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Careers in Art

Careers in ArtArtArtArt
Gerard Bowles
©1988, revisions: 1992, 1995, 1998

This list is to inform students of the many careers available in the arts. To learn more about a specific field I originally suggested students consult me, or books on a specific subject. Now, the Web is an additional resource. I also suggest consulting one or more practicing professionals in your area.

Providing this list to students angered a department head of a college art department. The department head and institution's strategy was to minimize information to students, so they would only take certain courses and programs.

  • "Airbrush artist" (specialized illustrator)
  • "Animation artist"
  • "Art director" (cinematographic, advertising, publication)
  • "Art production manager" (also known as "traffic manager")
  • "Artist" (a generic term, and cinema film industry title)
  • "Cameraman" (film industry)
  • "Cinematographer" (a generic term for "cinema photographer," also term used for "director")
  • "Cartoonist"
  • "Color artist" (industrial, and photographic designer)
  • "Colorist" or "color artist" (for photographic modification. See American Photographic Artisans Guild--APAG)
  • "Creative director" (usually for an advertising agency)
  • "Designer" (for advertising, cinematographic, graphic, industrial)
  • "Desktop publisher" (graphic production work that includes a little designing)
  • "Digital" and "digital-modification artist"
  • "Director of photography" (for cinema)
  • "Graphic designer"
  • "Illustrator" (for graphic arts, fine art, technical, medical)
  • "Layout artist" (graphic communications production work)
  • "Painter" (for cinematographic, fine art, landscape, portrait)
  • "Photographer" (commercial, cinematographic, fine art, journalistic, graphics)
  • "Scene artist" (stage or cinema film industry production position)
  • "Scene" or "set" or "stage" "designer" (for theater or cinema film industry)
  • "Sculptor," "cinematographic," or "photographic," or fine art (including architectural commission work, industrial or "modelmaker," and theatrical)
  • "Typesetter" (graphic communications production work, often books)
  • "Typographer" or "advertising typographer" (for any mass-media field)
  • "Web page designer" (not to be confused by "developer," which is Web page programming"

Salaries vary according to the size of the company, area economy, competition, and breadth of employers activities. According to national association surveys, directors average the highest earnings. Graphic designers, animation artists, cinematographers, photographers, typographers, and sculptor modelmakers earn above average for the field. Graphic production workers show average earnings. Illustrators (with the exception of medical and technical illustrators) show the lowest earnings. I cannot find figures on Web page designer earnings, which may be impossible with so many claiming this profession.

This paper was originally written and graphically designed in PageMaker in 1988 by Gerard Bowles (©1988). However, to make it accessible to Internet requests for all computer platforms required translation into a text-only document in 1996. Only minor updating was necessary because career titles have not changed. Reproduction is permitted with permission as long as the document remains intact.

This paper was part of "Articles for Art Students..." but the length of that page necessitated creating this, separate page.

Interested in new Internet communication opportunities and want to know who the movers and shakers are? Consult "The Scene," Covering the New York Silicon Alley and national Internet scene: http://www.siliconalleynews.com/mv.htm

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