Creative Careers - Arts Management
This Creative Careers instalment is all about Arts Management, featuring Arts Development Officer for West Northamptonshire, Sue Carverhill, and Arts Administrator, Sophie Wilson. Both are members of the Friends of the Heseltine Gallery Committee, Sue as Secretary and Sophie as Treasurer. Thank you, Sue and Sophie, for sharing your experiences and invaluable advice with us!
What has your career path been?
Sue: By the time I’d left Lancaster University with a BA Hons in Music with English as a second subject, I had a vague idea of working in arts administration. The journey began in a repertory theatre, then Guildford School of Acting & Dance administration, until landing my first job as an Arts Programmer at a lovely stately home in Northamptonshire. A few years of Local Authority arts work followed, including co-ordinating a wonderful Year of Dance in 1993, before I made a concerted effort to use my musical knowledge, first with Live Music Now! then Leicester International Music Festival and Northampton Festival, before returning to a Local Authority Arts Development role, which taps into all that previous experience, alongside freelance management of professional musicians.
Sophie: After graduating with a degree from University College London in Italian and History of Art, I worked in the box office at the Chichester Festival Theatre, rubbing shoulders with young luminaries such as Sam Mendes and Tom Hollander. I then got a job working with Sam Wanamaker at Shakespeare’s Globe, starting as his PA and moving onto organising high-profile fundraising events, where I met Hollywood film stars! This was followed by development management roles with the Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith and Rambert Dance Company, before I landed my dream job as Administrator at the Barber Institute of Fine Arts at the University of Birmingham. Uniquely, this was a role that required a degree in art history as well as fundraising and arts management skills.
Image supplied by Sue Carverhill
Why arts management?
Sue: Always fascinated by the connections between the performing, visual and literary arts, these interests were developed by tutors and friends at university. I prefer the freedom of an amateur music-maker, so rather than becoming a professional musician, it has been natural to enjoy and promote other people’s creativity. From the early days of being a member of an orchestra, choir or ensemble, I felt useful when helping with publicity or fixing players for concerts. These kinds of roles are important in both amateur and professional arts and I enjoy both. Arts practitioners rarely have the resources and skills to promote their own work, secure concerts, exhibitions and events, so it’s rewarding to be able to help, as well as looking out for new opportunities, making connections and nurturing ideas.
Sophie: I grew up loving theatre and art, so I guess it was inevitable that I would be drawn to a career in the performing and visual arts. My parents were a strong influence, taking me regularly to see plays and musicals at our local theatre. A seminal moment was seeing the comic actor, Alistair Sim, in a performance of Dandy Dick by Pinero when I was 10 years old. His antics reduced the audience to tears of helpless laughter and swept us away on a communal wave of complete and utter joy. It was my first experience of the powerful and magical connection between art and audiences. The person who inspired my love of art history was my A Level teacher, Ian Stuart Robertson, known to his adoring students as Daddy-O. He was very eccentric, but his knowledge and enthusiasm ignited a passion that shaped the rest of my academic and working life.
What do you find most fulfilling or challenging?
Fulfilling
Sue: When a project or event comes to fruition and is considered successful, over and above what it set out to achieve. An example of this is the development of South Northamptonshire Arts, which grew from a small group of artists tentatively hoping to have a local art trail into a strong, well organised and promoted organisation, currently planning the ninth Art Trail.
Sophie: The best thing is working with people who share your passion. I love the sense of community in arts organisations, which connects you to both colleagues and audiences and brings high levels of job satisfaction.
Challenging
Sue: Keeping up with the latest technology and trends in marketing and in recording, analysis and evaluation of data required to be able to access public funding. This has become a specialist skill in its own right.
Sophie: The low pay and lack of understanding shown by politicians and business leaders who don’t appreciate the contribution that the arts make to the economy and the well-being of society. The career ladder is also relatively short, particularly in small arts organisations, which means that opportunities for progression can be frustratingly limited; this applies both at the beginning and end of your career!
Image supplied by Sue Carverhill
What is your biggest achievement in your career so far?
Sue: Developing the programme of New Walk Museum lunchtime concerts and annual Leicester International Music Festival from classical chamber music concerts in the art gallery to encompass high quality world music and jazz plus community projects in venues around the city, working with partner organisations to develop the audience for multicultural music.
Sophie: The highlight of my early career was organising the UK Royal film premiere of Franco Zefferelli’s Hamlet at six weeks’ notice. The First Gulf War had just started, I was a complete novice and the manager at Odeon cinemas thought that it was doomed to failure! In fact, we raised £60,000 and could have sold every ticket twice over. I am also proud of the 24 years I spent working at the Barber Institute, developing the business plan, starting an exhibitions programme and doubling visitor numbers. More recently, I have enjoyed helping to relaunch the Heseltine Gallery as a community art hub. It is remarkable how much we have achieved as a small team of volunteers in such a short space of time.
What skills and qualities do you need to work in arts management?
Sue: Knowledge of a range of arts practices is useful as well as a specialism; ability to think outside the box and get round barriers; sufficient financial ability to understand and manage budgets; money is always a problem, so fund-raising is usually part of a management role too; marketing skills; listening skills, to interpret people’s ideas and what is needed to make something happen; patience – some ideas take a long time to materialise; resilience to cope with short-termism, underfunding, negative attitudes to the arts and frequent knock-backs; adaptability and flexibility.
Sophie: Above everything, you need great communication skills, both written and verbal. It doesn’t matter what role you take up in arts management, you will need to be able to express yourself clearly, concisely and accurately and to be an enthusiastic advocate for your artform. In terms of personal qualities, it helps to be open and enquiring and ready to engage with new ideas; also, imaginative and resourceful and able to achieve great things with little or no budget!
Image supplied by Sue Carverhill
What advice would you give to someone interested in this career?
Sue: Explore many aspects of the arts to discover what really excites you, whilst accepting that you will need training in management and administration skills that you won’t learn at school. There are many courses available now and plenty of opportunities for useful placements or even apprenticeships. Volunteer to help with any organisation that will build your skill-base, even if not specific to arts. Work in arts administration has many options and is very varied – it’s useful to build up a mixed portfolio and be able to work freelance, rather than expecting to get a full-time job in the arts. Also, build your personal contacts with every job and project you work on, you never know who you might link up with again.
Sophie: To start, you need a passion for the arts, supported by a vocational or academic qualification in a relevant subject, preferably at degree level. Alongside this, you need to get as much practical work experience as possible, either through volunteering or casual work in entry-level roles, for example in sales or visitor services. There are postgraduate courses in arts management but having relevant work experience on your CV is arguably more valuable. Be proactive: contact arts organisations that you admire and ask about volunteering or work opportunities; if you don’t hear anything, try again – it pays to be persistent!
Why do you #LOVEArt?
“Like music, the visual arts can express much without words and elicit either an emotional response or make me ponder and wonder. I can happily spend hours looking at paintings, sculpture and crafts, fascinated by the skills involved and just enjoying anything that appeals.”
“For me, art is joy, connection and community. I can’t imagine life without it.”
Read more #LOVEArt blog features from ‘Creative Careers‘ & more here.