Entry-level Art HistoryAn introduction to building a career in

art history

Department of Art & Art HistoryUniversity of Connecticut

http://art.uconn.edu

Many exciting careers are available for art historians

SOME POSITIONS HELD BYOUR GRADUATES:

• Gallery director• Museum curator• Museum educator• Archivist• Fundraiser• Research librarian• Museum registrar• Gallery manager

• Arts administrator• Public programs director• Art history professor• High school teacher• Journalist• Auction house specialist• Art appraiser• Art conservator

Dr. Peter D. Barberie is Curator of Photographs at the Philadelphia Art Museum. He received his undergraduate degree in Art History from UConn and his MA and PhD from Princeton University.

Educate yourself about the options

Strategic National Arts Alumni Project:http://snaap.indiana.eduCareer guide from the University of Texas:http://www.utexas.edu/finearts/sites/default/files/attach_download/art_history_career_guide.pdfSlightly dated but still very useful from Notre Dame:https://www3.nd.edu/~crosenbe/jobs.html

Entry-level positions

• Entry-level positions in the arts are hard to find and many require graduate education

• Our undergraduate students have found entry-level positions at museums and galleries by being the exception: hard-working, smart, skilled, persistent, and professionally networked

• Take advantage of temporary opportunities – Alumni insight: A recent graduate worked for a few months at a gallery in NYC because a permanent employee was on leave – this will lead to other opportunities

Use job-listing websites specific to the arts

National listings: http://artjobs.artsearch.us

Connecticut listings, Greater Hartford Arts Council (new, not much there yet):https://letsgoarts.org/ArtsJobs

NYC listings:https://www.nyfa.org/Classifieds/Jobs

For artists:http://artbistro.monster.com

Internships and Volunteering

• Internships and volunteer opportunities help you build experience and a professional network

• Stay in touch with the people you work with as a volunteer or intern

• Sometimes you need another job to pay the bills– Faculty insight: “When I was an undergraduate, I had

an unpaid summer internship at the Guggenheim Museum in NYC, and worked as an administrative assistant to a writer in the evenings and as a restaurant hostess on the weekends to pay the bills.”

A UConn art history major interning at the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, the oldest art museum in the United States

It’s not all about the Metropolitan Museum or MoMA

• Large, national museums offer wonderful internship or volunteer opportunities, but smaller museums and arts organizations can provide excellent experience – many are short-staffed, so interns and volunteers have many opportunities to contribute

• Keep in mind history museums, city/state/national arts councils, children’s museums, foundations, and other organizations where your art history experience is relevant

Develop a LinkedIn Profile

https://www.linkedin.com

• Widely used by arts professionals at all levels• You already have a professional network:

faculty, other students, internship supervisors, work supervisors – connect with them on LinkedIn

• (and while you’re at it, remember to clean up your public Facebook and Instagram)

Take Professional Development Workshops

• Some of these may be general, others may be specific to the arts

• Look for opportunities at Career Services on campus

• Arts and community organizations off-campus– E.g., Hartford Public Library offers a series of free

workshops on managing nonprofitshttp://www.hplct.org/library-services/nonprofits/workshops

• You can list workshops on your résumé

Build Your Ancillary Skills, Knowledge, and Experiences

• Managing social media • Maintaining and developing website content• Languages• Database management• Grant writing• Teaching • International travel and area studies (e.g., Asian Studies, Latin American Studies)

• Some ancillary skills can be unexpected – e.g., if you’re interested in museum education, experience working at a summer camp, daycare center, or nursing home is relevant

• Some ancillary skills and experiences are learned through workshops, others come through coursework/Minors or on-the-job training

• You should already be a good writer and researcher; well-informed about art history, the arts, and culture; and able to use standard business software (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, etc.)

Center for Career Development

http://career.uconn.edu

An essential resource for all students, located in the Wilbur Cross Building

Résumé resources at the Center

• For detailed information about writing a résumé, pick up a Résumé and Cover Letter Guide at the Center for Career Development or download your own copy from our student resources

• View examples of résumés »• Visit the Center for Career Development for a résumé

critique– Undergraduate résumé critiques are provided on a walk-in basis

during the academic year. Walk-in hours are held Monday through Friday, 10 am to 5 pm in the Wilbur Cross Building, room 202. Call 860-486-3013 during breaks for hours and information.

Career Fairs at UConn

• Arts organizations are typically not present, but these can be informative events and you don’t know what interesting options might be out there unless you go

• Career Fairs are open to all UConn students and alumni

• Dress to impress• Attend a Navigating the Career Fair workshop• Read Preparing for the Career Fair