Artistic director to cultural centre director
An artistic director already meets 52% of what the cultural centre director role asks for. The move turns on 13 required skills not yet in the profile.
58.2/ 100
1 How much of what a cultural centre director is expected to do is already part of an artistic director’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 cultural centre director role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A cultural centre director role treats 17 of its required skills as things an artistic director already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- approve reports for artistic project
- corporate social responsibility
- cultural projects
- establish daily priorities
- follow company standards
- liaise with cultural partners
What stands in the way is 13 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 23 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A cultural centre director role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an artistic director background worth leading with.
- already held approve reports for artistic project information skills
- already held work with cultural venue specialists communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held organise cultural events management skills
- already held promote cultural venue events communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held cultural projects social sciences, journalism and information
- already held liaise with cultural partners communication, collaboration and creativity
All 23 carried skills, including the 17 the cultural centre director role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 27 missing skills fall into 5 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 create cultural venue learning strategies required
- still to learn develop cultural policies required
- still to learn evaluate cultural venue visitor needs required
- still to learn develop cultural activities required
- still to learn work within communities required
- optional, not held coordinate community arts activities optional
- optional, not held manage cultural facility optional
- optional, not held supervise event staff optional
- optional, not held coordinate events optional
- optional, not held fix meetings optional
- optional, not held manage fundraising activities optional
- still to learn create cultural venue outreach policies required
- still to learn liaise with event sponsors required
- still to learn build community relations required
- still to learn develop promotional tools required
- optional, not held maintain relations with local representatives optional
- optional, not held promote cultural venue in schools optional
- optional, not held develop inclusive communication material optional
- optional, not held establish collaborative relations optional
- optional, not held maintain relationships with government agencies optional
- still to learn assemble health and safety resources in cultural venues required
- still to learn manage health and safety standards required
- still to learn evaluate cultural venue programmes required
- optional, not held assess data collected to improve community arts programme optional
- optional, not held evaluate events optional
- still to learn budgetary principles required
- optional, not held project management principles optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a cultural centre director role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 assemble health and safety resources in cultural venues practise this
- 02 budgetary principles study this
- 03 create cultural venue learning strategies 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 23 skills that carry over
- already held approve reports for artistic project skill
- already held corporate social responsibility knowledge
- already held cultural projects knowledge
- already held establish daily priorities skill
- already held follow company standards skill
- already held liaise with cultural partners skill
- already held liaise with local authorities skill
- already held manage budgets skill
- already held manage logistics skill
- already held manage staff skill
- already held manage supplies skill
- already held organise cultural events skill
- already held promote cultural venue events skill
- already held promote inclusion skill
- already held strive for company growth skill
- already held supervise daily information operations skill
- already held work with cultural venue specialists skill
- already held apply strategic thinking skill
- already held develop professional network skill
- already held perform project management skill
- already held plan health and safety procedures skill
- already held represent the organisation skill
- already held set organisational policies skill
14 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held assess data collected to improve community arts programme optional
- optional, not held coordinate community arts activities optional
- optional, not held maintain relations with local representatives optional
- optional, not held manage cultural facility optional
- optional, not held promote cultural venue in schools optional
- optional, not held supervise event staff optional
- optional, not held coordinate events optional
- optional, not held develop inclusive communication material optional
- optional, not held establish collaborative relations optional
- optional, not held evaluate events optional
- optional, not held fix meetings optional
- optional, not held maintain relationships with government agencies optional
- optional, not held manage fundraising activities optional
- optional, not held project management principles optional
26 held skills the cultural centre director role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advertise an art collection skill
- not needed by the target role art history knowledge
- not needed by the target role art-historical values knowledge
- not needed by the target role contribute to the programmer's reflection process skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate artistic production skill
- not needed by the target role cope with challenging demands skill
- not needed by the target role define artistic approach skill
- not needed by the target role define artistic vision skill
- not needed by the target role describe artistic experience skill
- not needed by the target role determine context to present the work skill
- not needed by the target role develop an artistic framework skill
- not needed by the target role develop drama production process skill
- not needed by the target role direct an artistic team skill
- not needed by the target role find a replacement for stage manager skill
- not needed by the target role help the programmer define an artistic vision skill
- not needed by the target role identify artistic niche skill
- not needed by the target role monitor artistic activities skill
- not needed by the target role museum databases knowledge
- not needed by the target role organise an exhibition skill
- not needed by the target role participate in artistic mediation activities skill
- not needed by the target role plan resource allocation skill
- not needed by the target role present exhibition skill
- not needed by the target role provide project information on exhibitions skill
- not needed by the target role represent artistic production skill
- not needed by the target role represent company in exhibitions skill
- not needed by the target role use intuition in booking projects skill
2 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 budgetary principles required
- optional, not held project management principles optional
Common questions about this move
Can an artistic director become a cultural centre director?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An artistic director already covers 52% of what a cultural centre director is expected to do: 23 skills carry over, 17 of which the cultural centre director role treats as required.
What skills does an artistic director need to become a cultural centre director?
13 required skills are missing, plus 14 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by management skills. The single most important is assemble health and safety resources in cultural venues.
How hard is the move from artistic director to cultural centre director?
Its learning distance is 58.2 out of 100, which is the substantial 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.