February 25, 2025

How to Write an Artist Bio with Tips and Examples

By Diane Scott

Person's arm and hand holding a pen and writing on a pad of paper.

Most art grant applications and publications require an artist resume or biography. Having one is an essential part of being an artist and communicating what you do.

So, what makes for a good artist bio? What will make you stand out and leave a lasting impression about who you are and the goal of your work?

Diane Scott, director of Mid-America Arts Alliance’s artist services division and author of Artist Entrepreneurship for Life: Making Art Work for You has some tips, templates, and examples to help you turn your resume or CV into a compelling artist bio.

What is an “artist biography?”

An artist bio is a short, narrative description about you, your background, your work, and your accomplishments. Even though you are the person who writes it, it is written about you in third person (he/she/they)—as if you are writing about someone else.

An artist bio is different from an artist CV (curriculum vitae), resume, or even artist statement. While all these documents showcase your art career,

an artist CV is a comprehensive account of all your exhibitions, awards, publications, and professional experiences
an artist resume is just a shorter version of a CV that highlights the most relevant accomplishments for a specific opportunity, like a gallery exhibition or grant application
an artist statement, written in first-person (I/me) is a personal reflection on your work that gives people insight into your creative process and your influences.

What should your artist’s bio do?

The purpose of an artist bio is to explain who you are and what your art is in a direct, concise and engaging manner.

Part of the challenge in writing an artist bio is that it is so straightforward. It will be read by someone who does not know you or what you do. And while ChatGPT or other AI platforms may help you brainstorm and even edit your bio, you are the true expert on your work, not the Internet. Make sure your bio communicates what is most important about you and your work—in your voice.

Three artists sit at a table with pens and papers and are all smiling.

M-AAA grant recipients discussing the business side of being an artist and doing activities at their cohort convening.

What should you include in an artist bio?

Here’s a template you can use for your artist bio. Your artist bio should include:

Your full name
A description of your work that includes medium, technique, and/or style. Are you a contemporary dancer? It should say that. Are you a representative painter? It should say that. Do not forget the obvious.
It may include references to the key themes of your work and/or unique processes.
It should identify notable accomplishments and professional achievements including awards you have won, collections you are represented in, roles you have performed, etc.
While it summarizes your past activities and accomplishments, it should include projects and/or bodies of work you are currently working on.
Typically, it includes a reference to where you received your art-related education and if you have studied with any notable teachers in your field.
It may also include your nationality, your pronouns, where you live, where you currently work and/or age or number of years in the discipline.

What’s the best format for an artist bio?

Your primary artist bio should be approximately 150-200 words. It should be frontloaded, with the most engaging information at the beginning of the statement. The difficult part of writing the bio is to get the most important items in while clearly explaining what you do and making it something that is engaging to read.

This is a bio you will use for many materials including grant applications, submissions, websites, speaking engagements, etc. Specific publications may have some general guidelines or formats that they like to follow. You can always ask them directly if they have a particular format or order of information needed.

Performing artists and dancers should note that this bio may be entirely different than what would be included in a program biography, contingent upon the discipline and the role. Often program biographies for all those but the principal players/dancers are very brief and limited to a very specific format.

Once you have a well-developed 150- to 200-word primary bio, you should develop a 100-word and 50-word version. It is very common to be asked for these smaller bios for inclusion in organizational promotional materials. For example, M-AAA requests 100-word bios from artists that we include in our press releases and that we use to pitch artist stories to the media.

What happens once I share my bio for publication?

Once you share your biography with a venue, producer, editor, or communications team, they may have some edits based on their particular style guide, such as if they follow Chicago Manual of Style, MLA, or AP style. Or, they may have additional size or formatting limitations.

At Mid-America Arts Alliance, we follow the Chicago Manual of Style. The most frequent items that we edit are usually punctuation formatting or changes to capitalization to adhere to the style. Don’t worry about these small edits that organizations may make, but do review your artist bio after it’s published to make sure that any edits made in the editorial process haven’t changed the meaning of narrative.

You can request to see final edits, and are always welcome to share biography updates for relevancy in online materials.

An asian woman plays the piano with a person playing a violin in the foreground.

A M-AAA grant recipient performs at the Artists 360 Full Circle Showcase.

Examples of 100-Word Artist’s Bios

Here are some samples of artists’ bios to inspire yours. These are all shared with permission from M-AAA Artist Services peer facilitators.

