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Home › Prospective Students › Careers in Art

Careers in Art

WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH AN ART MAJOR?

I can’t tell you how often I get this question. It is passion that draws us to the arts, and those who know that passion can’t imagine a world without it. However, the desire to pursue an education in the arts is often tempered by practical considerations. Images of the artist as isolated and destitute permeate our culture, and so it is hard to overcome the anxiety that this is what awaits us upon graduation.

However, there is good news! Despite what the cliches suggest, the data shows that those who pursue a major in the arts fare quite well. Their unemployment rate is almost the same as the average for those with a college education (about 4% — much lower than those without a college degree), and, what’s more interesting, their satisfaction with the careers they’ve chosen tends to be higher than those those from other majors.

Graduates from the School of Art here have gone onto a range of prominent careers. Below are a few examples.

However, it is worth keeping in mind that art majors acquire a set of highly desirable skills even if they move into a career outside the arts. For example, a prowess with visual communication (we live in a world where image is everything), creative problem solving, critical thinking, dealing effectively with ambiguity, problem solving through experimentation, inventing new ways to work within existing systems. In short, art majors possess the ability to take any given situation and look at it not for what it is, but what it could be. Any employer would put these qualities high on a list of things they look for in an employee, and these are all things that come second-nature to a student in the arts. In fact, in a recent survey of 1500 CEOs that was conducted by IBM, creativity was ranked as the #1 quality needed for successful leadership. Who better understands creativity than art majors?

Thus, it is no surprise to learn that our graduates have seen great success in careers outside the arts as well as inside.

So when asked what you can do with an art major, the true answer is simple: anything you want.
– Colin Blakely, Director, School of Art

Jobs in the arts our alumni hold:

  • Art Director/Coordinator
  • K-12 Art Teacher
  • Art History Educator
  • Visual Arts Educator
  • Exhibition Curator
  • Freelance Artist
  • Freelance Designer
  • Freelance Illustrator
  • Interior Designer
  • Marketing Communications Manager
  • Multimedia Specialist
  • Marketing Communications Manager
  • Museum Education Specialist
  • Museum Director
  • Museum Registrar
  • Museum Preparator
  • Photographer
  • Photography Technician
  • Strategic Design Manager
  • Tattoo Artist
  • Videographer

Jobs outside the arts our alumni hold:

  • Editorial Assistant
  • Event Planner
  • Forester
  • Freelance Writer
  • Lawyer
  • Merchandising Specialist
  • Office Manager
  • Sales Professional
  • Software Developer
  • Summer Camp Director
  • Talent Agent
  • Technical Publications Specialist
  • University Administrator
  • Web Developer

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University of Arizona School of Art
1 day ago
University of Arizona School of Art

Our final VASE lecture of the spring will feature artist Walid Raad on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at the Center for Creative Photography. Details: vase.art.arizona.edu/walid-raad/

Arizona Arts The University of Arizona
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Our final VASE lecture of the spring will feature artist Walid Raad on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at the Center for Creative Photography. Details: https://vase.art.arizona.edu/walid-raad/ 

Arizona Arts The University of Arizona
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University of Arizona School of Art
2 days ago
University of Arizona School of Art

Regents Professor Sama Alshaibi presented to a packed house Saturday in Denver as the closing speaker for the Society for Photographic Education (SPE) Conference. The day before, speakers Clare Benson (MFA ’13), Tomiko Jones (MFA ’08) and Kaitlyn Jo Smith (MFA '20) and more alums joined Sama and Prof. Martina Shenal, grad student Nathan Cordova and others at Henry's Tavern for a reunion get-together! tinyurl.com/4p6bywwe

Arizona Arts The University of Arizona Society for Photographic Education
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Regents Professor Sama Alshaibi presented to a packed house Saturday in Denver as the closing speaker for the Society for Photographic Education (SPE) Conference. The day before, speakers Clare Benson (MFA ’13), Tomiko Jones (MFA ’08) and Kaitlyn Jo Smith (MFA 20) and more alums joined Sama and Prof. Martina Shenal, grad student Nathan Cordova and others at Henrys Tavern for a reunion get-together! https://tinyurl.com/4p6bywwe

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University of Arizona School of Art
4 days ago
University of Arizona School of Art

Ph.D. student Sedona Heidinger was among six presenters at today's "Collective" Art History Symposium at the University of Arizona Museum of Art. Other speakers were Barbie Kim, Bentley Brown, Shen Qu, Gabriel Quick and Dr. Gregory Sholette (keynote). Director Colin Blakely opened the event, which also included a Collective exhibition at the Palo Verde Gallery (Grad Studios). Go to tinyurl.com/2p9eeshm for more details. Congrats to the School of Art's Graduate Council and Art History Graduate Student Association for organizing the symposium and exhibition! Arizona Arts The University of Arizona ... See MoreSee Less

Ph.D. student Sedona Heidinger was among six presenters at todays Collective Art History Symposium at the University of Arizona Museum of Art. Other speakers were Barbie Kim, Bentley Brown, Shen Qu, Gabriel Quick and Dr. Gregory Sholette (keynote). Director Colin Blakely opened the event, which also included a Collective exhibition at the Palo Verde Gallery (Grad Studios). Go to https://tinyurl.com/2p9eeshm for more details. Congrats to the School of Arts Graduate Council and Art History Graduate Student Association for organizing the symposium and exhibition! Arizona Arts The University of ArizonaImage attachmentImage attachment
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University of Arizona School of Art
4 days ago
University of Arizona School of Art

Hooray to all our undergrads who presented their work at yesterday's BFA and UAUA exhibition reception at the Gross and Rombach galleries. And special thanks to Gallery Director lydia see! UAUA runs until March 24, and BFA ends April 3, so there's still time to see the shows! Arizona Arts The University of Arizona University of Arizona Museum of Art ... See MoreSee Less

Hooray to all our undergrads who presented their work at yesterdays BFA and UAUA exhibition reception at the Gross and Rombach galleries. And special thanks to Gallery Director lydia see! UAUA runs until March 24, and BFA ends April 3, so theres still time to see the shows! Arizona Arts The University of Arizona University of Arizona Museum of ArtImage attachmentImage attachment+Image attachment
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University of Arizona School of Art
5 days ago
University of Arizona School of Art

Art History Prof. Sarah Moore is a board member of the Institute for the Study of International Expositions (ISIE), which is holding its second annual online symposium March 23-24.

Moore will chair one of the sessions at the event, which features academic papers and top designers involved in exposition design. ISIE is the brainchild of UA Architectural History Prof. Lisa Schrenk.

Register by March 22 at shorturl.at/orwHV. Go to www.isie-global.org/ for the panel schedule and more info.

Arizona Arts The University of Arizona UA College of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape Architecture ISIE_Global
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Art History Prof. Sarah Moore is a board member of the Institute for the Study of International Expositions (ISIE), which is holding its second annual online symposium March 23-24. 

Moore will chair one of the sessions at the event, which features academic papers and top designers involved in exposition design. ISIE is the brainchild of UA Architectural History Prof. Lisa Schrenk.

Register by March 22 at shorturl.at/orwHV. Go to https://www.isie-global.org/ for the panel schedule and more info. 

Arizona Arts The University of Arizona UA College of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape Architecture ISIE_Global
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University of Arizona School of Art
5 days ago
University of Arizona School of Art

Read our March newsletter! ... See MoreSee Less

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SOA newsletter: Prestigious fellowships, Walton's chair and more!

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Newsletter March 2023 March 2023 Saracino receives prestigious fellowship Art History prof to work on 1st book manuscript at Huntington Library Jennifer Saracino spoke at Chicago's Newberry Library in
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