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Artist Cover Letter Template

Make sure your cover letter is formatted well to give it a professional appearance.

Copy-paste Artist Cover Letter (Text Format)

FIRST AND LAST NAME

Email: your.email@email.com

Phone: (123) 456-7891

Address: Street, City, State

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/yourprofile

July 7, 2022

Joshua Jacobs
401 West Main Street
Danville, KY, 40422
(859) 045-4972
joshua.jacobs@gmail.com

Dear Mr. Jacobs,

I’m writing to you regarding the position of Artist-in-Residence, which I discovered on Art Center of Bluegrass’s website. I have over 5 years of experience as a professional artist, as well as a portfolio showcasing accomplishments and creative achievements from my career. I believe my body of work stands as a testament to who I am as an artist, and that my compositions would combine well with Art Center of Bluegrass.

I’ve been a freelance artist for over 3 years, and have created works for a variety of client specifications. This includes photorealistic images for three separate websites, abstract sculptures for local establishments, and art installations for a neighborhood museum. Images of this work can be seen in my portfolio, and should help you to get a sense of my artistic ability and a feeling for my diverse tastes and capacity for pleasing a wide range of clients.

I’ve also put on two exhibitions featuring my most notable work, both of which highlighted my artistic vision and ability to showcase my creative endeavors. My focus on photography and sculpture was expressed throughout these exhibitions, and the work featured in them should allow you to anticipate what I’d bring to my residency.

I’m confident that I have the work ethic, drive, and time management skills necessary to fulfill the role of Artist-in-Residence at Art Center of Bluegrass. I look forward to learning more about the opportunity and to discussing the details with you. You can reach me by phone at (859) 539 8364, or via email at jenna.miller@gmail.com. I appreciate your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Jenna Miller

Average artist salaries in the US

The following table includes information from O*NET Resource Center by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. The data is presented based on the top states by downloads in the USA.

Top 10 states by average artist salary

StateSalary / Year
Maryland$111,750
Georgia$109,120
Virginia$101,980
Connecticut$101,630
Massachusetts$87,960
California$87,180
Washington$84,380
Pennsylvania$80,110
Kentucky$79,630
Hawaii$78,440
National Average$79,490

Artist cover letter tips

As a professional artist, you’ll tap into your creative potential to bring artistic ideas to life. Whether your goal is to work independently as a freelancer or in-house for a company, your responsibilities will revolve around designing and developing art pieces, often according to strict specifications.

Convince employers you’re the right artist for the job by showcasing your talents in an exceptional cover letter.

Here are three tips for writing an artist cover letter that’ll boost your job application:

1. Highlight your artist skills

Whether you specialize in sculpting, painting, or graphic art, employers look for a combination of hard and soft skills in a successful artist.

To deliver outstanding artwork on budget and on time, decision making and communication skills are some of the soft skills that are required, along with your mastery of the fine arts.

Here’s a list of additional skills to highlight in an artist cover letter:

Skills to highlight in an artist cover letter

Time managementCollaboration
Organizational skillsCreativity
initiativeCritical thinking
PatienceAbility to handle criticism
Interpersonal skillsPersistence
DisciplineUnderstanding of drawing techniques
Knowledge and use of art materialsDesign software

2. Emphasize your creative skills

Writing a portfolio cover letter gives you the opportunity to refer to key works that highlight the breadth and diversity of your previous projects.

For example, you could talk about your experience producing artwork for a variety of clients, like this artist does:

Throughout my career, I’ve conceptualized and produced original artwork for 120+ clients, including interior designers, retailers, and businesses which you can see samples of in Section 2 (slide 7-11) of my portfolio.

While productivity isn’t always the main goal for professionals in creative industries, adding numbers to show how many clients you’ve worked with can help demonstrate your range as an artist and prove that you won’t run out of ideas.

3. Research the company

Artists who can produce quality art pieces according to specifications are in high demand.

To highlight this ability in your cover letter, research your target company to get a sense of what they’re looking for artistically. Then, customize your cover letter to address its needs.

For example, if you’re a fine artist hoping to arrange an exhibit with a local gallery that features modern and contemporary art, talk about your experiences applying this specific art style:

One of my greatest accomplishments include creating 8 fine art pieces to complement the interior of a 5-star hotel, including paintings and charcoal compositions as referenced in slide 12 of my portfolio.

This example works because it shows that the artist is proficient in the relevant art style and is able to produce artwork that matches the expectations of their clients.

About the Author

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The Resume Genius Team is a tight-knit crew of career coaches, hiring managers, and staff writers who are passionate about providing the best, most up-to-date career advice possible and helping job seekers land their dream jobs. Every article is reviewed by either Geoff Scott, Samuel Johns, Eva Chan, Corissa Peterson, or Dominique Vatin, our team of in-house Certified Professional Resume Writers.

Resume Genius and its authors’ career and resume advice have been featured in major publications such as CNBC, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and Fortune.

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