What does an artist-in-residence do?
An artist-in-residence instructs and supervises elementary school students' multi-disciplinary art classes. The artist-in-residence takes part in the planning and implementation of musical theatre and in-school playwriting residencies. The artists coordinate and provide lessons for parents after the school ESL classes. They establish an innovative interdisciplinary curriculum that integrates arts to academic topics and courses. Also, they demonstrate enhanced literacy skills, graphic skills, classroom management, art history, and communication skills.
Artist-in-residence responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real artist-in-residence resumes:
- Demonstrate effective communication skills, well-execute and expedient application of makeup to achieve the look guests desires.
- Subject matter cover has include color theory, rules in creating pictorial space, and mathematics in art.
- Create and implement class syllabus, day to day exercises, and monthly supply list pertaining to assign budget.
- Schedule afterschool art making classes to grades k-12 where students collaboratively create permanent large-scale murals that are install into the school.
- Collaborate developing lessons integrating art with mathematics and engineering.
- Conceptualize and develop terrain models using Maya and partner with director and animators to correspond and produce effective shots.
- Create and present PowerPoint slide lectures, assignments, quizzes, and final projects.
Artist-in-residence skills and personality traits
We calculated that 14% of Artists-In Residence are proficient in Fine Arts, Graphic Design, and Art History. They’re also known for soft skills such as Business skills, Customer-service skills, and Dexterity.
We break down the percentage of Artists-In Residence that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Fine Arts, 14%
Related Work/ Professional Experience: -In 2005, created Progressions Fine Arts Academy.
- Graphic Design, 12%
Provided graphic design instruction and tutorials for High School and College students to develop design portfolios for freelance and entrepreneurial opportunities.
- Art History, 8%
Developed and implemented various thematic lesson plans utilizing age- appropriate material and focusing on relevant topics and art history.
- Printmaking, 7%
Planned and executed printmaking lessons for Italian elementary students.
- Sculpture, 6%
Designed promotional materials and advertised calls for new work, as well as installed new sculpture on the grounds.
- Community Outreach, 5%
Concentrated on community outreach and collaboration with other art forms.
Most artists-in residence use their skills in "fine arts," "graphic design," and "art history" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential artist-in-residence responsibilities here:
Business skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for an artist-in-residence to have is business skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "craft and fine artists must promote themselves and their art to build a reputation and to sell their art." Artists-in residence often use business skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "managed office details, made sculptural artwork in studio, set appointments, put together art shows.business:"
Customer-service skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling artist-in-residence duties is customer-service skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "craft and fine artists, especially those who sell their work themselves, must be good at dealing with customers and prospective buyers." According to an artist-in-residence resume, here's how artists-in residence can utilize customer-service skills in their job responsibilities: "panel discussion guest speaker, saranac art projects. "
Dexterity. artists-in residence are also known for dexterity, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to artist-in-residence responsibilities, because "artists must be good at manipulating tools and materials to create their art." An artist-in-residence resume example shows how dexterity is used in the workplace: "created and implements all classroom curriculum, teaching all subjects and kindergarten readiness skills through creative hands on art experiences. "
Artistic ability. For certain artist-in-residence responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "artistic ability." The day-to-day duties of an artist-in-residence rely on this skill, as "craft and fine artists create artwork and other objects that are visually appealing or thought provoking." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what artists-in residence do: "introduced students to the artistic processes of quilt making, collage, cyanotype photo printmaking and pattern design. "
Creativity. Another common skill required for artist-in-residence responsibilities is "creativity." This skill comes up in the duties of artists-in residence all the time, as "artists must have active imaginations to develop new and original ideas for their work." An excerpt from a real artist-in-residence resume shows how this skill is central to what an artist-in-residence does: "developed a creative writing program which used the visual arts as a catalyst for learning reading and writing skills. "
Interpersonal skills. Another skill commonly found on artist-in-residence job descriptions is "interpersonal skills." It can come up quite often in artist-in-residence duties, since "artists should be comfortable interacting with people, including customers, gallery owners, and the public." Here's an example from a resume of how this skill fits into day-to-day artist-in-residence responsibilities: "designed and implemented monthly curriculum to foster cooperative learning, social and interpersonal skills between adult students with developmental disabilities. "
The three companies that hire the most artist-in-residences are:
- Tennessee Technological University6 artists-in residence jobs
- Missouri State University2 artists-in residence jobs
