Graduates of the Studio Art – Painting program possess knowledge, experience, and unique skills that are highly desirable and transferable, enabling them to seek employment in career fields both within and outside of the fine arts. Art degrees can lead to future work opportunities in a gallery, non-profit cultural organization, or museum.

Studio Art majors develop careers as an independent artist or designer, can work in galleries, arts organizations, and museums, pursue graduate work and/or university teaching. Below is a list of possible career opportunities for Studio Art majors:

• Freelance artist/ entrepreneur
• Ceramist
• Jewelry designer
• Metalsmith/goldsmith
• Painter (portrait artist)/ mural artist
• Printmaker/screen printer
• Sculptor/ digital 3D modeler
• Graphic Designer
• Logo & Branding Designer
• Freelance illustrator
• Time-based artist
• Gallery owner/assistant/ director/ curator
• Exhibition planner/ coordinator
• Prop designer/ fabricator
• Window Display Designer
• Pattern Designer (wallpapers, carpets, etc.)
• Concept Artist
• User Interface Designer
• Web Designer
• Layout Designer
• Cartoonist/ graphic novelist
• Community-based artist

Career Services at Grand Valley State University provides students with resources to choose their individual career path. They also offer frequent workshops and programs to help majors in all fields to prepare for life after graduation. Visit Career Services

• Angela Bryant, MFA, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Artist, Curator and Director at Dominican University
• Shanna Shearer, Campus Director, Ox-Bow School of the Arts, Saugatuck, MI
• Marion Siebert, Art Director, Brightly Grand Rapids, MI 
• Casey St Louis, Master of Art Therapy/Counseling, Southern Illinois University Art Therapist, St. Elizabeth Hospital, St Louis, MO
• Julia Victor, Art History Graduate Student Artist in Residence, West Side School for the Desperate, Chicago, IL