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Arts manager skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

5 min read

Quoted experts

Sue Jenkins,

Sue Jenkins

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical arts manager skills. We ranked the top skills for arts managers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 89.5% of arts manager resumes contained customer service as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills an arts manager needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 arts manager skills for your resume and career

1. Customer Service

Customer service is the process of offering assistance to all the current and potential customers -- answering questions, fixing problems, and providing excellent service. The main goal of customer service is to build a strong relationship with the customers so that they keep coming back for more business.

Here's how arts managers use customer service:

Focused on daily customer service procedures policies.
Supported customer service and sales staff, relaying concepts to share with client, receiving feedback and adjusting design.

2. Art Direction

Art direction is an essential job in the activities related to theatre, advertising, fashion, publishing as well the film industry. All of these fields have a direct or indirect connection with art and therefore require direction and supervision regarding this very aspect of the job. The art director is responsible for how a product turns out visually..

Here's how arts managers use art direction:

Contributed art direction to ensure cohesiveness between artists.
Coordinate design, art handling, and art direction.

3. Animation

Here's how arts managers use animation:

Received an Emmy nomination for Graphic Animation in 2004.
Developed page layout, UI designing, icons, Vector graphics, 3D renderings, space deign, animation.

4. Art Assets

Here's how arts managers use art assets:

Managed the outsourcing of art assets with external vendors and partners overseas.
Led art critics of game art assets.

5. Unity

Unity is a universal power word that has the same meaning of strength for everyone, regardless of race, nationality, or gender. It connotes equality, togetherness or oneness, and synchronized thinking and opinions to ultimately achieve a specific goal or mission.

Here's how arts managers use unity:

Collaborated with UI/UX to implement 2D and 3D core feature flows in Unity.

6. Graphic Design

Graphic design is the art of making visual content to communicate messages. Designers apply different page layout methods and visual hierarchy by using letters and pictures to meet the need of end-users. Most companies use graphic design to sell their product or services and to convey complicated information by using infographics.

Here's how arts managers use graphic design:

Managed in-house and off-site Flash developers, 3D animators, graphic designers and copywriter/editors.
Introduced and established a Graphic Design Department.

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7. Adobe Creative Suite

Here's how arts managers use adobe creative suite:

Created efficient scripts and actions in Adobe Creative Suites for efficiency Created advertisements for local venues Trained teams and assigned job duties
Developed, designed, and managed the production of marketing materials for customers using Adobe Creative Suite software.

8. Fine Arts

Here's how arts managers use fine arts:

Assist in the development and implementation of new programs and initiatives pertaining to the fine arts.
Managed to order and delivery products, make prints and frames for fine arts galleries.

9. External Vendors

A vendor is a term used to describe any supplier of goods or services. Therefore, an external vendor would sell their products or services to an outside company or individual.

Here's how arts managers use external vendors:

Managed projects from start to finish, prioritized jobs, obtained quotes/selected external vendors to output file to finished piece.

10. Visual Quality

Visual quality is the quality of an image or a video clip. The term is mostly used in the media and film industry, to denote the quality of the graphics in a film or video. Most advanced software and tools are used to enhance the visual quality of videos.

Here's how arts managers use visual quality:

Initiate research and implementation of new techniques to improve visual quality of art or cost-effectiveness of art production/separation files.

11. Adobe Photoshop

Here's how arts managers use adobe photoshop:

Attended seminars on Quark Express, Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Word, Nikon Still Photography and Video Production.
Design Newsletter utilizing Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator.

12. In-House

Here's how arts managers use in-house:

Estimated cost for printing and duplicating jobs; evaluated in-house or print vendor production, generated estimates from outside vendors.
Communicated daily with clients, senior and middle management, in-house staff, and vendors.

13. Press Releases

Here's how arts managers use press releases:

Edit and review press releases before their final dispatch to local and international media outlets.
Write all press releases and distribute via local and non-local media.

14. Production Process

The production process is a series of events and industrial activities that come into play when raw material are delivered onto the production facility for manufacturing. The process involves different steps of production from start to finish such as; research, design formation, design testing, product manufacturing, and assembly according to the design, product experimentations, and supply.

Here's how arts managers use production process:

Developed production schedules for all College publications, coordinated with outside vendors and oversaw entire production process.
Enhanced production process by implementing digital file management.

15. Embroidery

Here's how arts managers use embroidery:

Help with bulk mailings Cut vinyl letter with plotter Fill in for running embroidery machines Proof artwork Daily ordering of supplies
Performed equipment maintenance, operation, embroidery production and provided superb customer service.

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What skills help Arts Managers find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on arts manager resumes?

Sue Jenkins

Associate Professor, Marywood University

Arts Management covers a wide breadth of creative careers in visual and applied art, music, and the performing arts. In all these areas, the most important skills will demonstrate competence and evidence of leadership, time management, responsibility, and effective communication. Extracurricular experiences in college can readily provide those tangible skills that employers are seeking from future employees and like to see on resumes, such as club membership and service, volunteering, mentorship, and leadership roles like club President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Social Media Manager. In addition, employers are also looking at resumes for evidence of key accomplishments such as publications, solo and group exhibitions, honors, awards, and other types of noteworthy achievements. The more evidence of responsibility, ownership, and creativity a candidate can demonstrate, the better.

What soft skills should all arts managers possess?

Sue Jenkins

Associate Professor, Marywood University

At Marywood University, we seek to develop transferable soft skills in our Art students through various classroom experiences. We do this by focusing on key aptitudes like strong verbal and written communication skills, teamwork and collegiality, problem-solving and creative thinking, design thinking, flexibility, and adaptability, giving and receiving feedback, and basics like time management, punctuality, and personal responsibility. In light of the global Covid pandemic, now more than ever, employers are seeking candidates with strong empathy skills, folks who strive to build Accessibility accommodations in all that they do, and people who are sensitive to and supportive of issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

What hard/technical skills are most important for arts managers?

Sue Jenkins

Associate Professor, Marywood University

The types of hard skills employers find most important in our Covid world are mostly unchanged by the pandemic. Tangible hard/technical skills take time, patience, and persistence. These are skills that are developed over time through practice. Competent artists will have a variety of skills, including a strong grasp of the Principles & Elements of Art; be able to render drawings from life, images, memory, and imagination; have good composition skills and understand the rules of perspective; will grasp and demonstrate understanding color theory; can use the tools of their discipline with skill, and are knowledgeable about how to use a variety of artistic materials and tools with fine craftsmanship.

Do you want to know more?

List of arts manager skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for an arts manager resume and required skills for an arts manager to have include:

Customer Service
Art Direction
Animation
Art Assets
Unity
Graphic Design
Adobe Creative Suite
Fine Arts
External Vendors
Visual Quality
Adobe Photoshop
In-House

Press Releases
Production Process
Embroidery
Photo Shoots
Art Gallery
Art Production
Screen Print
Mac
Art Shows
Art Projects
Creative Direction
Promotional Materials

Art Exhibitions
PC
RAN
Trade Shows
PowerPoint
UI
Production Schedules
Art Classes
Facilities Management
Business Cards
Windows
Color Correction

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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