- Stevens Institute of Technology2 artists-in residence jobs
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Compare different artists-in residence
Artist-in-residence vs. Lead designer
A lead designer is responsible for addressing the clients' needs of digital content and coordinating with the design team for the planning and innovation of the visual design and concept. Lead designers conduct the initial layout of frameworks and collaborate with the art staff for the specifications and outputs using various software applications and digital boards. They regularly update the client of the project's status, including adjustment and design recommendations, ensuring that the plan meets the client's budget goals. A lead designer must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially on running diagnostic tests to improve optimal performance.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between artists-in residence and lead designer. For instance, artist-in-residence responsibilities require skills such as "art history," "printmaking," "sculpture," and "community outreach." Whereas a lead designer is skilled in "sketch," "human centered design," "user experience," and "html css." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Lead designers tend to make the most money working in the start-up industry, where they earn an average salary of $118,563. In contrast, artists-in residence make the biggest average salary, $48,263, in the non profits industry.lead designers tend to reach lower levels of education than artists-in residence. In fact, lead designers are 12.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.8% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Artist-in-residence vs. Web designer
A web designer is a creative professional responsible for creating and redesigning the content and layout of websites. Web designers are required to meet clients and users to discuss the needs and goals of their clients. To create graphics, colors, and fonts, web designers usually use HTML coding to alter the website's layout. Web designers must build their portfolio by taking on unique projects for themselves and the people they know.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, artist-in-residence responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "art history," "printmaking," "sculpture," and "community outreach." Meanwhile, a web designer has duties that require skills in areas such as "html," "css," "wordpress," and "html css." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Web designers earn a higher average salary than artists-in residence. But web designers earn the highest pay in the internet industry, with an average salary of $81,039. Additionally, artists-in residence earn the highest salaries in the non profits with average pay of $48,263 annually.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Web designers tend to reach lower levels of education than artists-in residence. In fact, they're 14.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.8% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Artists-in-residence in the next 3-5 years?
Kimberly Weast
Fine Arts Department Chair Director of Theatre Arts Professor of Theatre, Northwestern Oklahoma State University
Artist-in-residence vs. Design internship
As the name entails, graphic design interns learn about the career in graphic design in a hands-on setting. They have varied tasks and duties, including taking part in every meeting of the design team, conducting client research, assisting with social media and design projects, and working closely with experienced designers. They are often paid little or nothing at all for their service, but the experience that they acquire from their field can be dispensable.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from artist-in-residence resumes include skills like "art history," "printmaking," "sculpture," and "community outreach," whereas a design internship is more likely to list skills in "design intern," "sketch," "user experience," and "visualization. "
Design interns earn the best pay in the technology industry, where they command an average salary of $54,174. Artists-in residence earn the highest pay from the non profits industry, with an average salary of $48,263.design interns typically earn lower educational levels compared to artists-in residence. Specifically, they're 14.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Artist-in-residence vs. User experience designer
A User Experience (UX) designer is an individual who measures and optimizes applications to improve the experience of end-users. His/Her or her duties and responsibilities include considering a design's human-computer interaction element, defining interaction models, and working with creative directors and designers. The key skills for UX designers include strong mathematical and problem-solving skills and excellent information technology and programming skills. Having a bachelor's degree in a design or computing-related subject is an advantage to qualify for the UX designer position.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between artists-in residence and user experience designers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an artist-in-residence might have more use for skills like "fine arts," "art history," "printmaking," and "sculpture." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of user experience designers require skills like "sketch," "ui," "user research," and "visual design. "
The start-up industry tends to pay the highest salaries for user experience designers, with average annual pay of $113,676. Comparatively, the highest artist-in-residence annual salary comes from the non profits industry.user experience designers reach similar levels of education compared to artists-in residence, in general. The difference is that they're 4.3% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.8% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of artist-in-residence
Updated January 8, 2025
