Alberta University of the Arts
Megan Klak’s recent journey is proof that opportunities await visual arts degree holders.
Klak, a former Galleries West intern, is an education programmer at Gallery@501, a publicly funded gallery in Strathcona County, Alta. She uses the skills and knowledge she learned daily during her visual arts and design studies.
After graduating with her bachelor’s degree in art and design from the University of Alberta in 2019, Klak became a teaching assistant at three elementary schools in three villages near Versailles in France. She assisted teachers with English lessons once a week at each school.
Moving to France also allowed Klak to immerse herself in the European art scene she had studied at university.
The opportunity was short-lived because of the Covid pandemic, however, and she had to return to Canada after seven months. In the spring of 2021, Klak started a new position as an intern at Galleries West, where she produced long-form articles. Her article on arts mentorship, Mentorship as Social Sculpture, earned her the 2022 Gold Alberta Magazine Award in the Emerging Writer category.
Klak decided to return to school, obtaining an art and cultural management diploma from MacEwan University in Edmonton. In 2021, she participated in the school’s internal practicum program as a creative video project coordinator for MacEwan's Book of the Year. During her last semester, in 2022, she completed a practicum at Gallery@501, where she now works.
Yet, even after finding a career related to her education, Klak says she still needs to convince many people, including her parents, that there are good jobs in the visual arts sector.
“That's a bit of a misunderstanding with the general public. [Visual arts jobs] are not something very defined like a doctor or lawyer,” she says.
“But there are jobs in the arts.”
What are the skills to gain from studying arts?
The 2023 World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Survey reported that creative and analytical thinking skills are among employers' top priorities when seeking candidates for new jobs.
These are some of the core skills that visual art students learn at school, according to Heidi Brandley, the manager of entrepreneurship and innovation at Alberta University of the Arts (AUArts) in Calgary.
Art schools produce “agile, creative and quick thinking” people, she notes, which is why visual art graduates have plenty to offer potential employers.
Alberta University of the Arts
According to Brandley, critical thinking and problem-solving skills are integral parts of any visual arts education.
“Those skills are highly transferable into any industry,” says Brandley. “Studying for an art degree focuses on analysis and thinking outside the box. I know a lot of industries are looking for those skills.”
According to a report by AUArts, about 30 per cent of their alumni go on to become freelancers or entrepreneurs. Others find careers in graphic design, film and television, museums and galleries.
An arts degree may lead to jobs in these industries:
● Creative arts: visual artist, animation, muralist, museum curation and more.
● Communications, advertising and public relations
● Education
● Fashion and design
● Multimedia
● Architecture
● Photography and videography
● Game and website development
● Fabrication: art installer, metal worker, wood worker and more.
Of course, some AUArts fine art graduates become practicing artists. According to Brandley, others may pursue master's degrees and become museum curators and directors, art therapists, critical writers, researchers and more. Arts grads can also apply their skills in hospitality, retail, teaching and administration roles.
“We’ve also seen some work in the film industry and theatre. And some have gone to further education like architecture, law and education, with their art degree serving as their foundation,” she says.
Acquiring real-life skills
Finding career success in the arts requires hard work, says Brandley.
“Start thinking about what you enjoy doing because, ideally, you want to choose a career path that’s going to fit: what drives you and what you like to do,” she says.
“Create a good online presence, build your connections and build your portfolio.”
Megan Klak (photo by Anica Neiman)
Brandley also recommended engaging with career services while still on campus. These services help students understand various job options and create strategies for building their careers.
Practical work experience is a stepping stone to landing a career-related job after graduation.
Before getting his first curatorial role, Richmond Art Gallery director Shaun Dacey started his career in galleries in Ontario. In 2002, Dacey earned his bachelor’s degree in art history from the University of Toronto and, in 2010, his master’s degree in critical and curatorial studies from the University of British Columbia.
Before grad school, however, Dacey volunteered at exhibitions and museums and worked for a time as a receptionist at Oakville Galleries in Ontario.
“A lot of my early years of experience came from doing things for free: volunteering, working with friends to develop independent curatorial projects, doing shows in windows spaces on Queen Street in Toronto, and just creating opportunities for myself and meeting new people,” says Dacey. “Aside from the soft skills I learned in university, I would say the big part of picking up skills for me was through jobs outside school.”
These experiences allowed him to acquire expertise “beyond academia,” he says. The various positions helped him hone his skills and deepen his understanding of what it means to work in the arts.
“Many people do their undergrad and go straight into grad school, so you're in school for about eight or 10 years. You need to gain experience running a small gallery with no budget, dealing with the public, or dealing with the day-to-day budget,” says Dacey.
“It's good to find a balance between the academic side that can open doors for you and picking up those other skills in the real world.”
Similarly, Klak asserts that gaining hands-on experience — her internship and diploma practicums — gave her the tools and network that became pivotal for landing a career-related job. “My diploma gave me the skills to grant writing, work in fund development and art programming,” she says.
According to a report by UNESCO, the pandemic eliminated 10 million jobs in 2020, including a sharp downturn in the creative sector. But as the economy recovers, opportunities arise for art graduates. Based on the assessment of projected labour market conditions by the Government of Canada’s Canadian Occupational Projection System (COPS), it is estimated that there will be 44,500 job vacancies for 37,100 applicants, including musicians and singers, dancers, actors and comedians, painters, sculptors, and other visual artist in Canada from 2022 to 2031.
“As job openings and job seekers are projected to be at relatively similar levels over the 2022-2031 period, the balance between labour supply and demand seen in recent years is expected to continue over the projection period,” says COPS in its report.
As technology becomes increasingly ingrained in society and daily life, career options that blend innovation, art, and design, such as video game designers, product designers, user experience (UX) designers and animators, will continue to be important. These careers require an art graduate’s skills and education.
But Dacey advises art students to “not wait around.”
“If you want to be an artist, you should not wait for the institutions to find you,” says Dacey.
“So it's a mix of putting yourself out there, applying for things, getting used to rejection, which happens so much, but also not waiting around, finding your people, finding your community, and doing things on your own.”
For Dacey, the ability to follow your passion makes an art degree worth it.
And passion has helped Klak pave her own path to success.
Throughout her career, Klak received many questions about her degree’s practicality. But she didn't see the value in going to school to study something that she didn’t enjoy.
“I was very determined to work in the arts and to be able to make a living in the arts,” says Klak. “There are many different avenues that you can explore.”
Klak found a career-related visual arts job. So did Dacey — and you can, too. ■
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