I'm trying to ease myself in gently
with this blog, so lets start with the basics! The arts industry
often has a glamorous reputation. Exciting shows, star performers,
big venues, bigger parties. The fact is, like a lot of other things,
it is also hard work.
Many people working in arts management
have found their way to the top by starting at the bottom, but there
seems to be an increasing number of arts management university
graduates who are hoping their qualifications will fast track them
into plum roles in the industry.
The reality is that no qualification in
arts management is going to get your foot in the door if you have no
relevant work experience. Personally, I studied for my Masters degree
while I was already working in the industry. This meant that not only
was my employer getting an increasingly skilled employee, but I was
also able to use problems at work as case studies (and get help in
solving them!).
In the arts there is a real chicken and
egg situation regarding getting work when you haven't done any work
(even as a graduate). However, there is a way around this, in my home
city of Melbourne at least. Melbourne is home to scores of festivals
and hundreds of arts venues. Many of them have volunteer
opportunities which should not be underestimated for their potential
to help you get your foot in the door. Festivals are good because
they only run for a couple of weeks at most, so you're not signing
your life away to work for nothing indefinitely. And, you generally
get to see a heap of free shows, so there are some advantages too.
The sort of skills you are likely to
learn include front of house, box office and ticketing, event
management and marketing.
I know several people who have gone on
to get paid employment with organisations they have previously
volunteered for – even someone who ended up as a General Manager
for one of these festivals.
My top three tips for the best festival
volunteer programs in Melbourne are:
No comments:
Post a Comment