Art JobsThe art industry is responsible for creating the visuals in a wide range of mediums. Art can be used to be informative, to sell, to inspire, or to entertain. Art can be found in every form of media and is responsible for designing and influencing current consumer trends. The art industry can sometimes be limited. Every artist wants a job in their field instead of waiting tables or holding down a nine to five desk job. Many of the best art jobs require a college degree or formal training. There are also many specialties within the art field. It is no longer about having your art displayed in a gallery or museum. Art jobs can encompass anything from curators, graphic designers, computer animators, fashion design, industrial design, art teacher, or commercial illustration. Art Job QualificationsThere are many qualifications to have an art job. Most people start out early in life with some aptitude for art and develop it in their later school years. Formal training at an art institute or a college with an arts program is required for many entry level positions within the field. A four-year bachelor’s degree is usually sufficient for most art jobs while a master’s degree or higher is required to teach art or hold a director’s position. To teach art at the college level requires at least a master’s but preferably a doctoral degree.
Besides training, people interested in art jobs need to have some form of artistic talent, an awareness of deadlines, a creative imagination, and the ability to put together unique and interesting designs capable of catching an audiences’ attention. Most candidates for art jobs need to have a portfolio, or a collection of their best art work, to show a client or potential employer. The portfolio is a representation of the type of work a candidate can do. Art Job DescriptionsThere are many different type of jobs within the art industry but most (not all) of them fall within these categories: design and advertising, education, commercial illustration, animation, and fine art. Design and Advertising Industry – The design industry is vast and there are various levels within the specialized field. They are responsible for designing the look of a product in order to sell it to a target customer base. This field includes job titles such as fashion design, industrial design, and graphic design. Education – The education category of the art industry is responsible for the teaching of art skills and techniques as well as raising the awareness of art. Educators help others to understand art from different view points. Job titles in this area include art teachers in middle school and high school, art professors at the college level, instructors, art historians, museum curators, and private tutors. Commercial Illustration – Illustration can be seen everywhere. Commercial illustrators are responsible for creating book covers, advertisements in magazines and newspapers, book interiors such as children’s books, technical illustrations for manuals and user guides, and other pieces for commercial use. Animation – Animation, particularly computer animation, is a growing field. The products of its labors can be found in television programs, film, commercials, and in web design. Fine Art – This area of the art industry is probably the smallest due to the difficulty of a competitive yet narrow field. Fine artists are painters, sculptors, and other inventive minds that create art for art’s sake. Their works are only for audience enjoyment and can be found in galleries, museums, and private collections. |
Technical art jobs such as computer animation, graphic design, or
industrial design all require a college degree and training.
Non-technical jobs such as painting and non-commercial illustration
may not require a college degree but rather skills honed through
experience and talent.