The Proposal….a guide for proposal/submission writing

I recently went to a couple of free workshops, one by artist and author Nancy Crawford on putting together your portfolio and one by the good people of the Fifty Fifty Arts Collective, Open Space and the Ministry of Casual Living on Proposal Writing. Both covered putting together your Biography, CV, Artist’s Statement and portfolio images.  A BIG thank you to both for providing these workshops,  as someone who is largely self-taught they were so helpful in sorting out in my mind the purpose of all of the documentation that goes with your work when you make a submission.

I thought that as I found it so helpful maybe others would too, here is summary of what I learnt….

CV

• Include education, relevant employment, curatorial projects, exhibitions, residencies, talks and panels, publications and reviews, awards, auctions, collections
• List exhibitions from most recent to older, include where, when and duration
• Programs – who did you work with? What did you get from the experience?
• Be clear and concise
• Keep formatting consistent
• No more than 3 pages
• Include your name and address on all pages
• Remember this is part of a package, do not duplicate information
• Indicate if shows are Group/ solo/ permanent / Juried
• List a couple of your references
• Your CV is not the space to get creative

Proposal

The proposal document is a layout of your proposed show, time line, media and logistics

• This is what I want to do.
• This is how I am going to do it.
• Explanation of your practise – why did you /or why are you going to make it?
• Tailor your proposal to the gallery space; let the curators know that you have considered the space, which pieces would you put where? Consider including a floor plan.
• Use direct language, be confident.
• Reference work in your portfolio to tie everything together in your submission package.
• Edit – do not include everything you have ever done, keep it relevant.
• Let the work speak for itself; don’t tell people how to read the work.

Artist Bio

• This is all about you – Where are you from? Who are you? What have you done?
• It is a profile, a brief CV.
• About 250 words
• Include photos of you, your studio space or yourself working.

Artist’s Statement

The Artist’s Statement is specific to the work in your proposal.

• You can be creative with this – use poetry and quotes
• Talk about your inspiration and evolutionary journey
• It should be about 3 paragraphs long.
• What is your medium/ dimensions etc.
• Why did you make it?
• What does it mean to you?
• This is to help the viewer understand your work but be careful not to over explain.
• Do not anticipate someone’s reaction to your work.

Portfolio Images

• Most proposals will specify their image requirements.
• If you are including photos of paintings do not include the frame or surrounding area. Crop the photo to exactly the size of the painting.
• Most submissions require the images to be 72 dpi max. This can be adjusted on Photoshop.
• Images should be in RBG color mode
• Use a common format like a jpeg
• A portfolio should consist of between 10 – 40 images of your strongest works.
• Include images that show details of a piece.
• Each Image  should be labelled with the title, size, medium and year

It may be appropriate to include letters of recommendation – What is it like to work with you? Are you reliable? Include one letter that deals with you as an artist and one that deals with your character.

When you are submitting a proposal or application consider how you can make it easy for the administrator/adjudicator/curator to copy your submission and identify all parts of your package. If you are unsure about any part of the process don’t hesitate to contact the co-ordinator for clarification.

I hope this helps – I think I have some work to do on all my documentation!