Best states for a visual arts teacher

Expert opinions on the best states for visual arts teachers

• Are there any particularly good places in the United States for visual arts teachers to find work opportunities?

  Karl Kippola Ph.D.

  Associate Professor Theatre/Musical Theatre Program Director, American University

  One of the silver linings about finding work in the world of theatre is that physical location matters very little. Creating, producing, and promoting theatre in the virtual world has encouraged artists to connect across the country and worldwide, without leaving your house or getting out of your pajamas. New partnerships are forming. People are freely exchanging ideas and inspirations. Of necessity, those looking for work have had to be proactive in reaching out to people they don't know.
  
  But recent graduates also are forming companies specifically designed to address the needs, limitations, and possibilities of our current moment. Creating a career in the arts always has been difficult. It is more difficult now. But not impossible. Again, the world desperately needs skills. Graduates must be tirelessly proactive in looking for opportunities -- and in creating their work.
  
  Once things begin to re-open -- or even if we shift to some limited-capacity, or hybrid form of audience engagement -- then the physical location will start to matter again. Major cities, as before, likely will remain artistic centers. But the theatre always has been everywhere. And it will continue to be.