Explore career options in contemporary Australian Indigenous art, visual arts and photography
Here you can find information on the types of careers and employment roles your studies in visual arts may land you.
You can also discover where to look for job vacancies, as well as professional associations, mentoring and international opportunities.
Opportunities
The Bachelor of Contemporary Australian Indigenous Art prepares Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to become professional artists and offers majors in Indigenous studio practice, painting, photography and sculpture. Students will graduate with a folio of work that demonstrates their competence in Indigenous and non-Indigenous knowledge, skills and media, and in contemporary technologies. Students will have gained the necessary skills to perform effectively in professional contemporary art practice environments and will be prepared to work as an art practitioner, gallerist or curator. Graduates may choose to continue their studies through honours or a postgraduate degree to pursue a career in art education.
A degree in visual arts equips students with historical, theoretical and practical knowledge to begin a career in the visual arts, either in Australia or internationally. This studio-first degree offers majors in painting; sculpture performance and installation; and, photography. Graduates will be skilled communicators and collaborators, able to innovate and express their ideas in a range of diverse environments where knowledge of visual and creative art practices is vital to a thriving sector. The Bachelor of Visual Arts also serves as the foundation for further studies in education, research or professional practice.
Career fields
- Arts and recreation services
- Public administration and safety
- Education and training
- Non-Government organisations
- Primary and secondary schools
- Government (local/state/federal)
- Libraries
- Media organisations
- Fine art valuations/appraisal
- Textile and surface design
- Freelance
- Universities
- Museums
- Galleries
Employment roles
- Gallery director
- Professional artist
- Curator
- Educator
- Cultural development officer
- Community arts worker
- Heritage or festival project officer
- Creative consultant
- Installation artist
- Public artist
- Arts researcher
- Artistic director
- Media producer
- Arts writer
- Gallery assistant
- Arts administrator
- Photographer
- Illustrator
- Visual arts technician
- Theatrical scenic or prop designer
- Art therapist*
*Denotes further study maybe required.
Freelancing
Financial management and networking are important aspects of freelancing.
If you are considering freelancing, you may benefit from the services and advice of these organisations:
- Australian Business Register
- business.gov.au
- Business Queensland
- Small Enterprise Association of Australia and New Zealand
- Freeline
Occupation snapshot
Employed
12,500
Annual growth
400
Weekly earnings
$863
Part-time share
57%
This data is based on the occupation profile for visual arts and crafts professionals, retrieved from the Government's Jobs and Skills Australia and YourCareer websites August 2024.
Your employability
In addition to knowledge and skills directly related to your program of study, you will also develop a range of other skills such as teamwork, analytical, communication through academic study, employment, voluntary work, sporting and recreational activities and life experience.
Recognising the value employers place on these skills is an important factor in your graduate job search. You can further develop your employability with these resources:
Vacancies
Information on relevant vacancies can be found in a wide range of sources:
- CareerHub
- Seek
- ArtsHub
- Museums & Galleries Queensland
- Queensland Government Jobs
- NSW Government jobs
- Australian Museums and Galleries Association
- National Association for the Visual Arts
- Creative Australia
- Australian Public Service Jobs
- Australian Local Government Directory
- Adzuna
- Flying Arts
- The Artist’s Career
- Fstoppers
- Careers in Art
- 150+ Arts Careers
- Creative Professional Associations
Notable alumnus: Benjamin Werner
From dropping out of high school and working as a labourer, to communicating complex scientific concepts through his art and leading his own international arts company, Benjamin Werner has found his circuitous path to success.
Benjamin was the 2019 Artist In Residence of the Science Mural Project and his enormous painting synthesises science with art.
Job application resources
Craft a stand-out resume and cover letter, and learn how to prepare for job interviews.
Approach potential employers
Many work opportunities are not advertised, so we recommend approaching potential employers with the aim of researching their needs and how your skills, experience, interests and qualifications could match theirs.
This is called informational interviewing and will benefit you by:
- clarifying your specific career direction
- enhancing your professional network
- increasing your chances of being offered a job.
Industry outlook
The Your Career website includes helpful information such as job descriptions, employment prospects, average weekly earnings and skills requirements. Every job title in the database has a skills section to help you identify and describe essential skills for your future career.
The My Future website also has job descriptions and a useful career insight section.
The Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching website has up-to-date information on graduate salaries, especially the Graduate Outlook Survey (GOS) National Report, which contains undergraduate salary figures.
More detailed information is available at the Labour Market Insights portal.
Professional associations
Joining a professional association is a great way to interact with people in your field who can assist you to explore your career options and potentially find employment opportunities. These associations hold regular professional development and networking events:
- Flying Arts
- National Association for the Visual Arts
- Art Association of Australia & New Zealand
- Aboriginal Art Association of Australia
- Indigenous Art Code
- Arts Education Australia
- Australian Photographic Society
- Australian Institute of Professional Photographers
- Australian Watercolour Institute
Students are welcome to join and often receive a discount on their membership.
Mentoring
The award-winning Industry Mentoring Program provides an excellent opportunity to further develop your employability and build professional networks.
The program is available to students with more than 80CP as well as recent graduates.
Sustainable Development Goals
Griffith University is committed to advancing sustainable development through comprehensive initiatives that promote economic prosperity, social inclusion, environmental sustainability and good governance for all.
Further careers information
Careers counselling
Individual career counselling sessions are available to all current students and recent graduates.
You can book an initial appointment via CareerHub.
Career planning
Our website has an array of career planning resources you can explore at any stage of your student journey.
Career Readiness
Check out our Career Readiness site in Learning@Griffith for additional information and resources for your career development learning:
Please note: The content on this webpage is a guide only. Please refer to degree-specific information and accreditation requirements of your profession on the Degree and Course Finder website and with the relevant professional accreditation body for your degree.