1. Employment Profile: What exactly does a n Assistant Gallery Directory do? |
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 What field is your job in?
Fine Arts
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What is your job title?
Assistant Gallery Directory
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Please provide a brief description of the firm or organization that you currently work for
(size and general description of what type of organization it is)
A large arts non-profit that runs a membership art gallery and an art school. The gallery hosts monthly juried shows available to members only, as well as opportunities for solo shows, workshops and critiques.
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How long have you been employed in this position?
3 months
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How many hours do you work a week on average?
42
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Please provide a BRIEF description of your duties and responsibilities. (job description)
As Assistant Director, I am expected to perform and be knowledgeable about all obligations of the Director, to be able to work in her absence and make decisions. As a non-profit membership gallery, we hope is to provide guidance to our emerging artists about moving forward in their careers. We also see that shows are juried and hung smoothly; provide feedback on artists' work from the jurors; and inform them of resources and opportunities. Due to our location, the gallery sees thousands of visitors per month. When visitors are interested in seeing more work by a particular artist, we work between the artist and potential client to hopefully produce a sale. Administrative tasks include membership database oversight and basic bookkeeping.
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What was your gross income last year? Please include any bonuses or incentives received.
12000
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What is your expected gross income for this year? Please include any bonuses or incentives you expect to receive.
22000
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Please
list any benefits you have (Please include number of weeks vacation,
sick leave and type of health insurance, retirement plan 401k)
Retirement plan 301b, HMO health insurance, 1 week sick leave and 1 week vacation (both paid) per year
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Do you feel you are under/well/over compensated at your current position?
Under
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2. Work environment! |
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Does
your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this
something you like/dislike about your job? Explain
Due to the large amount of visitors the gallery sees day to day, I am constantly answering questions, explaining artworks to people, and negotiating sales. Because we are a membership gallery (there are over 1000), we also deal with their questions about shows, submission requirements, and other such inquiries. I enjoy this aspect of my job because I enjoy helping artists move forward, and I also greatly enjoy negotiating sales and bringing visitors to see the value of purchasing pieces before them.
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Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes
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Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes
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Describe
your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what
you like/dislike about working in it
With some long-term projects, we work collaboratively on different aspects of them. The majority of our collaboration is talking about new marketing ideas or opportunities for artist members.
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Please rank in order of importance from 1-8 (1- most important 8- least important) Assign each number once.
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6 Income
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6 Work Environment - co-workers
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2 Work Environment - supervisors
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5 Benefits
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4 Hours
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1 Level of responsibility
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1 The actual "work" you do at your job
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2 Job Title
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3. How should someone new to the workforce get a J-O-B like yours? |
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If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
With both commercial and non-profit arts organizations, it is really important to do a lot of interning and in various positions. You want a well-rounded view of development, marketing and sales. You should also, obviously, have an art history background and have worked in at least one commercial gallery before getting a higher-level position like Assistant Director. It is also extremely important to have a finger on the pulse of the local art scene - to become familiar with the names of critics, newspapers, artists and the like, and the galleries in the area and the type of work they show.
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What
skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a
position like yours? Please be specific and explain why (e.g., social
skills, organization skills, technical skills)
You have to be willing to deal with people, but you also have to hold your own. When the gallery has certain rules or policies, you must not be afraid to stand up for them. You need critical reading skills to be able to evaluate critical writing on art, as well as great writing skills to help artists write and edit their professional materials like resumes and artist statements. You must ingenuity to find no- or low-cost marketing tools. You also need great social skills for networking and promoting the gallery and your artists convincingly by word of mouth.
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Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
BA in Art History or Studio Art (Art History is better) and varied experience in arts organizations; or MA Art History, Arts Administration
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What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Start by interning in a non-profit arts organization (performing or visual arts) - they always need the extra help. Marketing, I think, is one of the best places to start because it relates to every other department or position you will ever hold in these types of organizations.
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