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Starting a Career in the Art World
Beginning a career in the art world is not always easy. Competition for roles is high and standing out from other candidates often involves going above and beyond to impress potential employers. From our own extensive experience in art world recruitment, we have gathered some…
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New York Pay Transparency Law
A quick note on New York pay transparency law, and what it means for your business. From November 1, employers in New York City with 4 or more employees (including independent contractors and owners) are required to disclose the minimum and maximum annual salary or…
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SML LAUNCHES NEW PHOTOGRAPHS COMMISSIONED FOR 20TH ANNIVERSARY: Q&A WITH PHOTOGRAPHER CHARLOTTE HART
We are delighted to unveil new photographs by Charlotte Hart, commissioned for SML’s 20th anniversary. Charlotte was the winner of the open call we launched earlier this year to commission new photographs in response to our brand and the theme of artistic creativity in the visual arts. We felt Charlotte’s work connected strongly with qualities we consider important at SML, including her focus on details and attention to nuance. Her reflective and contemplative photographs capture in-between moments – those that might otherwise be overlooked – and convey a thoughtful intentionality owing to her choice to often shoot on film, as she has in this new work.
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INTRODUCTION TO DEVELOPMENT IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR
More often associated with the public sector due to its greater dependence on fundraising, development is equally key to many commercial arts businesses as they seek to attract specific clients, audiences and patrons. For smaller companies, development is often part of the remit of sales or marketing teams (or both), but roles that are specifically focussed on development do exist in the commercial world, and mostly centre on identifying, engaging with, and securing the business of VIP clients.
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INTRODUCTION TO DEVELOPMENT IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR
For many, the public sector represents the art world at its best: the highest standard of artworks in terms of quality and provenance, exhibition programmes of international note, and the work of world-renowned artists, curators and experts brought together in an accessible and affordable public format. If the essential emphasis of commercial art business is sales, its counterpart in the public sector is development. This week, we consider the various fundraising channels available to public arts organisations, and the roles available to those seeking a career in institutional development.
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INTRODUCTION TO ART AND ECOMMERCE
As the millennial generation begins to overtake the baby boomers, art businesses are reorienting their commercial strategies to target a client base accustomed to digital technologies. Previous concerns that a product category so dependent on visual experience would fail to translate into online sales have diminished as statistics have proven otherwise: according to a 2019 report, 93% of HNW millennials have bought art online; and even the most old-school of art businesses are establishing a digital presence thanks to the range of platforms now available.
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INTRODUCTION TO THE ART ADVISOR
Recent years have seen a broader role assigned to the highest level of advisors as UHNWI collectors seek advice not only in regard to buying and selling, but in navigating the complex nancial and legal implications of high-value estates and increasingly restricted access to top-draw artworks.
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INTRODUCTION TO ART FAIRS
Art fairs have come to define the seasons of the international market and dictate the diaries of most working within it. While a small handful of the longest-standing and most renowned of these fairs continues to dominate, in recent years there has been an efflorescence of smaller and satellite fairs catering to new and niche markets and providing a growing sector of employment within the art world. The bigger fairs are high-profile events with the power to corral the most esteemed artists, artworks, gallerists and collectors, and it is little wonder that the prospect of working for an art fair has great appeal.
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INTRODUCTION TO Sales Within Galleries – The Art of Selling Art
Selling art is perhaps the most glamorous and illustrious career in the art world, and is for many the ultimate profession. The sale of art is, of course, the essential business of the industry and depends on a curious balance of the various values ascribed to an artwork – a luxury asset, a source of cultural capital, an artefact of historical importance, and an object of aesthetic brilliance. As a role requiring a profound understanding of these values, and of the desires of an elite international market, it is no wonder that the selling of art is considered complex and delicate, involving its own form of artistry.
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Introduction to Assisting and Supporting Roles
Commonly considered low-status and admin-heavy, combining monotony with high pressure, assisting and supporting roles are all too often unrecognised for their potential as valuable and strategic platforms from which to build a career in the art world. For some, assisting roles are a stepping-stone into a more senior or more specialised role, whilst for others, they can be the basis of a long and fruitful career in executive management. In this blog, we look beyond the Devil Wears Prada stereotype and consider the reality of PA and EA roles in the art world.
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INTRODUCTION TO ART SHIPPING AND LOGISTICS
This week we take a look into the mysterious world of art shipping – the behind-the- scenes industry that underpins an ever-more international art market. With reference both to positions within artist logistics companies and in-house registrar roles, we explore the key issues involved in transporting artworks, how these issues are navigated, and what the future may hold for the movement of art in and out of the UK in uncertain political times.
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INTRODUCTION TO WORKING WITH ARTISTS PART 2: IN THE GALLERY
In the second part of our look at positions that involve working closely alongside artists, we consider the role of the Artist Liaison within a contemporary gallery, and how it navigates between the spaces of creation and commerce. For a commercial gallery dealing in contemporary…
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INTRODUCTION TO WORKING WITH ARTISTS PART 1: WITHIN THE STUDIO
For many in the art world, a key attraction is the possibility of working closely alongside artists and within touching distance of new artworks as they take form. Yet this proximity – and indeed any chance of using one’s own artistic creativity – is something that is not always offered by a career in the commercial art world. In the first of this series focusing on working with artists, Elizabeth looks at careers within the artist studio itself.
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INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNICATIONS JOBS IN THE ART WORLD
As the art market’s leading search firm, we are often asked about the status of the employment market and the different career paths available. In this new blog, Consultant Elizabeth Yarlott explores some of the key issues, trends and changes taking place in the industry, and how these effect the nature and availability of arts jobs. In this first issue, she discusses the increasing emphasis on PR in the art market.
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Resources
On this page you can find our latest news. For those wanting to learn more about the art sector, we also share our insights after 20 years in the business, through in-depth articles on topics ranging from art and e-commerce to the rise of the art advisor.
