Navigating Your Fine Art Career
This resource offers art-related opportunities to help you both fund and make time for your self-driven work as an artist. CPD is here to support you throughout your program by booking one-on-one appointments to discuss internships, fellowships, career preparation, and to strategize various successful paths.
As you envision your future goals, reflect on the necessary steps required to meet them. Are you seeking gallery representation? Do you want to sell work through online platforms? Are you passionate about helping community through socially engaged art? Do you aspire to be a curator?
Find experiential learning opportunities such as internships, volunteering, mentorships, and other on-the-job experiences that can help you as a working artist. Regularly attend shows and openings that interest you. This will allow you to identify the artistic context for your work.
As an artist, you already have skills and strengths that apply to many opportunities. Art making itself requires complex problem solving and mastery of technical skills. Collaborative work in transdisciplinary studios or socially-engaged art builds interpersonal skills. Researching and learning new processes quickly is another valuable skill. Remember that you can capitalize on these existing skills when navigating various prospects.
Expand Your Network
Los Angeles has a huge network of visual artists. Below are potential ways to broaden your network.
Art Spaces
Seek artist-run spaces and independent art spaces where you can meet community to inquire about exhibiting your work in spaces available..
Hashtags
Follow hashtags of interest on platforms such as Instagram. such as #artjobs #artcareers.
Residencies & Grants
Seek art residencies and consistently apply for relevant grants.
Email Listservs
Add your name to email list-serves that provide information on seminars and other valuable art-related events that can help you continue to develop as an artist and be a part of a larger art community in Los Angeles.
Conferences
Research relevant conferences that you can attend—such as those offered by CAA (College Art Association) and AICAD (The National Association of Independent Colleges of Art & Design.
Business Knowledge
Understand how to gain financial stability and thrive as an independent artist.
LinkedIn Learning
LinkedIn Learning is available for free to all ArtCenter students while they are enrolled. Login to Inside ArtCenter first.
Books
ArtMarketing
For additional business practice tips related to art, review ArtMarketing.
Campus Resources
Consider utilizing campus resources such as the library or contact Robbie Nock (Robbie.nock@artcenter.edu) who specializes in creative entrepreneurship.
Artadia
Artadia funds artists with a $10,000 award for those who demonstrate a commitment to contemporary art.
Promoting Your Work
Fractured Atlas offers specific resources for establishing artists.
Sell art on websites such as absolutearts, StoreEnvy & AmazonArt.
Join a community of makers through the American Craft Council to gain valuable insight into and exposure to craft marketplaces.
InLiquid promotes artists online and through exhibition opportunities. Membership is required.
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Museum or Gallery Work
Opportunities include gaining experience as a preparator at various museums, working within conservation at The Getty, and working in museum education or public engagement departments at places like MOCA, The Getty, Hauser & Wirth, and The Broad.
Curator
A job as a curator most often is open to a student who has an MFA in either Art History or Criticism. Research which programs are most relevant to your focus, and refine your application to match the requirements. Seek out art history courses to compete more effectively. Look for specific undergraduate curating internships at local museums such as LACMA.
Professional Organizations
The Association of Academic Museums and Galleries is the leading educational and professional organization establishing best practices, educational activities and hosting a national job board. Consider a membership to American Alliance of Museums, a professional organization that offers its members many resources including job opportunities at museums.
Training
If you decide on a career as a curator, join The Association of Art Museum Curators which provides fellowships and internship opportunities. The Curatorial Intensive is a short-term, low-cost training program that offers emerging curators the chance to develop their exhibition ideas. Art Conservators preserve and protect global culture heritage; discover positions available.
Job Board
The website, Museum Jobs has many great resources and opportunities.
Arts Administration
Visual arts organizations and public/community art programs need support in operations, fundraising, marketing, education and community engagement. The Chronicle of Philanthropy offers information on non-profit art organizations and provides opportunities in art administration.
The Association of Arts Administration Educators (AAAE) consists of more than 150-member programs, all training and equipping students in arts leadership, management, entrepreneurship, cultural policy and more. Local organizations include Pasadena Art Alliance, 18th Street Art Center, The Armory, KP Projects, LACE, and Night Gallery. .
Artist's Assistant/Studio Manager
Established artists often need help in preparing for shows, keeping-up their studio, fabricating portions of works or maintaining archives and records. This is a good way to see what various art practices look like from the inside.
Art Fabrication and Studios
There is an industry dedicated to fabricating large-scale art productions. These can vary from ceramics to welding to digital production. A focus on gaining some of those skills at ArtCenter can offer opportunities within art fabrication studios such as Carlson Arts LLC, Standard Sculpture, Barnacle Brothers, and Zahner in Los Angeles.
Education
There are many different opportunities to teach, from educational institutions at all levels to nonprofit community settings. The type of institution will determine the credentials and experience required. For K-12 opportunities, look at credentialing requirements. Job listings for a teaching career at a post-secondary institution can be found at Academic Keys, ArtJobs or Higher Ed Jobs.
A master’s degree is often required or preferred.
Arts for LA is a robust organization promoting art education across Los Angeles. Review job listings in LA for various positions.
Residencies
Understand the benefits of residency and if it’s the best fit for you through Choosing the Right Residency for you.
Review res artis for residencies worldwide and to enhance your global network. Alliance of Artists Communities is an international association of artists’ residencies and hosts a job board.
Additional Art-Related Opportunities
Visual Merchandiser
Visual Merchandiser opportunities through retail.
Artist-in-Residence
Artist-in-Residence at a hospital - learn more about hospitals that offer this program.
Art Librarian
Art Librarian – learn more at Art Libraries Society.
Art Appraiser
Art Appraiser – review certification requirements and the optimistic career outlook through the Appraiser Association of America.
Art Advising
Art Advising – learn about the growing job market and opportunities.
Visual Resource Curator
Visual Resource Curator and opportunities available.
Great Resources
College Art Association
College Art Association (CAA): A professional organization for artists and scholars offering a wealth of information, conferences and career resources. CAA has many opportunities available including grants, fellowships, internship and jobs.
Americans for the Arts
Americans for the Arts serves, advances, and leads the network of organizations and individuals who cultivate, promote, sustain, and support the arts in America. There are internships and related employment opportunities listed on the website.
California Arts Council
Check out various jobs posted on the California Arts Council plus an array of grants offered in California.
Social Practices Art Network
Social Practices Art Network promotes many great artist opportunities.
New York Foundation for the Arts
New York Foundation for the Arts provides positions on the East Coast.
Creative Capital
Creative Capital is a non-profit organization supporting innovative and adventurous artists across the country through project funding, mentorship, advisory services, and workshops and webinars.
Jobs.art
Jobs.art is an international listings website, that focuses solely on art-related positions, with a simplified search process for finding both new talent and new work anywhere in the world.
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