A Career in Visual Art...

Vanessa works in an office made up of a director, exhibitions assistant, administrative assistant, business partnerships manager, designer and a bookkeeper.

Her career began with an Honours degree in Art History and Curatorship from the Australian National University. After completing studies she began work as assistant art coordinator in one of the leading Aboriginal art-producing communities - Balgo Hills in the Kimberley region of WA. This led to another position as art advisor in Lajamanu in the Northern Territory. Both roles focused on developing artists' profiles through the sale and exhibition of artwork nationally and internationally. At the time, Vanessa was one of the youngest coordinators in remote Indigenous arts centre in Australia.

A move to Darwin led to the role as program manager for the National Exhibition Traveling Service (NETS Australia), a national program which develops and tours exhibitions intra-state and nationally. Eventually, a desire to be closer to family saw her take on the role of Curator at Latrobe Gallery in Victoria. This enabled Vanessa to develop her own curatorial projects drawn from both the gallery's collection and external sources.

Yearning for more challenges and desire to return to warmer weather, she moved to the Institute of Modern Art. Again a change in focus - a non-collecting contemporary art organisation dedicated to experimental and new media work.

The demands of managing a dynamic schedule of changing exhibitions, public programs, residencies and publications leaves little time to focus on developing projects outside the organisation. However, working within an organisation can occasionally provide scope to develop self-initiated projects. One such project has been the national touring exhibition Supercharge...the car in contemporary culture that will be shown around 7 galleries over 2007 - 2008.

Fast Facts

Be organised
In any professional industry you need to be organised. For a practicing artist, it's important to recognise that you are a business, so be a self-promoter.

Be resilient to criticism
As an artist you will receive many knock-backs - be confident in what you are doing.

Listen, and never stop learning
See as much art as you possibly can. Visit local galleries and, when you have the opportunity, travel. The Internet is a great resource: all the major international galleries, events and artists have websites. Also, understand and be a part of popular culture; have your finger on the pulse.

Ask for advice and build contacts and networks
Follow your passion and be persistent. The visual art industry is for passionate people. You need to believe in what you are doing, as it can be difficult to gain recognition and achieve financial independence. The industry doesn't offer the stability that other fields can offer. There is sometimes substantial sacrifice and you need to be flexible and focused: perhaps you'll need to move cities, or direct personal resources into developing yourself and your career. Be prepared and committed; a lot of practitioners live below national wage standards.

The visual arts are a great industry to be a part of, but make sure this is the industry for you. Don't be misled by romanticised notions of a glamorous lifestyle. It requires great deal of commitment, hard work and talent.

Skills/ Experiences Required

• organised
• highly professional and business-like in approach
• talent
• a good communicator, both visually and orally
• self promoter
• self belief and belief in your work
• resilient to criticism but open to feedback

Administrative and Curatorial Roles specifically need you to have/be:

• 'an eye' - visually literate
• communication skills - written and oral
• sensitivity to artists and their work
• Analytical skills
• your role is to bridge the gap between artist and audience
• commitment (doesn't finish at 5pm)
• university qualification (normally based in art history or curatorship in order to work within an artistic role in a gallery)
• experience in your chosen field (either in paid work, as a volunteer or as an intern; this can be tied in with some university courses)

Reality Check

Ups...

• you get to be creative
• flexibility
• the work is varied, creative and stimulating
• travel
• you are constantly around your passion

Downs...

• low wages compared to other professions
• limited job opportunities

Education Options: more general information

There are a myriad tertiary courses for people wishing to enter the visual arts industry. This ranges from fine art courses, which provide the skills and experience to become a practitioner, to specialist courses in art management, museum studies, art history or curatorship. These courses usually require a minimum of year 12.

It can be overwhelming when looking for a suitable course to undertake - each features a very specific focus in the industry. The thing to remember is that increasingly an undergraduate degree does not provide you with 'a ticket' into your desired profession. You need to be creative in your approach to professional pathways. Have the flexibility to combine studies with practical experience. Often taking a degree that offers internships is a great way to combine studies and work experience.

For those wishing to gain qualifications as a practicing artist most universities offer Fine Art degrees. Highly regarded in Queensland are:

• Queensland College of Art at Griffith University
• Queensland University of Technology (QUT)
• University of Southern Queensland (USQ)

There is also:

• University of Queensland (UQ) (Art History through the School of English, Media Studies and Art History)
• QUT Creative Industries - Interdisciplinary (offers other areas of specialisation, such as events management)

Interstate there are specialised degrees in Art Curatorship at The Australian National University and University of Melbourne.

Degrees in Art Administration can be undertaken at Deakin University, University of South Australia and the College of Fine Art at the University of NSW.

There are also specialised degrees in Art Conservation and Cultural Heritage for people interested in these areas at the University of Melbourne.

One thing to consider when choosing a degree is the resources that are at hand, such as galleries and institutions, professional expertise etc. Accessibility to resources is important while you are studying. For example, studying in Canberra, you have national institutions such at the National Gallery of Australia and the National Museum of Australia close by.

Alternative Pathways

Look into and join...

• Artisan
• The Institute of Modern Art
• Queensland Art Gallery/Gallery of Modern Art
• private galleries like Fireworks, Philip Bacon Gallery, as well as Artists Run Spaces such as Raw Space Galleries and Jugglers Art Space.

Signing up to gallery mailing lists keeps you updated to what's on around town and interstate.

Occupations in the visual arts can lead to:
artist, designer, printmaker, screenprinter, video/film designer/maker, advertising/creative worker, arts support organisation workers, community cultural workers, art therapists, sculptors, curators, conservators, historians, teachers, critics/reviewers, gallery owners, managers, or CEOs, illustrators, involvement in publishing, comics, game design, animation.

Make sure to check out the more artist profiles section to find out how other visual arts practitioners established a career in the industry.

DISCLAIMER
Please note that the information is provided in good will only. Youth Arts Queensland and the contributors do not warrant that any of the information provided is free from errors or omission. Youth Arts Queensland and the contributor disclaim all responsibility and all liability (including without limitation, liability in negligence) for all expenses, losses, damages and costs you might incur as a result of the information being inaccurate or incomplete in any way, and for any reason.