Art handler to art administrator
An art handler already meets 21% of what the art administrator role asks for. The move turns on 12 required skills not yet in the profile.
76.5/ 100
1 How much of what an art administrator is expected to do is already part of an art handler’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the art administrator role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An art administrator role treats 4 of its required skills as things an art handler already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- art collections
- art history
- fine arts
- handle artworks
What stands in the way is 12 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 4 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An art administrator role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an art handler background worth leading with.
- already held fine arts arts and humanities
- already held handle artworks handling and moving
- already held art collections arts and humanities
- already held art history arts and humanities
All 4 carried skills, including the 4 the art administrator role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 22 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn coordinate with creative departments required
- still to learn identify artistic niche required
- still to learn maintain an artistic portfolio required
- still to learn understand artistic concepts required
- still to learn work with cultural venue specialists required
- optional, not held represent artistic production optional
- still to learn coordinate artistic production required
- still to learn manage artistic project required
- still to learn manage cultural facility required
- still to learn organise creative performance required
- optional, not held engage artistic staff optional
- optional, not held schedule artistic activities optional
- optional, not held coordinate charity services optional
- optional, not held manage creative department optional
- optional, not held supervise art gallery staff optional
- still to learn corporate social responsibility required
- still to learn philanthropy required
- still to learn monitor artwork market required
- optional, not held entertainment industry optional
- optional, not held theatre techniques optional
- optional, not held music and video industry optional
- optional, not held install artwork in gallery optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an art administrator role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 monitor artwork market practise this
- 02 coordinate artistic production practise this
- 03 coordinate with creative departments practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 4 skills that carry over
- already held art collections knowledge
- already held art history knowledge
- already held fine arts knowledge
- already held handle artworks skill
10 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held engage artistic staff optional
- optional, not held entertainment industry optional
- optional, not held schedule artistic activities optional
- optional, not held coordinate charity services optional
- optional, not held represent artistic production optional
- optional, not held theatre techniques optional
- optional, not held install artwork in gallery optional
- optional, not held manage creative department optional
- optional, not held music and video industry optional
- optional, not held supervise art gallery staff optional
11 held skills the art administrator role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on art handling skill
- not needed by the target role advise on loans of art work for exhibitions skill
- not needed by the target role assess museum object condition skill
- not needed by the target role compose condition reports skill
- not needed by the target role conservation techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role consult exhibition organisers skill
- not needed by the target role deliver correspondence skill
- not needed by the target role ensure safety of exhibition skill
- not needed by the target role manage loan administration skill
- not needed by the target role present exhibition skill
- not needed by the target role supervise artefact movement skill
5 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn corporate social responsibility required
- still to learn philanthropy required
- optional, not held entertainment industry optional
- optional, not held theatre techniques optional
- optional, not held music and video industry optional
Common questions about this move
Can an art handler become an art administrator?
Yes, and it is a career change move. An art handler already covers 21% of what an art administrator is expected to do: 4 skills carry over, 4 of which the art administrator role treats as required.
What skills does an art handler need to become an art administrator?
12 required skills are missing, plus 10 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is monitor artwork market.
How hard is the move from art handler to art administrator?
Its learning distance is 76.5 out of 100, which is the career change band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.