Five arts professionals whose careers span the areas of graphic design, fine arts, arts education, gallery management, and arts administration offer insights that can help you sketch out your future career plans.
Lisa Ricci is the Associate Director at Southern Exposure, a nonprofit visual arts organization in San Francisco, where she manages operations and oversees fundraising.
Sybil Tate is the recent Founder/CEO of Bay Area arts organization Localpatron that works with local artists to promote their work to potential buyers.
Michelle Frey-Schutters, Design Director of Development Communications in the University Relations office at UC Berkeley, works as part of the graphic design group for her unit.
Andrew Farago is from San Francisco's Cartoon Art Museum and organizes gallery installations and exhibits as their Gallery Manager.
Therese Martin is a Program Manager at ArtSpan, another nonprofit organization in San Francisco focusing on community and arts education projects.
Career Center (CC): How did your particular educational and training experiences help you qualify for your current jobs?
Lisa Ricci (LR): Although I have both a BFA and MFA in photography, the majority of what I do at Southern Exposure is not based on what I learned in my degree programs. What has been the biggest help for me is my experiences volunteering and interning in various arts-related organizations over the years. I've taught at a museum and worked in a commercial gallery. Most importantly, I tried to multi-task in each of the positions I held to hone a variety of skills that ultimately made me more marketable.
Sybil Tate (ST): I wasn't even an art major in college - I was a French major who loved the idea of art. But I ended up pursuing my own "art degree" by being creative and using my skills to develop a business idea that would benefit hardworking artists. It was worth it to make my own opportunity and go for it.
Michelle Frey-Schutters (MFS): I was initially going to major in a science field but then ended up in design art. I thought it would be useful to get as much hands-on art experience as possible so I did printing for clients and also worked in a theater. As a French minor, I eventually went to Paris where I studied fine arts. To stay connected to the visual arts world, I worked at a photography gallery for some time, all the while doing freelance design to help support myself. The combination of continually learning about the arts and being open to different opportunities helped me prepare for my current job.
Andrew Farago (AF): Everything I've done has piled up and been useful to me. The general liberal arts aspect of my education helped prepare me for the outside world, and my studio art degree allowed me to develop my artistic abilities. My experience in construction has also played a role because it relates to my understanding of gallery layouts and building exhibits. I temped for years after I graduated before I began volunteering at The Cartoon Museum. The museum closed down, so I moved to the Berkeley Art Museum where I was a museum preparator for a while. But when The Cartoon Museum found enough funding to reopen, they needed someone who knew about their works and galleries, and I was called back to fill the position I currently hold.
Therese Martin (TM): The fact that I learned to write well through practice with college papers and to speak about myself with confidence has made all the difference for me. Also what's helped is that I deliberately complemented my art history and studio art degrees with coursework in education and business. I knew I wanted to make gallery and nonprofit work my art career, and I wanted to have a range of knowledge to support my goals.
CC: How does the professional arts world differ from the academic world in which you were educated?
LR: If you've gone through an arts education program specifically, be sure to test out a variety of options in the arts world so you can figure out where you want to establish yourself in the arts. Because the art scene here tends to be schmoozy and small, you should try to use that to your advantage and make as many connections as possible.
ST: When you're in the outside world, you have what seems like a total lack of structure. No one is going to keep you on track with your job responsibilities. It's not like college where you have a definitive schedule of classes or study groups. After graduation, you might find it useful to make a calendar or create your own work syllabus. Be accountable to yourself.
MFS: Along the same lines, keep in mind that the real world is more practical and more tied to crucial deadline. Depending on your job, you might find that you have less opportunity to experiment artistically with your work assignments. If that's the case, stay nourished artistically and keep your ideas fresh by doing art on your own time. In the end, it will probably feed into your career.
AF: Self-motivation is key. You can't sign up for a job like you can a college class. This means you really need to figure out what art you're interested in first. Go to meetings, parties, gallery openings - network and find opportunities for yourself.
TM: I agree that deadlines are so much more real than when you're in school. My advice is not to be late when submitting your work for a juried show or art project. If you anticipate you won't be able to make your deadline, call and inform the necessary parties about your lateness. At the very least, it shows responsibility.
CC: What advice do you have for students who want to be successful in the arts and museum fields?
LR: My present job involves a little bit of everything - fundraising, grantwriting, accounting, legal issues, installing shows, and handling bulk mail. If you multi-task in your jobs, you'll gain all kinds of useful skills. And keep in mind that when working in the arts, often you will not be paid a lot of money but the benefits come in the way of connections to art and respect from the arts community. An arts career is not just a job - it's a lifestyle.
ST: If you haven't done so already, create a website. That's the quickest, easiest, most efficient way to show your work to the public. Take advantage of all the ways to display your work, including hiring a rep.
MFS: Our office had an opening for one position in our design group, and we received nearly 550 applications! My point is you better learn to articulate what you can offer and bring to a group that's hiring because the competition can be fairly tough. Also, designers usually collaborate with others, so develop good interpersonal skills and production skills to come up with an idea and follow it through to the end product.
AF: A diversity of job skills and education is invaluable. For instance, I've had experiences that have exposed me to writing press releases, curating exhibits, installing galleries, and managing arts facilities. Don't think of yourself as being above any kind of work because every little bit counts for a lot. If you love and are dedicated to your work, you will find great satisfaction in your career.
TM: Volunteer to get your foot in the door of an arts organization. Your volunteerism shows your commitment to the work that needs to be done. Stay in touch with your alumni association to gain contacts. You might be surprised by the number of fellow grads who pursue careers in the arts.
