If you’re one of those people with a shining creative streak, you have found yourself wondering if a creative career might be the better option. If so, you’re not alone. Us creative-freaks love honing our crafts. Thanks to the era of the internet, there’s a career option for the musician, artist, painter, decorator, dancer, and writer in you. Just love going to museums and art galleries and looking at painting for hours? Make a career out of it.
Not everyone can decode Monet’s Impressionism or Picasso’s Surrealism. But if you can, you might be cut out to become an art curator.
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The art of art curation
As the name suggests, an art curator curates art for a living. They are responsible for assembling, cataloguing, managing and presenting or even displaying artistic and cultural collections. They are involved in buying exhibits, organising exhibitions, arranging restoration of artefacts, identifying and recording items.
The career scope as an art curator is wide and expansive. You could work in an independent capacity, or with a museum, an art gallery, exhibitions and associations. Your service can also come handy for someone trying to do a space of their own.
If you’re looking to become an art curator in India, management and research skills can come in handy. If you’re good at fundraising and communication, you can set up your own brand very easily. Naturally, you also need to stay updated with current trends, as well as be fluent with your art-related history.
Becoming an art curator
There are more than one pathways to becoming a curator in India. Since it’s a creative field, you can start with a basic internship after college and work your way up. But here’s one that we think could set you on the best track.
Step 1: Finish your schooling with Arts as major if applicable.
Step 2: Pursue an undergraduate degree in any of these areas: Fine Arts, Visual Art, History of Art, Studio Art, Art History. This will help you build a base if you want to work in art galleries and exhibitions.
You can pursue Sociology, Anthropology, Liberal Arts, or Museum Studies if you want to work in museums instead.
If modern and digital art is your calling, Visual communication, Digital art and design, and Photography should be your picks.
Step 3: Get a master’s degree in a discipline you want to specialize in. While you can branch into any field after completing your undergraduate degree, a master’s will help you attain a more solid position in a specified field. You can also use your advanced knowledge to coach others or provide freelance consultations.
Step 4: Get an entry-level position in a museum or art gallery. The key is to start slow so you can learn on the field as much as possible.
Step 5: Learn on the job, gain experience and build connections in the industry. This field is all about building connections with the right people. The more people get to know you, the bigger your personal brand becomes.
Step 6: Network at events and explore freelance opportunities
As you’ll continue to perfect your talent, you’ll switch positions, organisations and might reach a crossroads to start your own personal brand or continue to work for others in a senior position.
You should focus on your personal brand regardless of whether you have a stable job or not.
Step 7: Set up a blog, Instagram profile or YouTube channel, where you can create content around your expertise and educate others as well. Having a social media presence is integral to creating your personal brand.
This allows you to be positioned as a thought leader or industry expert, which will in turn help you get more work opportunities with potential clients or even big brands who’ll reward you for collaborating.
Money talks
Here’s how much the career pays for taking all the pains.
At an entry-level, you’ll start off on a lower salary or a stipend of around 10,000 – 15,000 per month.
As you progress to a junior level, with an experience of 2-4 years, you may start earning around Rs.25,000 – 30,000 per month or even more.
At middle-level, you may earn around Rs.80,000 – 1,25,000 per month.
And at senior- level, you may earn around Rs.95,000 – 2,00,000 per month or even more.
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