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Teaching artist vs art assistant

The differences between teaching artists and art assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a teaching artist and an art assistant. Additionally, a teaching artist has an average salary of $66,565, which is higher than the $46,310 average annual salary of an art assistant.

The top three skills for a teaching artist include art curriculum, arts education and art lessons. The most important skills for an art assistant are adobe photoshop, fine arts, and graphic design.

Teaching artist vs art assistant overview

Teaching ArtistArt Assistant
Yearly salary$66,565$46,310
Hourly rate$32.00$22.26
Growth rate12%12%
Number of jobs4,4932,873
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 71%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age4646
Years of experience22

What does a teaching artist do?

A Teaching Artist is responsible for teaching knowledge and skills in art, including drawing, painting, lettering, and art history. They also develop, submit, and implement lesson plans.

What does an art assistant do?

An art assistant helps artists in managing their time and schedule as they continue their work creating art. It is the job of the assistant to manage all the administrative work behind the artist. It means scheduling their meetings, assisting in the procurement of materials, requesting supplies, maintaining the art studio, and observing the artist's personal requests. An artist must have a conducive ambiance for artistic ideas and creativity. It is part of the art assistant's job to ensure this ambiance is always maintained and kept. The art assistant must also have an art background, as the artist may help with creation itself.

Teaching artist vs art assistant salary

Teaching artists and art assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Teaching ArtistArt Assistant
Average salary$66,565$46,310
Salary rangeBetween $39,000 And $111,000Between $28,000 And $74,000
Highest paying CitySanta Rosa, CA-
Highest paying stateNew York-
Best paying companyThe New York Pops-
Best paying industryGovernment-

Differences between teaching artist and art assistant education

There are a few differences between a teaching artist and an art assistant in terms of educational background:

Teaching ArtistArt Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 71%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common majorTheatreFine Arts
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityNorthwestern University

Teaching artist vs art assistant demographics

Here are the differences between teaching artists' and art assistants' demographics:

Teaching ArtistArt Assistant
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 31.1% Female, 68.9%Male, 32.1% Female, 67.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 7.0% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.0% Asian, 11.3% White, 66.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 7.3% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 11.2% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage16%16%

Differences between teaching artist and art assistant duties and responsibilities

Teaching artist example responsibilities.

  • Perform weekly at NYC schools, lead talkbacks, and conduct workshops for students of all ages.
  • Lead an outreach art program in a public school in the Bronx for 4th and 5th grade students.
  • Utilize computers and software to develop teaching materials, manage classroom records and email, and produce PowerPoint presentations.
  • Demonstrate effective communication skills, well-execute and expedient application of makeup to achieve the look guests desires.
  • Participate in OFAR's social sculpture and create an installation-base film dedicate to social justice and engagement
  • Teach classes in improv, sketch, acting, and playwriting
  • Show more

Art assistant example responsibilities.

  • Manage Facebook account composing creative content for daily posts to increase audience engagement
  • Integrate language arts and mathematics to improve standardize test scores.
  • Transfer powerpoint files to digital documents.
  • Work on set design and advance photo editing including color swapping and color correcting for commercial photography studio.
  • Employ assessment tools and strategies to improve instruction methods.instruct through lectures, discussions and demonstrations in culinary arts and cooking procedures.

Teaching artist vs art assistant skills

Common teaching artist skills
  • Art Curriculum, 13%
  • Arts Education, 5%
  • Art Lessons, 5%
  • Public Schools, 5%
  • Creative Drama, 4%
  • Poetry, 4%
Common art assistant skills
  • Adobe Photoshop, 12%
  • Fine Arts, 11%
  • Graphic Design, 8%
  • Art Projects, 7%
  • Photography, 6%
  • Art History, 5%

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