Opportunities

Cultural Management

Introduction

Cultural management is a rewarding career with many opportunities and challenges. Using quizzes and interactive tools, this site will lead you to discover:

  • Whether a career in cultural management is for you
  • The skills you need to be a cultural manager
  • The multiple opportunities available in cultural management
  • Tools and tips for getting your ideal job

If you have a passion for the arts and a mind for organization a career in cultural management could be for you.

Table of Contents

Is a job in cultural management for you?

Are you interested in art, music, live performance, books, films, multimedia or heritage? Do you enjoy sharing your favourite music with friends, surfing the internet for the latest craze, going to a dance or theatre performance, visiting galleries and museums, or attending a concert? Is your life’s dream to manage a successful band, open an art gallery to show your friends’ work and maybe your own, develop a market for new animation features or computer games, or build a successful film studio?

Does art, culture or heritage feed your passion, yet you study or work in a completely different area? Do you like to get things going, or help a project reach a successful conclusion? Perhaps you are already practicing an art, but want – or need – to develop your skills on a different level. If you find that many of your interests, pleasures and passions focus on art and culture, then this exciting and dynamic field might be a great career path for you.

Career Audiences

University or high school student
A person who is enrolled in an educational institution such as a High School, College or University.

Artist or other cultural sector worker
Artist is a subjective term that describes a person that is creative and innovative in their work. Artist's often create one of a kind objects that communicate information concerning the creator and context. The artist's work show creativity and imagination.

Worker in transition from another sector
A transitional worker is person returning to the job market after time out for various reasons, or are individuals seeking to improve their social and financial situation by switching jobs.

Test your fit in cultural management

Cultural management can be defined as the art of planning, organizing, leading, supervising and monitoring activities within the not-for-profit and for-profit arts, heritage and cultural industries sector.

“As a working musician, entering cultural management seemed the next logical step in my professional development. While working in cultural management will never make me rich, it allows me to exercise a certain amount of creativity that I would otherwise not be afforded. The satisfaction of waking up every day and looking forward to going to work cannot be measured in dollars and cents.”
Raj Nigam, Programming Manager, Francis Winspear Centre for Music, Edmonton

These activities include management and administration.

Do you …

  • Have an interest in or a passion for the arts or heritage?
  • Want to work in a place that welcomes creativity?
  • Want to be able to celebrate your own culture in your work?
  • Like to work with interesting people who will appreciate the things that you accomplish?
  • Enjoy learning and trying new things?
  • See the “big picture” on a project?
  • Pay attention to details?
  • Know how to encourage and inspire others?
  • Enjoy solving problems and making things happen?
  • Have good communication skills?
  • Know that you are flexible and adaptable?
  • Like to continue with a task until it is finished?
  • Have high levels of energy and enthusiasm?
  • Like having a lot of responsibility?
  • Have ingenuity and resourcefulness?
  • Know you can handle pressure well?

How many items from the lists did you agree with – a dozen or more? Then a career in cultural management may be a good “fit” for you!

Does Cultural Management Suit You?

University or high school student

  • Like to organize group activities or help put together an event?
  • Want to make a contribution to sharing your own culture?
  • Look for a lot of opportunity to move ahead in your career?
  • Want to have an impact in your community?

Artist or other cultural sector worker

  • Have lots of experience in the private sector or government?
  • Already work in a non-profit, Aboriginal or municipal organization?
  • Volunteer a lot and want to use those skills to move into paid employment?
  • Want to move into a job that you can be more passionate about?

Worker in transition from another sector

  • Find the physical part of your work is getting harder to do?
  • Already organize events or informal gel tagethers with other artists?
  • Have ideas about how you could provide missing supports to artists or heritage resources?