This is Depressing
Did anyone else see the article in the New York Times this morning? As someone thinking about the prospect of finding a job in the art world in May, I certainly did…and now I’m depressed. It seems to be increasingly difficult for overly qualified men and women (who are, by the by, willing to be way underpaid for overworking) to find jobs in the arts.
While the woman profiled in the piece, Nicola Vassell, has a pretty cushy job at the Deitch Projects, the article recommends that there is little help for the rest of us.
Somehow, this is what the NY Times editors think is advice:
“A tumbling stock market and cascading problems on Wall Street had made buyers scarce, as the contemporary art world pondered the impact of broader economic woes. Ms. Vassell, a former model and a Jamaican immigrant, found herself facing the question of how to build a career in a suddenly contracting industry.
There is no single tried-and-true path to the gallery door. In interviews, dealers, curators, museum directors and others say that many successful dealers have had a mentor, academic credentials, a passion for art, a head for business and high-gloss social skills for a world that marries the aesthetic and the commercial.”
There is little encouragement in the article - especially for those of us not 5’10” and practically perfect in every way. I’m finding that even a masters degree in a relevant field may not make it perfectly easy to find a paid job. Oh my.
Anyone else have words of encouragement (and I mean actual encouragement - not the kind that makes me wish I loved something else)? I need all I can get.
3 years ago | Tags: jobs, art world, New York Times former model
