Art Careers Ms. Kambhu
Here is a list of some of the jobs and careers in the art world. The descriptions are based on talking to people that I know and my own experience so it’s not a comprehensive or researched list. Hope it provides a good starting point!
Visual artist: artists make sculptures, paintings, installations, videos, performances, and more! They can sell their work (often through galleries) or receive funding in the form of grants and commissions (from institutions like museums, universities, and more). They can also be paid for doing lectures. There is a very small percentage of artists who live solely off the money they make from selling their work.
Curator: Curators work with galleries or museums to produce exhibitions. They select artists to include in exhibitions around a particular theme. They decide on the arrangement of the work within the space. They write the wall text and press releases.
Critic/Writer: Art critics and writers write reviews of art exhibitions and events. Most art writers work freelance, meaning they are not employed by any one publication. Oftentimes artists write about the work of others.
Art handler: Art Handlers Installs artwork safely for display and deinstall it when exhibits change. They hang paintings on walls, mount sculptures. Strength and great care are required.
Gallerist/Art Dealer: Gallerists and Art Dealers either own or operate galleries where art is sold. They may act as curators or hire other curators to put on exhibitions. They promote their artists’ work. They sell art to collectors.
Art Administrator: Arts administrators help run arts organizations. They may be foundations that give out grants. They might be residencies that give artists a place to work and support. They might be non-profits with specific arts related missions. Arts administrators can also work for various levels of government.
Art Teacher: Like me, Ms. Kambhu :) Art teachers are knowledgeable about art and education. They teach art in schools.
Art Professor: Art professors teach art at the college level. Unlike art teachers, to become an art professor, you must also be a practicing artist. Also unlike art teachers, art professors do not need to study education.
Museum Educator: Museum educators create and lead educational programs for adults and children in museums.
Artist’s Assistant: Artist’s assistants work in the studios of other artists, helping them in many different ways including painting, drawing, photoshop, preparing surfaces. In addition to the work that they do in producing the art, some assistants also manage office tasks like answering emails and arranging shipments.
Art Historian: Art historians study the art of the past, even the very recent past. They try to understand the cultural and historical context in which art is made. Sometimes they work to educate the public or reframe the way we see the art of a particular period in time. Sometimes they try to uncover new information about art and artists’ lives. They can work as professors or for museums. They often publish their research in the form of books or articles. They can curate exhibits of historical work.
Craftsperson/Fabricator: Craftspeople and fabricators have worked to master a particular skill. They are contracted by artists, companies, or other individuals to produce items within their specialty whether it be forging metal, glassblowing, textile work, printmaking, the list goes on.
Conservator: Conservators work with institutions and collectors to preserve and repair works of art. They have a knowledge of material science and art history. They aim to make their repairs fully reversible so that the integrity of the original artist’s work remains distinct from any conservation interventions.
Tattoo artist: Highly skilled in drawing, they design and do tattoos!
Most artists, many curators, art writers, and other arts professionals have day jobs. Some of those jobs are also within the art industry like art handlers and artist assistants. Some of those jobs are in art education like after school teachers and museum educators. Some are in the design fields like graphic, web, and product design. Or maybe they work in the applied arts as decorative and scenic painters. Some art workers have other jobs that have nothing to do with art like bartenders and construction workers. A day job may influence the work of an artist or art worker, but is often not an indicator of their success or the quality of their artwork.
Other Websites
_____________________________________________
Design Careers Emily Vislocky
Almost all of our world is designed by somebody. Think about when you last felt inspired by something that makes your life easier, or been frustrated by something that’s not working right! Know that there was likely a person (or a whole team of people) who designed it to be that way. And that you could be that designer if you wanted to.
For example, an act as simple as swiping your MetroCard to get on the subway has so much design to it. An illustrator illustrated the yellow graphics on that card. A graphic designer laid out the type on the other side. Someone else designed the fonts they used! Someone else designed the card itself, figured out the dimensions and the materials, and that it would have a magnetic stripe on it. Perhaps that was an industrial designer. A systems designer likely designed the system of paying for MetroCards and reloading them. Industrial designers worked with engineers to design the subway turnstile, an interior designer or architect designed the subway station itself. An urban planner designed the way the subway system serves the city. Design is all around us! So if you wanted to become a designer, you could help shape your world.
Since there are so many design careers, this is just a partial list. (I have the most experience in industrial design and graphic/digital design so those may seem like they have more opportunities than others, but it’s just because I’m the most aware of them.) And descriptions are based on my experience and opinions.
3D: Tangible - Designers of physical objects
This is what I studied and I think it’s a fascinating field! The common thread is that you generally are designing physical products for mass consumption. There are a lot of specialties within industrial design:
• Furniture
• Home goods
• Packaging
• Toys
• Props
• Jewelry
• Automotive
• Soft goods/accessories
• Footwear
• Color & materials
• Packaging
• Service design (industrial designers do design systems too!)
Fashion
Fashion is one design discipline I’m sure you’re familiar with! I would maybe argue it’s more trend-focused than other design disciplines.
• Apparel
• Costume
• Soft goods/accessories
• Footwear
• Color & materials
• Fabric/textiles/patterns
3D: Spatial - Designers of spaces
Architecture and interior design are pretty well-known fields as far as designing spaces goes. But consider some other spaces we interact with. Museum exhibits, branded pop-up shops and experiences like you’d see at music festivals, displays at retail shops, even parks and playgrounds!
• Architecture
• Interior design
• Landscape architecture
• Urban planning
• Environment/exhibit
• Events/pop-ups
• Set design
• Windows/displays
2D - Designers of print and digital media
Graphic designers can wear a lot of hats--there’s a lot more to it than designing logos. Often graphic designers work in the marketing department of a business and they’ll take on additional duties beyond what’s typically included in the graphic design umbrella, like making promotional videos, doing photography, or using their other creative skills! (At least, that’s been my experience). Some graphic design specialties:
• Branding
• Packaging
• Web design
• Typography
• Art direction
• Book design/layout
• Illustration
Of all the design specialties I’ve listed, I think user experience design or UX is the fastest-growing and most in-demand. And if you enjoyed our design thinking project, you might want to learn more about it! User experience designers apply user-centered design practices (like design thinking) to make products and services helpful and easy to use. User experience designers often work on apps, but they can use their skills to design other things too:
• Digital product design (like apps)
• Web design
• User interface design
• Service design
• Researcher
• Photography
4D: Designers of time-based media
I don’t know a ton about these fields. A bit of research on your own will yield some more information.
• Animator
• Filmmaker
• Film editor
• Special effects
• Video games
Design-adjacent careers
Design very often is a team endeavor that includes many people who you would not consider to technically be “designers,” but they are instrumental in executing a project. For example, this can include researchers (who can help with the empathize phase of the design process), materials scientists, project managers, product developers, fabricators and more. If you’re interested in design or working in a creative field, but maybe you don’t want to be a Designer with a capital D, there are so many ways to use your skills to take part in the process of creation and innovation.
I’m happy to discuss any of these career paths with you or point you to resources to help you learn more!