A career in visual arts...

Visual arts careers can include all art forms that can be experienced through the sense of sight. These include painting, printmaking and photography. Works are put on display at museums, galleries and special exhibitions.

The visual arts market can be of two types – public, where people working in the sector focus on audience development, or private, where arts professionals and organisations work on making private sales.

As a result, people working in the visual arts sector are not all painters, artists or photographers. There are plenty of other roles including those for marketers, curators, sales specialists, academics and researchers.

The importance of visual arts

Figures from the Visual Arts and Galleries Association (VAGA), the professional membership organisation for people working in the visual arts, reveal that more than eight out of ten Britons feel that it is important for every town or city to have a local museum or art gallery.

VAGA statistics also show that the perception of young people being indifferent to visual arts is not necessarily correct – one-third of youngsters between the ages of 16 and 24 feel that public money being spent on local arts is too low and one-fifth feel the same way about public spending on arts at a national level.

'Across the UK galleries, museums and art organisations promote the best contemporary and modern art - capturing the imagination and touching lives in individual and diverse ways,' explains the organisation.

'Through exhibitions, collections, temporary projects, education and outreach programmes, biennials and artists interventions they offer enjoyment and opportunities for learning, inspiration, enquiry and reflection.'

The visual arts industry

Research by Creative & Cultural Skills, the sector skills council for the creative industries, shows that the visual arts industry contributes more than £2 billion to the British economy each year

More than 32,000 people work in the y over the last 20 years and artists are finding that there are now more opportunities for them and their work than ever before.

Figures from contemporary arts support organisatUK's 4,470 visual arts businesses, the data reveals, of which around three-quarters are micro-businesses (as they employ less than five people).

The visual arts industry has been growing steadilion a-n, published in 2007, reveal that job opportunities had increased by almost two-thirds (63 per cent) compared to two years before.

The study also found that three-quarters of work was paid and that the total value of work commissioned in 2007 was nearly £27 million - approximately three times the £8.7 million generated in 2005.

Working in visual arts

VAGA figures suggest that 40 per cent of artists and photographers live in London as the creative industries are the capital's third biggest employer, with one-fifth of London residents working in creative businesses.

However, visual arts careers are not limited to the capital and many arts practitioners prefer to live in the countryside where they can work in peace and quiet. Similarly, photographers also like to travel around the UK and internationally in order to discover subjects they find appealing.

As a result, careers in the visual arts are extremely flexible and artists can choose their own hours and place of work to fit in with their lifestyle and preferences.

Entry to the visual arts sector

'It is estimated that half of all visual artists are self-employed and that over 3,750 art and design graduates join the profession annually, saddled with their student debt,' explains a-n, citing a Warwick University research project.

'The opportunities for income earning appear to be relatively small when set against the size of the 'workforce' wishing to access them.'

However, steps are being taken to address the issue. In response to this research, Arts Council England  launched a ten-year strategy in 2006 to meet the needs of the visual arts workforce and strengthen the development of the sector.

The council said that proposals outlined in the Turning Point programme would figure in its plans for 2008-11.

'In the next three years, the work we will undertake includes developing a stronger infrastructure to support artists and arts organisations; encouraging growth of regional collections of contemporary art; creating a blueprint for developing sector skills; and building partnerships with a range of national bodies and our regularly funded organisations to maximise opportunities for everyone to experience great art,' said Arts Council England.

Many schools, colleges, universities and other training providers offer short and long courses in painting and photography. Conventional academic degrees are also available for people wishing to study the theories behind visual arts.

Qualified arts practitioners generally spend some time volunteering, either during their course or after, to gain experience of working in museums or galleries. Some established artists also offer shadowing programmes for aspiring professionals.