Visual Arts Pathway
Why Choose A Career in Visual Arts?
Think Monet, Rembrandt and O’Keefe. Think about your art hanging in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Think pictures and design and people admiring your work. Think of a job as a graphic artist for a major magazine where you decide colors and style elements and you help choose which photo should grace the cover. Think about reviewing company web sites and taking charge on how to make them more user-friendly.
If you chose the Visual Arts Pathway you could find yourself drawing animations for the next Disney film, shooting photographs with the latest digital camera, operating movie cameras for the motion picture industry or using your creativity to design printed materials, newspapers, magazines and web sites.
If art is your world then this could be the pathway for you.
Are you a creative person with style and flair? Do your strengths lie in the technological end of the creative arts? Do you like to draw, snap pictures or mix music? Can you look at a picture or even an entire room and know instantly how to improve the way it looks?
Then consider a career as a fine artist, photographer, animator, camera operator, audio visual specialist or a floral, interior, fashion or graphic designer. Still not sure? Not to worry as there are more jobs focused on Visual Arts.
Pathway
For a plan of study that should serve as a general guide throughout your career path, see the Plan of Study.
- High School Expectations
- Find out what you need to be studying now. Information about earning college credit and career related learning experiences.
- Preparing for College
- How prepared are you? Learn about college expectations at PCC and beyond.
Occupations
Click on the occupations below and read the job description. You can also explore resources on the Oregon Labor Market Information System (OLMIS) website. Once at the website, click on the “full report” and view the employment outlook, current job openings, industry licensing information, wage information and skills employers want for specific occupations.
A strong education will help advance a student in any of the careers listed below for the Visual Arts Pathway. Many colleges and universities offer courses and degree programs related to these individual careers. There are many factors to consider to be successful as a fine artist. Education will help the artist grow within his or her craft. However, also to take into consideration is that talent, luck, knowing professionals in the field and even being in the right place at the right time all play a part in whether someone will find success in a fine arts career.
| Industry Specific Certificates, On the Job Training (OJT) | Associates Degree | Bachelor’s Degree | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fine Arts & Communications |
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| Design | |||
| Audio Visual & Multimedia |
Related Resources
- National Cartoonist Society - The National Cartoonists Society is the world's largest and most prestigious organization of professional cartoonists.
- American Institute of Graphic Artists - AIGA, the professional association for design, is the place design professionals turn to first to exchange ideas and information, participate in critical analysis and research and advance education and ethical practice.
- American Society of Interior Designers - ASID is a community of people—designers, industry representatives, educators and students—committed to interior design.
