It's often said that one must suffer for one's art and, for aspiring artists, a spell of pennilessness after graduating has historically been de rigueur. This is as true today as ever, shown not only by the fact that 10.7% of 2008 fine art graduates were unemployed after leaving university (see graphic), but also by the high proportion listing catering or retail work as their primary occupation.
On the bright side, in between the waiting shifts you'll have plenty of time to polish your artistic skills and cultivate a brooding sense of existential angst. Just remember to take the long view; while arts funding will be scarce in the coming years, recessions have historically allowed creativity to flourish, as fine art graduates of the late 80s and early 90s, such as Damien Hirst (pictured) showed.
As our data also shows, fine art graduates splinter off into a broad range of career directions, from teaching to management to media and advertising.
What skills have you gained?
First and foremost you should have begun accumulating a hefty portfolio of work with which to showcase your technical and creative talents. The theoretical side of your degree should enable you to put your work into proper context, explaining your influences, the reasoning behind your choice of subjects and why you used certain materials.
Art is often a solitary pursuit so you should also have a good idea of how to motivate yourself and research ideas, materials and equipment.
What jobs can you do?
"Fine art graduates often specialise in a particular form of art such as painting, drawing, installations, sculpture or printmaking but finding regular work or a permanent job as an artist is not easy and for some, self-employment, short-term residencies or commissions are the main career opportunities," says Margaret Holbrough, careers adviser at Graduate Prospects. It can take time to establish yourself as an artist while building up a credible portfolio.
The creative arts sector has more to offer though and roles in art galleries and museums, theatre, film and crafts would be suited to fine art graduates.
Holbrough points out that in business, the artistic flair of fine art graduates is also recognised in roles where the visual image is paramount, such as advertising and marketing, exhibition design, publishing and illustrating.
"Teaching, art therapy and working for community arts projects offer more socially and educationally focused careers, plus arts administration and management would give an alternative perspective to the arts," she says.
Postgraduate study?
More than 12% of 2008 fine art graduates went on to further study, many taking master's courses to specialise in particular areas of art. Shorter courses specialising in certain related aptitudes, such as smithing, are also popular. A significant proportion go on to take a Postgraduate Certificate of Education, qualifying them to teach art in schools.
Data supplied by the Higher Education Careers Services Unit and Graduate Prospects
The arts industry is an exciting and vibrant sector where organisations are looking for graduates who can bring creative flair and innovative ideas. Our Art courses allow you to develop your artistic practice and critical thinking, alongside gaining transferable skills like problem-solving and self-management. With this broad range of skills it’s no surprise that our graduates go on to pursue such diverse careers!
Wondering what kind of job you could do with an Art degree? Our BA Fine Art and BA Art and Design courses set you up for a professional role within the arts and beyond. With the opportunity to gain valuable industry experience through our partner organisations, you’ll be ready to embark on an exciting career after graduation. Here are just a few examples of where an Art degree could take you.
Freelance Artistry or Design
Our Art degrees allow you to acquire practical artistic skills in order to develop your creative practice and promote your own work. More and more people are developing portfolio careers as freelance creatives where these skills are vital. As a Freelance Artist or Designer you would design and deliver proposals for a variety of opportunities, including collaborating with a range of other creative practitioners. Through freelance work you can have a diverse career, developing ideas for products, exhibitions, performances and publications, as well as having the opportunity to work internationally for a variety of organisations and individuals.
With an Art degree you can become a Freelance Community Artist, Freelance Digital Content Creator, Freelance Digital Storyteller, Freelance Immersive Story Developer, Freelance Practicing Artist, Freelance Technical Artist and Freelance Web Designer.
Curation
At Birmingham School of Art you will have the opportunity to acquire valuable curative experience, learning how to facilitate the exhibition of art in museums and galleries. This can lead to a career as a Curator, where you would collaborate with makers, enabling them to create the best work they can. As a Curator you would be responsible for interpreting the artist's work to a broad audience in a thoughtful way. You could be employed by a museum or gallery to look after a collection of existing works or commission new work, but could also work on a freelance basis with artists and designers to propose exhibitions for venues.
With an Art degree you can become an Art Consultant, Art Director, Art Handler, Curator, Exhibition Organiser and Gallery Manager.
Education
You could also go on to pursue further education for yourself or follow a career in the Arts Education industry. This is a popular career path for graduates, but not just within primary or secondary school teaching. If you choose to go into this field you could work for art galleries and museums, designing and delivering educational programmes suitable for diverse audiences. As an Educator, you might decide to work on a freelance basis, delivering lessons and workshops within arts and non-arts settings. There is also the opportunity to work outside of creative disciplines for organisations like the HM prison service or the NHS to design and deliver educational content.
With an Art degree you can become a Gallery Education Co-ordinator, Freelance Educator, Further Study (MA, PhD, PGCE), Primary or Secondary Educator and Lecturer.
Writing
Our Art degrees don’t just develop your artistic practice, but also teach research and written communication skills which enable you to communicate thoughts and ideas effectively. Our courses encourage you to establish different writing techniques so that you can then go on to pursue careers in creative or academic writing if desired. For example, you might work as a journalist within the arts, producing articles about contemporary art and design or reviewing exhibitions, publications and products. Every exhibition, workshop and performance requires written copy, such as press releases and visitor guides, which you could also work to produce.
With an Art degree you can become a Copywriter, Freelance Writer, Journalist and Researcher.
Other creative industry work
You will gain lots of transferable skills suitable for employment in a diverse range of careers within the creative industries and beyond. Recent graduates have developed their making skills to become fabricators for other artists and designers, as well as architects and domestic clients. Others have gained graduate placements at broadcasters such as the BBC, worked in marketing and PR or undertaken further training to become art therapists within the NHS. Some graduates have even established their own businesses, such as setting up their own graphic design studio.
Other careers you could pursue within the creative industries include Arts Administrator, Art Director, Community Artist, Consultant, Creative Director, Creative Production Manager, Digital Assistant, Digital Content Creator, Digital Marketer, Digital Storyteller, Entrepreneur, Producer, Social Media Manager, Technical Artist, Technical Assistant and Web Designer.
Graduate destinations
Amongst all of these career paths, our graduates have pursued careers and showcased their work with respected organisations such as Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, MK Gallery, Associated Architects, BBC, Cadbury, Channel 4, Fused, Games Faction, Saatchi & Saatchi, TBWA Worldwide, The Mill, TK Maxx and CBRE.
Some graduates have set up their own museums and galleries including The Lombard Method, Grand Union, Stryx and Ort Gallery.
Find out more about our courses Take me there Art Courses