Welcome to the Fine Arts, Performing Arts, & Music Community!
The following sampling of tools and resources should be combined with your own research. We suggest you use targeted keyword searches to find representative employers and opportunities, explore professional associations, join LinkedIN groups, and browse additional job board postings. Remember to also search LinkedIn and MyPenn (formerly QuakerNet) to connect with Penn alumni in fields related to your interests. Additionally, the sample jobs and employers are only a small selection of what’s posted in Handshake – log in to see much more!
We also suggest using the Career Exploration section of our website for more information or researching by major.
Explore Careers in the Arts
As an industry, “the arts” covers a lot of ground and contains a lot of different jobs. Though we may default to thinking about “artists” and “performers”, consider the diversity even within those groups – sculptor, painter, photographer, digital artist, actor, singer, musician, dancer, stand-up comic, etc. The institutions that support and showcase art have a variety of employment needs as well from financial officers to marketing teams to hospitality and front of house staff. Check out Vault Guides to learn more about the industry and differences between these options. You may also wish to visit our Media, Journalism & Entertainment community.
Make Connections
Networking is simply talking and building relationships with professionals in careers that interest you to help you learn what it’s like to work in a particular role, field, or industry. In addition to MyPenn (formerly QuakerNet) and LinkedIN, you can take advantage of Penn institutions such as Platt Student Performing Arts and Weitzman School of Design to connect with alumni. There are also a variety of other professional associations that you may find of interest. Read more about how to make connections.
Search & Apply
While not all jobs in the arts are posted through traditional job boards, Handshake is still a great place to start looking! Many fine and performing arts jobs are posted regularly, the most recent of which are featured at the bottom of this page. We’ve also curated a list of industry specific job boards and prepared resources such as leveraging your arts experience in a resume and fine arts career development timeline.
Find Resources
On this page, we’ve compiled many resources to help you prepare for a career in music, fine or performing arts. Of particular interest should be Penn resources like Platt Student Performing Arts House, the ArtSearch job board, and professional organizations like the National Alliance of Independent Artists. In need of internship funding? Career Services, Platt, Penn Live Arts, RealArts@Penn, CURF, and individual departments all offer arts & entertainment funding to undergraduates.
