friend ChatGPT, and other AI tools. Reviewers of all stripes—awards, jobs, fellowships, grants—are keenly attuned to “ChatGPT speak,” and it is not uncommon for an application to be disqualified for egregious use. Here is my take: AI can be a helpful tool for support in formatting, working through visual presentation, and making sure your grammar is on point. But know: if your application is run through an AI detector tool and doesn’t pass the human test? You might be out of the running before you even begin.

With that said, reviewers tend to have a deep familiarity and active role with the arts education landscape, and are respected in the community for their expertise. On your end, it is critical to remember that your reviewers are reading many people’s materials. Often, especially when the opportunity is highly competitive, reviewers are skimming in the first step (though they might not admit it). Keeping this top of mind will help guide your self presentation, and should inform how and what information you reveal, and in what order. 

First, introduce yourself through a brief teaching statement.

For a Teaching Artist CV, it will be equally important to show not only your past teaching experience, but also your approach: methodology, pedagogy, outcomes, impact and knowledge of your collaborative community. Instead of an objective statement, commonly used in resumes, you might consider a brief statement that names your artform, methodology and pedagogy to sit at the top of your CV. This offers reviewers a quick glimpse into who you are, and what guides your work.

Here is a formula you can use to get to the heart of your teaching statement: 

Artform + Pedagogy + Methodology

You’ve got the artform down, right? Let’s move onto the other two:

Pedagogy is the theory and practice of teaching, or, your approach to how you help people learn. Do you think students learn best through collaboration, play or experimentation? How do you see your role in the classroom? (As a guide, collaborator, for example). Do you use questions and inquiry to structure your lessons? How do you create a positive classroom environment? What are your ideas on multiple entry points to engage different learners? What do you value in the learning and creative process, and what frameworks inform you?

Methodology is the strategy you use to do something in a thoughtful, repeatable, and intentional way. In other words, the concrete processes, steps and techniques you use. A methodology could include your step-by-step creative process, or specific tools you use to build classroom communities. For example, if your lesson plans always begin with a silent writing prompt or you always offer alternative entry points aimed at multiple learning styles or you begin each project with a series of questions for students—that is methodology.

Your teaching statement should only be a few lines. Here is an example to help illustrate how these threads combine:

Interdisciplinary Teaching Artist integrating poetry, movement, and culturally responsive pedagogy in community and school-based settings. In my classrooms, students learn through active co-creation, reflective dialogue, and hands-on experimentation. I use restorative practices and creative risk-taking to build trust and agency in the classroom, honoring the lived experiences and knowledge of students and their communities.

Next, you must master the art of bragging.

As you might have guessed, awards, recognitions, public presentations and press mentions offer reviewers a snapshot of your accolades, and if you have them, should be positioned at the top of the CV. These lists of accomplishments are the cornerstone of an artist CV, and prove your track record and trustworthiness in the creative field. Big accomplishments like a solo gallery show are super cool, but even small things count: press mentions, micro-grants, past fellowships, panel invites. At the end of this blog, you will find a sample layout for a CV that shows this approach clearly.

Making the most of your teaching experience section.

Each entry should be brief, but impactful. Here are some ways to pack a punch with little space:

• If you’ve worked with institutions or artists with strong reputations, name the partner first: Brooklyn Museum — Lead Teaching Artist, Teen Nights Program.
• Describe learning goals and outcomes through details that quickly capture your how and where: trauma-informed curriculum, multilingual classrooms, disability-led spaces, project-based learning, arts-integrated STEM modules. One phrase per role is enough to add richness without clutter.
• Name specific populations served with awareness and care, using human-centered language over buzzwords like “at-risk” or “under served.” For example: “Worked with first generation college students,” “taught adults returning from incarceration,” or “collaborated with students in District 75 programs.”
• Quantify impact. For example, designed and facilitated 12-week poetry residencies for 90+ middle school students across three sites is much more illustrative than simply writing facilitated youth workshops.
• Use a formula of one verb + one outcome for your teaching entries: Facilitated interdisciplinary workshops integrating collage and memoir, culminating in a student-led zine.
• Utilize thoughtful links: Link your portfolio in the header of the CV, and then consider sprinkling one link per major project. This link might lead to a final student project or a lesson plan. Select work samples available upon request.

Looking good: Layout and design tips for a shining CV.

With the look of your CV, you are modeling your professionalism. Keep it simple, with clear formatting in a GoogleDoc, and the design will be supportive rather than a distraction. The design goal should be legibility and clarity. Remember, you might only get a quick look, so make it easily skimmable.

