Resources for Careers in the Arts & Museums
Museums, auction houses, art galleries, arts education programs, theatres, performing arts centers, artist management agencies—the choices for working in the art world are vast. There are over thirty thousand nonprofit arts organizations in North America. However, because of budget and staff limitations, it is not in the nature of these organizations to recruit on college campuses. There are, however, posted opportunities which include one year post-grad internships (examples include theatres, Moma) as well as summer internships (examples include Christie’s, Sotheby’s). Networking in this field is important so use all your available networks to reach out to Alumni and others for information. It is important for you, therefore, to be proactive in your job search. You will need to actively approach organizations that you’re interested in and will have to network well.
Alumni Careers Network
Alumni have VOLUNTEERED to have students contact them for advice and information about majors and careers. The Alumni Careers Network (ACN), with 4,500 volunteers worldwide, is a searchable on-line database of Princeton alumni who are willing and eager for you to contact them so they can provide you with advice and assistance about their industry or career field.
Selected Online Resources
Art & Design, Career & Employment - http://art.nmu.edu/department/AD_Career.html- The site provides valuable links to search for art and/or design related employment in US and globally. Graphics, new media, teaching, photography and other categories included. Links included also about exhibits, professional organizations, and career planning. Maintained by Northern Michigan University.
ArtCareer.net - http://www.artcareer.net/ - The visual arts job site features free search/post functions including internship and fellowship listings.
artjobonline - http://www.artjob.org- This is a subscription site (with a fee) for full-time, internships, grants, public art projects.
ArtSchools.com - http://www.artschools.com/careers-jobs/ - This site has lots of career information, job search advice, internships, information for the freelance artist, art education, and links to other job posting and career sites.
Aviso Employment Resources Online - http://www.aam-us.org/aviso/index.cfm - The American Association of Museum offers a job bank for museum professionals (including internships, fellowships) and links to career information. (American Association of Museums' job bank)
Careers in Music - http://www.berklee.edu/careers/default.html- The site is provided by the Berklee School of Music. It offers descriptions of every type of music-related job imaginable.
CyberDance: Ballet on the Net - http://www.cyberdance.org/ - This is a collection of over 3,500 links to classical ballet and modern dance resources on the Internet.
Global Museum - http://www.globalmuseum.org/ -The international museum webzine includes job listings, information on museum studies courses, resources and social networking site.
Museum Employment Resource Center - http://www.museum-employment.com/ - Excellent site for internship and full-time opportunities in U.S. museums and other cultural resource institutions. It also offers links to museum studies graduate programs and a resume posting service.
MuseumStuff - http://www.museumstuff.com/ -Topical directory pages on items of interest to those who work in and around museums. One of the directories lists websites for job searching in the museum profession.
New York Foundation for the Arts - http://www.nyfa.org - The web site offers career resources, fellowships, and more.
PreserveNet - http://www.preservenet.cornell.edu/ - Architectural preservation jobs and internships as well as scholarships are listed.
Smithsonian Institution Office of Human Resources - http://www.sihr.si.edu/ - The site provides job, internship, volunteering, and fellowship information.
Museums in the USA -http://www.museumca.org/usa/ - Directory of US museum website links.
World Museums - http://www.exploringabroad.com/art/museums.htm -The site provides info on museums by country.
Selected Professional Associations
A professional association is an organization of people who have similar career interests. These membership- based organizations often offer a reduced rate for students that allow access to the many resources they provide. Professional association websites can also offer job/internship databases as well as opportunities to find mentors or other contacts.
American Association of Museums - http://www.aam-us.org/ - The American Association of Museums has been bringing museums together since 1906, helping to develop standards and best practices, gathering and sharing knowledge, and providing advocacy on issues of concern to the entire museum community.
American Federation of Arts - http://www.afaweb.org/ - The AFA is a not-for-profit organization that initiates and organizes art exhibitions and provides educational and professional programs in collaboration with the museum community.
Arts and Business Council of New York - http://www.artsandbusiness-ny.org/ - ABC/NY connects with the business community: corporate giving officers, potential board members, pro bono consultants, workshop presenters, panelists, mentors, in order to put business skills and resources into the hands of artists and arts organizations.
Arts Management Network - http://www.artsmanagement.net/ - With its global perspective, Arts Management Network is a valuable resource for academics, students, researchers, regional and national authorities, business people, and journalists.
Association of Science and Technology Centers - http://www.astc.org/- ASTC is an organization of science centers and museums dedicated to furthering the public understanding of science among increasingly diverse audiences. The web site includes a job bank, profiles of individuals in positions, professional conferences, and other relevant information pertaining to 500+ international science centers.
Association of Art Museum Directors - http://www.aamd.org/ - The purpose of the Association of Art Museum Directors is to support its members in increasing the contribution of art museums to society. The web site provides job listings as well as a list of museums that offer internships and fellowships.
Association for Living History, Farm and Agricultural Museums - http://www.alhfam.org/ - ALHFAM is an organization of people who bring history to life. ALHFAM enables its members to make history a valuable part of the lives of museum visitors. You must be a member to access job listings.
College Art Association - http://www.collegeart.org/- CAA includes among its members those who by vocation or avocation are concerned about and/or committed to the practice of art, teaching, and research of and about the visual arts and humanities. The Careers section offers job postings and fellowship program information.
Graphic Artists Guild - http://www.gag.org/- The Guild is committed to improving conditions for all graphic artists (including, but not limited to: photographers, designers, illustrators, and digital artists) and raising standards for the entire industry.
International Council of Museums - http://uk.icom.museum/ - ICOM UK is a non-profit, non-governmental organization representing almost one thousand museum professionals in Britain, we are the UK national committee of ICOM, the international organization of over 21,000 museum professionals across 146 countries.
International Dance Council - http://www.unesco.org/ngo/cid/index.php -CID is the official umbrella organization for all forms of dance in all countries of the world. It is a non-governmental organization founded in 1973 within the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, where it is based. It is the worldwide forum bringing together international, national and local organizations, as well as select individuals active in dance.
Museum Computer Network - http://www.mcn.edu/ -MCN supports museum information professionals and the greater community by providing opportunities to explore and disseminate new technologies and best practices in the field.
National Association for Museum Exhibition - http://name-aam.org/- NAME seeks to enhance the cultural landscape by advancing the value and relevance of exhibitions through dialogue among individuals, museum leaders and the public. The site offers a job board.