BEAU BLEDSOE performs and records classical music, jazz, and folkloric music from around the world as he seeks to integrate different musical cultures with diverse audiences. Through his many varied projects and ensembles, Beau has toured extensively throughout Europe, Russia, South America and North America in addition to producing 15 recordings under his recording label Tzigane. Beau is currently artistic director and founder of Ensemble Iberica, which explores the music of Spain, Portugal, and other areas of the world connected to the Iberian diaspora. (85 words)

Note how Beau’s bio is written in the third-person (Beau, he, him, his) and uses direct descriptions of his discipline—classical music, jazz—and specific call outs to his label.

NICK CARSWELL is a musician, organizer, and cultural producer. Nick has been performing professionally for 25 years, in his native Ireland and across the US Midwest, where he has lived since 2011. His main creative output is as songwriter and frontman for the alt-rock, five piece, Carswell & Hope. Nick has also made award-winning short films, produced radio programs, and created large scale public art projects in Lawrence, Kansas, and Kansas City, Missouri. Nick has wide experience with arts and cultural nonprofits, community organizing, public art and professional development. He is currently program manager for the Audio-Reader Network, an audio information service for individuals with print-disabilities. (105 words)

Notice how easy it would be for Nick to abbreviate or expand his bio, depending on the requirements of the publication. He could easily provide just the first two or three sentences if an organization requested a shorter artist bio.

EEPI CHAAD is a practicing multidisciplinary artist, cultural worker, advocate, and naturalist. She tells stories using textiles, fibers, metals, places, and people. Her practice grows through collaboration within the community. Chaad studies humanity’s relationship to both natural and built environments. She incorporates scale and mapping to illustrate social and environmental issues often with a focus on the Gulf Coast region. Chaad has received various grants and awards including being named one of the first resident artists for the City of Houston. Most recently in 2022, Chaad completed a residency with the Contemporary Art Museum Houston (CAMH) and a public art installation in Galveston. (100 words)

Note how Eepi’s last sentence can easily be updated to reflect current accomplishments or accolades.

AMOS COCHRAN is an Emmy-nominated composer, musician, and sound artist. His work has been showcased at the Sundance, Berlin, and Toronto Film Festivals; PBS; The London Design Festival; Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art; The Unexpected; The University of Houston Brain Center. Cochran currently serves as creative director of the new experimental art showcase, ArcadeNow. In 2023, Cochran will be one of the Arkansas Arts Council Fellows for his multisensory work. Along with expanding his work for film, he will be a collaborator with the Fort Smith Symphony for their new chamber music services, Perspectives. (97 words)

Note how Amos starts his bio with the biggest bang: Emmy-nominated. That puts that core accomplishment front and center.

JOSÉ FAUS is writer, performer, visual artist, and independent teacher/mentor with an interest in the role of artists as creative catalysts for community building. He is a founder of the Latino Writers Collective and sits on the boards of the Writers Place, UMKC Friends of the Library, The Latino Writers Collective, and Charlotte Street Foundation. His chapbook This Town Like That was released by Spartan Press. His second book of poetry The Life and Times of Jose Calderon was published by West 39 Press. He maintains qaridostudio in downtown Kansas City, Kansas. (93 words)

José uses his bio to describe not just his artistic practice but also his work in the community.

ERIN MCGRANE is an actress, musician, author, and professional development mentor. Notably, Erin appears in the Oscar-nominated film, UP IN THE AIR alongside George Clooney. She is known for her unforgettable cabaret stage performances and toured extensively for a decade with her early-jazz musical group, Victor & Penny. Currently, Erin is authoring a spoken-word poetry project set to original music exploring anxiety, isolation, and growing up in rural Iowa. Erin was honored in KC Magazine’s “The 100: People Who Make Life Better in KC” and is proud to say she misspent her youth singing in a rock band. (99 words)

We love how Erin’s personality shines through in that last sentence.
Artist INC Houston participants after sharing their artwork at the final WorkShare program.

ANURADHA NAIMPALLY is a Bharata Natyam dancer and educator. She is a recipient of the 2017 and 2020 Artistic Innovations Grant from the Mid-America Arts Alliance. She is a recognized artist on the Texas Commission on the Arts Touring Roster as well as a funded artist by the City of Austin Cultural Arts Division. From concert halls to universities and schools, Anuradha connects this ancient art of India to modern audiences of all ages through engaging performances. She is a recipient of numerous awards including a 2018 induction into the Austin Arts Hall of Fame and the Jacqueline LeMieux Prize from the Canada Council. (105 words)

Anuradha’s short artist bio hits all the notes: her artistic discipline, awards, and recognitions.

More M-AAA Resources to Level Up Your Arts Business Skills

Download the article Writing Your Artist’s Bio PDF by Diane Scott
Sign up for one of Mid-America Arts Alliance’s Artist INC programs to take your art career to the next level. Free programs include What Works and Artist INC Express.
Need more? Join the full eight-week program, Artist INC Live.