If you have self-belief, good communication and visual skills, then working in a commercial gallery is the right option, says Ashwani Kumar Prithviwasi
Are you are planning to paint your career with colours? If yes, then you must pursue a degree in Fine Arts. Visualising your future as a commercial gallery manager would be the best idea to enhance the glory of your future. Commercial gallery manager is someone, who manages the art gallery, organises art events, and look after the sales and marketing of the art gallery, by collaborating with the artists and the dealers. Art gallery manager selects the piece of art from different artists to intensify his gallery.
This profession is for someone who has the passion to paint their imaginations with colours and who have the talent to pen down their creativity in the best possible way. One should also have better skills in accounts, sales, marketing and presentation. You may own your personal gallery or you can work for the gallery director. In both the cases, your responsibility will be to take care of the success of the artist and the commercial success of the gallery.
Responsibilities
If you love to play with colours and like to spread those colors to paint and beautify your career and have skills to bear responsibilities then the profession of gallery manager suites you. There are different types of roles and responsibilities for a gallery manager. He has to look after all the ups and downs happening in the gallery. He looks after all the monetary related issues like income, expenditure, profit and loss, selects artwork, plans, present, and publicise piece of arts in exhibitions, manages public relations, works with different artists, built good relationships with other artists working under same umbrella and keeps himself up to date with the latest trends in the market.
Qualification
A person from any stream having knowledge of arts, about the history of arts, or business can become an art gallery manager. Knowledge as well as proper training both are important in this field. In this age of knowledge, a degree in the concerned field is important and beneficial. One can have the degree and certificate from any reputed college or institution of art to add stars in his/her work profile. One can do BFA (Bachelor Of Fine Arts) after Class XII for heading a step forward towards becoming gallery manager. After doing MFA (Masters of Fine Arts) one can see himself as a gallery manager.
While beginning your career, for learning new art skills, maybe you will not be paid for few days, but that skill and training will pay you off in future by adding sparkles in your career with the contacts you made and skills you learned.
Skills Required
Someone having a special interest in art and history of art can become a gallery manager. A person having creativity in blood and innovation in mind can be a perfect art gallery manager. Management skills, as well as the notion of developing good relations with artists and clients, are also important for an art gallery manager. An art gallery manager should be up-to-date with the ongoing trend of the market so that he can keep the gallery on the top.
Remuneration
In this field of creativity, one can earn a salary according to their experience and creativity. In the first stage of your job you may not get a hand full of salary, but as soon you get experience, enhance your creative skills, learn market techniques your can blaze like stars with handsome salary. The minimum salary of an art gallery manager can be Rs 10 lakh. After experience and promotion, one can earn more.
The writer is director,Delhi College of Art