Often, the visual arts, archaeology, and art history get a bad rap. Word on the street may suggest that these majors aren’t exactly practical major choices. Nevertheless, a major/career in these fields can lead you on many rewarding career paths. Alumni who majored in art and archaeology at Princeton reported a variety of different career plans, from positions as literary agents and research associates, to jobs as lawyers, teachers, analysts, or professors. That being said, you don’t have to look very far outside your major to find job opportunities.
First, here are some resources for jobs in the arts:
Check out this site for a quick synopsis on many various careers available to art history majors: http://www3.nd.edu/~crosenbe/jobs.html. You may find something interesting and unexpected.
Also, here’s a wealth of information on art and architecture resources: http://www.ilpi.com/artsource/welcome.html.
Northern Michigan has a long list of job databases by arts industry, from design to film: http://art.nmu.edu/department/AD_Career/AD_Career-Jobs.html#AGENCIES.
Artjobs.org is an independent jobs database. The site currently features 880 postings for positions in all kinds of arts and creative nonprofits https://artjob.org/. Watch out though—this site costs money if you want to look more closely than a casual browse.
Also, if you’re interested in arts and business in New York, check out http://www.artsandbusiness-ny.org/about_us/ for information, tutorials, and several internship listings for positions within the organization.
While your possibilities for post-graduate careers are nearly boundless, there’s nonetheless a vibrant, international network of jobs for which your art/art history major uniquely qualifies you—museum jobs. Boy, are there a lot of these.
- http://www.globalmuseum.org/ has separate sections for fellowships in museums jobs as well as museum jobs outside the U.S.
- http://www.museum-employment.com/page5/rwjobindex.html is a museum database organized by type of position.
- Want to search museum jobs by state, country, or topic in art? Go here: http://www.museumstuff.com/.
- Check the classifieds for employment and residency/fellowship opportunities: http://www.nyfa.org/level2.asp?id=54&fid=1&sid=95. (This resource is also great for finding auditions for performing artists, art events, and studio space.)
- Ever wanted to work for the Smithsonian? http://www.sihr.si.edu/jobs.cfm
- Even more museum jobs: http://www.aam-us.org/resources/careers
- What about living history and agricultural museums? Plenty of jobs there, too. http://www.alhfam.org/?cat_id=216&nav_tree=216.
Of course, this list is not to limit your search. Many a Princeton grad has taken his/her own path with an art/art history degree. Visit the Alumni Career Network to speak with alumni who can tell you more about their personal career journeys. This way, you can learn from the painters, artists, producers, curators, editors, and executives who were once where you are today.