What Can You Do With a Degree in Art History?
The Summit Viii Traditional Careers in Art History
Graduates of art history degree programs emerge primed for a wide range of careers in the art field and beyond. While many art historians choose self-employed fine arts jobs or nontraditional art history careers, the post-obit sought-afterwards careers in art history stand for the top eight traditional uses for an art history principal's caste:
1. Curator
A curator oversees the collection, storage, and display of artworks, historical memorabilia, digital files, or artifacts. Depending upon the size of the organization, curators may exist responsible for working with artists, collectors, donors, or other organizations to larn artwork; documentation and storage; original research and publication; and creative brandish of works. Traditionally, curators work for museums, libraries, and other arts organizations. However, in recent years this role has expanded to include business curators managing corporate memorabilia and fine art collections, curation for educational institutions, private foundation or personal collection curators, regime curators working with public spaces, and independent, freelance curators.
2. Instructor
Art history educators share art noesis in museum or bookish settings. Depending upon the specific role and organization, level of audition, and specialty, art history educators may spend significant fourth dimension conducting inquiry, interacting with the public, or mentoring art students in the classroom.
iii. Museum Administrator/Director
Museum directors bear ultimate responsibility for advancing their organization'due south mission, artistic direction, collections, scholarship, and programs. The managing director manages the museum's solar day-to-mean solar day operations. Like curators, directors influence creative direction of the museum's exhibitions and oversee the collection, storage, and brandish of artworks. In addition, museum directors manage the administrative side of the organization. An administrator's task typically includes a significant amount of fundraising, donor and community relations, financial and investment direction, hiring, and oversight of museum staff.
4. Conservator/Fine art Restorer/Conservation Scientist
Fine art conservators specialize in the preservation, care, and restoration of works of fine art. Conservators manage the safe storage and transportation of works, analyze the display surroundings, document and tape electric current condition, and determine restoration efforts needed. Patience and attending to particular are critical in this part. Conservators typically choose an area of expertise, such every bit paper, textiles, painting, piece of furniture, or fine art objects. They oft piece of work closely with conservation scientists—chemists who business organisation themselves with the scientific elements at work in an art piece's environment and composition, and in the chemical components of the restoration and preservation process.
v. Fine art Authenticator
The sophistication of fine art forgers, the prevalence of art theft, and the unlawful transfer of artworks from war-torn countries means that potential art buyers and sellers often crave the authentication services of an art historian. Typically, authenticators specialize in a detail artist or style, and must display substantial research and investigative skills. Authenticators research the "provenance" of a piece of work by tracing the path of ownership equally far back as possible, piece of work with other recognized experts, consult with artists' foundations, and contract scientific testing to determine the viability of the materials used.
6. Museum Reproductions/Retail Manager
A museum reproductions role can involve museum shop retail management and decision-making regarding which artworks in the museum'due south collections should exist reproduced for sale. It may include working with artists and navigating copyright problems, blueprint and creative decisions for the display and reproduction of the artwork in the retail setting, managing sales staff, and other duties related to running the retail arm of an arts organization.
vii. Fine art Librarian/Visual Resources Curator
Visual resource curators and art librarians manage the cataloguing, documentation, storage, and retrieval of visual resource in art libraries, educational institutions, and for-turn a profit organizations. In addition to expertise in the artwork itself, fine art librarians bring research and technological skills to the role, forth with the people skills necessary to work with the public and academicians as they access the works. In addition to a graduate caste in art history, art librarianship roles may require graduate work in library scientific discipline.
8. Art Publishing
Bookish, commercial, and contained art volume publishing houses apply a range of arts professionals in graphic blueprint, writing, editing, and authoritative roles. While entry level roles typically will not require a master'south caste, advancement in these roles often requires higher teaching in the arts, and these roles will provide opportunities to explore and influence art history dialogue and interpretation.
9. Auctioneer
An auctioneer represents the seller of a piece of art. The auctioneer must creatively draw the slice and create excitement during an auction in order to sell information technology for the highest price possible. Auctioneers ofttimes research particular art pieces to proceeds knowledge about the artwork itself, and additionally must have the ability to remain absurd under pressure, relate to art owners, and read a crowd.
For more information, visit Azusa Pacific Academy's Online MA in Modern and Contemporary Art History.
For more careers in art history, check out these related resources:
- The Top Ix Nontraditional Fine art History Careers
- The Top 7 Cocky-Employed Arts Jobs for Art Historians
Note: This information is current for the 2021-22 bookish year; notwithstanding, all stated academic information is subject to modify. Please refer to the electric current Academic Catalog for more information.
Source: https://www.apu.edu/vpa/programs/art-history-masters/careers/traditional/