A clear, clean and consistent lay out means:

• Keep spacing to single or 1.5
• Use one easily readable font in 11-12 pt. 
• Use no more than two font sizes (larger as header)
• Bold headers to break up sections
• Bullet points can help with organization
• Keep jargon minimal, it can be seen as filler
• Put the most relevant material first
• Allow for enough white space to allow the words to breathe
• Utilize links sparingly and strategically as mentioned above
• Consider a brief line that opens a door: Select work samples available upon request

The importance of customization.

To close out, I am offering a CV template below for you to use and adapt. Edit out the sections irrelevant to you, and add others that I’ve overlooked. Whatever you do, it is critical to keep one big CV with all of your experience in your files. Add to it, but never subtract. That will be your master file. 

Each time you craft a new application, make a copy of that document and rearrange and edit it towards the opportunity at hand. You don’t need to rewrite your whole CV every time, you just need to highlight the parts of your experience that make the most sense for the reader. Often the opportunity you are applying to will share parameters for CV length, typically, between 1-4 pages.

Here are some tips for customization:

Read the opportunity as if a reviewer, looking for clues in the mission statement, the criteria, the program description, the population served, past participants, judges and any other information you can find. What kind of artist are they trying to support? What type of experience builds trust with this panel? What about me aligns with their values or goals? 

Don’t be afraid to rearrange to answer these questions. For example, move a specific project higher, or create a small subsection. You might consider using some of the language of the opportunity itself in your package (“collaboration,” “multidisciplinary,” etc.).

Trim irrelevant sections. Remember, you have just a few pages to show why you are perfect for this specific opportunity. Sometimes, less is more. Examples of things you might remove or move down: old work irrelevant to this opportunity, early exhibitions or small performances, one-off gigs, unrelated jobs unless they demonstrate transferable skills.

Artist CV Structure 

1. Header

• Full Name
• Pronouns (optional)
• City/Region (no full address needed)
• Email and Phone
• Website / Portfolio / Social (professional only)

2. Brief Teaching Artist Statement

[Detailed in blog post]

3. Education & Training

List by most recent:

• Degrees (BFA, MFA, MA, etc.)
• Certificates, professional development programs, apprenticeships
• Selected masterclasses or intensives (only if relevant)

4. Artistic Practice / Creative Work

Tailor to your medium. Possible sub-sections:

• Exhibitions / Performances / Screenings
• Solo Exhibitions
• Group Exhibitions
• Festival Presentations
• Staged Performances
• Film Screenings
• Curatorial Work

Publications (for writers/poets)

• Books
• Chapbooks
• Journals / Anthologies
• Editorial work

Commissions / Projects

• Site-specific work
• Community-engaged art
• Artist-in-the-community projects

Discography / Audio Work

4. Teaching & Workshop Experience

Break into subcategories when possible:

• K–12 Teaching Artist Work
• University / College Teaching
• Community Workshops
• Residencies or Long-Term Programs

For each entry, include role, institution, year(s), and short descriptors if needed.

5. Residencies and Development Programs

• Artist residencies
• Community or social practice residencies
• Labs, incubators, creative development programs

6. Awards, Fellowships & Grants

• Fellowships
• Grants (project, travel, research)
• Prizes and awards
• Nominations that are public (e.g., longlists/shortlists)

7. Professional Experience (Arts-Adjacent)

If the opportunity would be interested in other work that is in the world of teaching and artistry, you might include other engagements. Note: only needed if relevant and supportive.

Examples:

• Program management
• Community organizing
• Curatorial roles
• Facilitation or coaching
• Arts administration

8. Publications & Press (Critical to include if available)

• Reviews
• Interviews
• Featured articles
• Media mentions (list the outlet, title, author, and date)

9. Lectures, Panels & Speaking Engagements

Any of these kinds of opportunities signal engagement and leadership in the field. You might include:

• Artist talks
• Panels
• Guest lectures
• Workshops at conferences

10. Community Engagement / Service

These points might be especially relevant for socially engaged or teaching artists.

• Advisory/committee/board service
• Volunteer arts facilitation
• Community-led projects
• Youth (or adult) mentorship

11. Skills & Technical Proficiencies

Tailor to your discipline. Examples:

• Art forms (e.g., papermaking, mural painting, devised theatre)
• Digital tools (e.g., Adobe, Procreate, Logic, Final Cut)
• Pedagogical methods (e.g., restorative practices, trauma-informed approaches)
• Languages

12. Selected Collaborators

If relevant and impressive, only! List notable artists, ensembles, collectives, choreographers, curators you’ve worked with.

13. Representation (if applicable)

• Literary agent
• Gallery representation
• Management